„O koniku polnym I mrówkach”. Amae i zapomniane aspekty pytania o wspólnotę

The essay presents the notion and phenomenon of amae; one of the keyterms of Japanese culture introduced to international language of humanities by Doi Takeo. Amae is usually defined as the basic need to be responded to, taken care of and cherished in the mutually interactive relation which includes seeking and receiving the indulgence of the other party. The ideal model of amae is to be found in the mother/child relation. The term has no equivalents in Indo-European languages, however, the amae-type relations with their multidimensional (positive and negative) influence on social life do exist in every society including the Western ones; they help to maintain an individual’s sense of belonging to a given community, create proper environment for practical application of such ‘unpopular’ notions as responsibility, trust, loyalty and the feeling of safety. However, the positive implications of amae-like social relations still await reconsidering in the Western, deeply individualistic, world.