Taijin kyofusho

Taijin kyofusho
SpecialtyPsychology

Taijin kyofusho (Japanese: 対人恐怖症, TKS, for taijin kyofusho symptoms) is a Japanese culture-specific syndrome. The term taijin kyofusho translates into the disorder (sho) of fear (kyofu) of interpersonal relations (taijin).[1] Those who have taijin kyofusho are likely to be extremely embarrassed about themselves or fearful of displeasing others when it comes to the functions of their bodies or their appearances. These bodily functions and appearances include their faces, odor, actions, or looks. They do not want to embarrass other people with their presence. This culture-bound syndrome is a social phobia based on fear and anxiety.[citation needed]

The symptoms of this disorder include avoiding social outings and activities, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, panic attacks, trembling, and feelings of dread and panic when around people. The causes of this disorder are mainly from emotional trauma or psychological defense mechanism.[2][3] It is more common in men than women.[4] Lifetime prevalence is estimated at 3–13%.

  1. ^ Slayor, A. (2012, July 20). Taijin Kyofusho in Japan and South Korea. Retrieved June 19, 2013 from [1] Archived 2015-08-11 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ James, R. (2006). Culture-bound syndromes: Taijin Kyofusho. In Y. Jackson (Ed.), Encyclopedia of multicultural psychology. (pp. 146-147). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi:10.4135/9781412952668.n76
  3. ^ Jackson, Yo (2007-09-15). SAGE Reference - Culture-Bound Syndromes: Taijin Kyofusho. Knowledge.sagepub.com. doi:10.4135/9781412952668. ISBN 9781412909488. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  4. ^ Saunders, Dustin. "Taijin Kyofusho: A Culture-Bound Syndrome". BrainPhysics.com. The Deep Health Network. Archived from the original on 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2013-04-22.]