During the revitalization period after natural disasters, the residents in disaster-affected areas often become less “empowered” because people from outside the region offer extensive support. The problem is that this results in a negative cycle of “forced” support from outsiders and loss of empowerment among residents. In this context, to become re-empowered, residents should use their own words to describe and overcome problems rather than rely on external supporters. In this study, we conducted research aimed at supporting the residents of Oarai Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, which was affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, to develop a disaster game called “Crossroad: Oarai”. We used the practice of “self-supported study”, which was developed at Bethel House in Urakawa, in this study. Firstly, the process of creating “Crossroad” separated objectively identified social problems from the residents facing those problems. Secondly, problems that were formulated in the “Crossroad” format were easier to share widely as public problems. Finally, we discussed the roles and problems of the supporters.

This study examined the effects of the self-presentation of a common trait in a multiple audience situation on intrapersonal and interpersonal adaptation. In this experiment, 76 participants were asked to make speeches. We manipulated the presence/absence of multiple audiences and the number of common traits presented, and then calculated the changes in the participants’ state self-esteem (intrapersonal adaptation). Furthermore, 5 raters watched videos of the participants’ speeches and rated their impressions of the participants (interpersonal adaptation). The results showed that compared with the other conditions, in the multiple audience conditions in which a common trait could not be presented the changes in the participants’ state self-esteem were significantly smaller, and the participants were evaluated more negatively by the raters. In contrast, in the multiple audience conditions in which a common trait could be presented, neither the changes in state self-esteem nor the raters’ evaluations differed from those seen in the control conditions. The effects of the self-presentation of a common trait as a solution to the multiple audience problem are discussed.

A questionnaire and a computer simulation were used to investigate the validity of a critical mass model of rule-breaking behavior with local interaction. In this model, individuals were only able to perceive some of their neighbors’ behavior. The questionnaire assessed attitudes toward and the frequency of rule-breaking behavior, and 887 valid responses were obtained from Japanese junior high school students. Computer simulations based on cellular automata were conducted using the questionnaire data. The outputs of the simulations including local interactions showed strong positive correlations with the rule-breaking frequencies obtained with the questionnaire. These findings imply that models taking the limits of perception into account could be useful for describing real micro-macro relationships.

Although previous studies have verified that perspective-taking differs according to the individuals involved and their relationships, the balance between individual and relationship effects remains unclear. Thus, we examined perspective-taking in families based on the social relations model (Kenny, Kashy, & Cook, 2006). We conducted a triadic survey of 380 undergraduates and their fathers and mothers. We analyzed the triadic responses of the 166 families in which all three members completed the survey. It was found that perspective-taking in families is affected by the family itself, each actor, fathers as partners and all dyadic relationships. The relative contributions of individual effects and relationship effects differed between parent-child relationships and marital relationships. We discuss the implications of our findings for enhancing perspective-taking.

The current study examined the interaction dynamics within a small group from the perspective of movement synchrony by estimating ‘ensembility’ among musicians. In an ensemble concert, the swaying movements of three professional musicians during a live performance were recorded using a chair-type body motion sensor, the SenseChair. A short-time frequency analysis with a Hanning window function was performed to extract short-time frequency data from each musician’s movements. Ensembility; i.e., the degree of synchrony among the musicians’ swaying movements, was calculated by multiplying the three musicians’ sway data. The validity of calculating ensembility was confirmed using a surrogate technique. Furthermore, the relationship between ensembility and evaluations of the subjects’ musical performance was examined. The results showed that one of the performances that exhibited high ensembility received a higher evaluation score. While much synchrony research has focused on dyadic interactions, collaborative work with researchers from the field of social psychology and information science allows for precise examinations of the dynamics within small groups.

This research explored how we can improve tsunami evacuation behavior, which has been a major social issue since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011. We introduced a smartphone app, “Nige-Tore,” for supporting tsunami evacuation drills, which was developed using an interdisciplinary research framework. “Nige-Tore” is an effective tool for visualizing the dynamic interactions between human actions; e.g., evacuation behavior, and natural phenomena; e.g., tsunami movements. An analysis of the social implementation of “Nige-Tore” showed that the app was more powerful than conventional tsunami evacuation tools and methods, such as hazard maps and traditional drills, because it produced a positive synergy between “commitment” and “contingency.” “Commitment” is a mindset in which people fixate on a current scenario and consider it to be inevitable, while “contingency” is a mindset in which people relativize a current scenario as one of various possible scenarios. This synergy helps people to cope with unexpected events.

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of applying a social psychological perspective to the behavior of local governments. The motivations of political actors, ranging from states to individuals, have been repeatedly examined and confirmed in political sociology and political psychology. However, few studies have examined local governments from this perspective. Local governments work on various policies, and some tourism policies do not seem to aim to increase economic profits. In this study, it was assumed that local governments are autonomous behavioral actors. The policy process was analyzed by introducing social identity theory, which explains a general group behavior from a psychological perspective. The relationship between the group concept of local government and the utilization of tourism resources was investigated. As a case study, this study followed the process by which Minamata City utilized Minamata disease to attract visitors, while focusing on the group concept of Minamata City. Based on the results, it can be said that Minamata disease-related tourism started to develop when Minamata disease began to be viewed from a positive viewpoint as an advanced experience in Minamata City.

The study of group dynamics, which refers to changes in individual behaviors due to the actions of others within a group, became a popular topic in social psychology during the 1940s. It is studied using methods such as experiments, surveys, and statistical modeling. However, in the modern era group dynamics no longer receives much attention within social psychology. Instead, it is biologists who have produced new and interesting findings about group dynamics, through the application of various new data collection and statistical methods. In this article, we first provide a brief explanation of the history of research into group dynamics in social psychology and biology. We then examine three recent biological studies of cultural diffusion in depth, which were illustrative of the innovation found in current research into group dynamics. Finally, we discuss how the methods and theories developed in the biological field could be applied to social psychology research and propose a scheme that could help to encourage researchers in social psychology and biology to unite in new collaborative efforts.

This paper focuses on philosophical or psychological theories about future social structures other than capitalist societies or neoliberalism. It considers the “exchange theory” of Karatani, the “multitude” concept of Hardt and Negri, and activity theory from Vygotskian psychology. It also examines the associations among these different theories and field research, proposes another view, and establishes a foothold for post-social constructionism or post-activity theory. First, Scribner’s “four historical layers of human development” is explored, and some limitations of previous studies of activity theory are considered. It is argued that field research into activity theory should focus not only on the history of individual societies or the life histories of individuals in society, but should also consider the world history of the social structure. Second, it is proposed that the “world history of the mode of production” by the activity theorist Engeström is affected by a particular limitation and that Karatani’s “world history of exchange modes” can overcome this problem. Third, unique communities that have formed in the regions around Fujino are examined as seminal cases of a future mode of society that might offer alternatives to the financial-gain-centered culture seen in capitalist society. Fourth, it is argued that existing exchange or gift theories rely on transfers, wherein existing material or non-material goods are passed between individuals. This is called a transfer mode of exchange. This mode makes it difficult to generate constructive discussion about an alternative future society. Finally, creative intercourse is proposed as a concept that can help transcend the dualism of either giving or receiving that the transfer mode has established.