Taijin Kyofusho Research Paper

Taijin Kyofusho is a disorder where the individual fears that his/her own behaviors, attitudes, and physical characteristics are causes for offence in social situations. The person may experience emotional reactions such as shame, embarrassment, anxiety, and fear and is anxious and tense during these situations. (Takahashi, 1989) This may lead to feelings of being unaccepted, looked down upon, and rejected by others. They perceive that others around them are trying to avoid them. (Takahashi, 1989)

When these types of people fear rejection, they tend try to and avoid these situations as much as possible to decrease painful interpersonal and social interactions. (Kirmayer, 1991)

Taijin Kyofusho Proposed Diagnostic Criteria

Researchers have defined Taijin Kyofusho as a condition with a wide spectrum of illness severity, from general anxiety to the more severe offensive type. Some have suggested that there are two types general vs. offensive with four subtypes: sekimen-kyofu (the phobia of blushing), shubo-kyofu (the phobia of a deformed body), jikoshisen-kyofu (the phobia of eye-to-eye contact), and jikoshu-kyofu (the phobia of one’s own foul body odor). (Suzuki, 2003) At most points during the course of the disorder, the subjects does recognizes these fears as being too excessive, and that the fears do significantly interfere with activity of daily living, work, as well as in their relationships, and social interactions. (Maeda, 1999)

(Lim, 2013) The DSM-V refers to this as the “sensitive type” with “extreme social sensitivity and anxiety about interpersonal interactions”. (Maeda,