Korea Deconstructed

Dr. Paul Youngbin Kim: Cross-Cultural Psychology and Korean Behavior | Korea Deconstructed #043

Dec 27, 2022

01:02:39

This is a conversation about behavioral patterns passed down over generations which then produce real-life manifestations of cultural concepts. We explore the symbiotic relationship between values, behavior, and material conditions as well as how acculturation takes place at different speeds in each domain. Dr. Kim explores culturally-bound syndromes such as hwabyeong (화병) and then explains the behavioral psychologist view of han (한), jeong (정), nunchi (눈치), and chaemyeon (체면). Paul Youngbin Kim is a Professor of Psychology at Seattle Pacific University. He received a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Notre Dame in 2010. His scholarly interests are in Asian and Asian American psychological processes, especially regarding the cultural, interpersonal, and individual factors that impact psychological outcomes such as mental health and attitudes toward seeking mental health help. His scholarly work has been published in some of the top academic journals of his field (e.g., Journal of Counseling Psychology, Asian American Journal of Psychology). Paul is Korean by birth but has lived outside of Korea since he was 10 years old. His cross-cultural experiences continue to inspire his scholarly endeavors.

Discussion Outline

0:00 Cultural Constructs

8:30 Korean Behavior

17:40 The Korean Concept of ‘Han’

21:47 Inter-Generational Trauma

33:15 Nunchi (눈치) and Gat-saeng (갓생)

39:16 Power distance and Hierarchy

42:20 Chaemyeon (체면)

47:20 Can Non-Korean People ‘get’ Korean cultural concepts?

53:05 Advice for young people

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr