Psychoanalytic Explorations into the Primal Relationship in Japan and India

Osamu Kitayama, Jhuma Basak

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English

Routledge
10 July 2025

Psychoanalytical theory (Freudian psychology); Psychotherapy

Series: Psychoanalysis and Women Series

In this landmark collaboration, Osamu Kitayama and Jhuma Basak chronical their long-standing collaboration and cultural exchange to survey the importance of familial relationships in Japan and India, exploring primal relations through a cross-cultural psychoanalytic lens.

Divided into three sections, Psychoanalytic Explorations into the Primal Relationship in Japan and India looks at each country’s perception of parenthood and approach to raising children in turn before concluding in an illuminating dialogue between the two authors. Kitayama explores the maternal figure within the mother-child relationship, with a focus on the mother-son dyad, as well as relationships between parents. He considers, in depth, how Japanese culture can often exclude what is perceived as alien, delving into its rich tapestry of folklore to understand underlying ‘mental scripts’ which can shape collective perceptions, societal norms and expectations, each of which can pose an issue to healthy familial relationships. Basak’s response draws from Indian socio-cultural and mythological contexts, as well as clinical applications, to provide psychoanalytic insight into the stark differences and similarities between attitudes in Japan, India and the eastern culture at large. Both authors join together to highlight different child rearing practises such as co-sleeping and how they can shape human sexuality-subjectivity. Challenging the standardisation of the Oedipal myth, the book draws from literary and clinical examples in Japan and India to invite the reader into another world of parenting style and another idiom of psychoanalysis.

Uniquely positioned to develop understanding of how psychoanalysis has developed in non-Western countries, this book is an essential resource for psychoanalysts in training and in practice.

By: Osamu Kitayama, Jhuma Basak
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 500g
ISBN: 9781032752044
ISBN 10: 1032752041
Series: Psychoanalysis and Women Series
Pages: 244
Publication Date: 10 July 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Further / Higher Education , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Osamu Kitayama is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Japan Psychoanalytic Society, Professor Emeritus at Kyushu University and President of Hakuoh University. He served as President of the Japan Psychoanalytic Society from 2016-2019 and continues to work with patients in private practice. He has authored numerous articles on culturally oriented psychoanalysis and books. Jhuma Basak is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Indian Psychoanalytical Society. She has published on culture and gender. Over the past 20 years, she has presented at IPA Congresses along with the first Keynote from Asia-Pacific, 4th IPA-region at the 53rd IPA Congress (International Journal of Psychoanalysis). A past Co-chair of COWAP Asia-Pacific, she co-edited Psychoanalytic and Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Women in India: Violence, Safety and Survival (2021).

Reviews for Psychoanalytic Explorations into the Primal Relationship in Japan and India

'Basak and Kitayama, experienced Indian and Japanese psychoanalysts, provide a brilliant model for the comparative study of psychoanalysis and culture. The themes they explore include mother-child dynamics; triadic relationships in the context of cultural practices; mythological symbolism as it relates to maternal sacrifice, guilt, and intense bonds between family members; shame culture; and the relationship between transience and resilience. A dialogue between Eastern and Western psychoanalytic traditions occurs that illuminates how family dynamics and cultural prohibitions differ, inform, and sometimes clash with each other. It is a profoundly interesting cross-cultural exploration for psychoanalysts, social scientists, and the general public.’ Harriet L. Wolfe, M.D., President, International Psychoanalytical Association 'The international psychoanalytic community will be both fascinated and deeply fertilised by this inspiring dialogue between an Indian and a Japanese analyst on fundamental issues of the human experience. Coming from two cultures so characterised, so rich in history, images and contents, they will contribute immensely to the future of psychoanalysis by opening up new scenarios and innovative ideas.’ Stefano Bolognini, Past President International Psychoanalytical Association 'This fascinating and historically important collection is an illuminating retrospective on the evolution of psychoanalysis in Japan and India. The artistic backgrounds of both authors brings their co-authorship together in an inspiring way. To read about some surprising convergences of the different cultures between India and Japan refreshes and advances both the practice and theory of psychoanalysis. Intriguing and stimulating I strongly recommend this book to all readers interested in the cultural impact on contemporary psychoanalysis.’ Jan Abram, Author of The Surviving Object: psychoanalytic clinical essays on psychic survival-of-the-object (2022) New Library of Psychoanalysis, Routledge.