Abstract

In Korea, Pbichim refers to a psychological state caused by emotional damages that can occur within close relationships. In this state, one might feel reluctant to express one's feelings directly to the other party. It is also possible that Pbichim transforms into anger. This study is aimed to define the term Pbichim as an indigenous psychological concept. In Korea, it is common to express one's feelings indirectly and read the other party's inward thoughts. Pbichim reflects those cultural aspects. In order to examine the representation of Pbichim in Korea, we developed a questionnaire consisting of 15 open-ended questions. The participants were 119 undergraduate and graduate students at Korea University, and the data was analyzed qualitatively. As a result, four different aspects of Pbichim (unsatisfied expectation, being ignored, being alienated, and power struggle) could be differentiated by the situation in which people are likely to present Pbichim. The personality traits of Pbichim, the way of relieving it, as well as positive and negative functions of Pbichim were also elicited. In addition, it was found that Pbichim (the concept that has been negatively perceived) has an important function in maintaining and improving an interpersonal relationship in Korea. Lastly, the importance of mind reading within a certain cultural context is discussed.