Are common names becoming less common? The rise in uniqueness and individualism in Japan.

ABSTRACT: We examined whether Japanese culture has become more individualistic by investigating how the practice of naming babies has changed over time. Cultural psychology has revealed substantial cultural variation in human psychology and behavior, emphasizing the mutual construction of socio-cultural environment and mind. However, much of the past research did not account for the fact that culture is changing. Indeed, archival data on behavior (e.g., divorce rates) suggest a rise in individualism in the U.S. and Japan. In addition to archival data, cultural products (which express an individual's psyche and behavior outside the head; e.g., advertising) can also reveal cultural change. However, little research has investigated the changes in individualism in East Asia using cultural products. To r

SUBMITTER: Ogihara Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4613833 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature