Repressed Alienation and Evangelizing Japan

"Participation, thus, not only signifies attachment, but represents a form of discipline. It covers conformity to a multitude of details that lie in the area of overlap between group necessities and individual choice. That this area is so dominated by the group side of the balance in Japan is a sign of the way this mechanism indirectly controls a large amount of what elsewhere is viewed as private behavior. Nor is it surprising given the power of this mechanism that many Japanese express a wish to escape its influence and dread going back to it after living abroad. Of particular interest here is something that might be labeled repressed alienation. Periodically one reads of a "loyal" employee who after years of quiet compliance commits an outrageous act of sabotage against his own organization. Adult runaways (johatsu) are another example. These individuals apparently can neither express their resentment or unhappiness directly nor exit the confines of membership."
- Thomas P. Rohlen, Order in Japanese Society: Attachment, Authority, and Routine, Journal of Japanese Studies Vol. 15, No.1 (Winter 1989), p. 29

Something from one of the papers I read for Japanese Society and Culture mentioned the concept of repressed alienation. This is something that happens when a society or group has a strong emphasis on conformity and "harmony". Social pressure to conform can be so high that even in extreme cases where someone seriously opposes the direction of the group or opposes something done in the group, or perhaps was even harmed by the group itself, represses their feelings of difference. This ends up building up often to a critical point where people cannot repress their feelings any longer and do something drastic like quit their job, get a divorce, or commit suicide (I would guess in Japan these expressions are more passive aggressive, while in Korea more overtly aggressive). Perhaps some people feel an internal conflict between doing what is "Japanese" and doing what is just simply human. I feel this kind of repression denies what true relationship is founded on: true honesty.

This is one of the reasons I feel close to Japan and the social pressures it feels. I was raised with a similar set of values not to make a scene, not to be controversial, not to upset anyone, not to be a disturbance, but to consider the well-being and feelings of others at least in public. I also felt some of the internal conflict between the felt need for conformity and my strong personal opinions that I must keep to myself. A kind of reserved resignation that one cannot change anything was something I learned from my upbringing as well as by participating in camping though Boy-scouts. In family, and in nature it is often very difficult to change the entirety of one's circumstances so learning to "make do" and "get by" was important. This resignation is part of Canada's polite, and politically correct culture. It may not be as extreme or homogeneous as Japan but I think there are parallels. Parallels hopefully I can take advantage of when attempting to share the Word of God with Japanese.

It causes me to wonder if similar situations existed in the Bible? Where does the Bible speak to repressed alienation? Of feelings of guilt for not being able to conform, or a desire to withdraw from a group being repressed. I think these are questions we must answer if we are to bring the Gospel to Japan.