Abstract

he paper analyzes the concepts of authority, authoritarianism, and chemyon("face") in Korean culture using the indigenous psychologies approach developed by Kim and Berry(1993). The present authors explore the relationship between the concept of "face" and authority conceptually and empirically. The concepts of chemyon and authority in Korea must be understood in the cultural and historical context, taking into consideration institutional, traditional, and moral dimensions. Empirical studies with students and adults reveal that the concepts of chemyon and authority are closely inter-related. Maintenance of chemyon is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the maintenance of authority. In other words, loss of chemyon implies the loss of authority and authority is preserved when one's chemyon is maintained. However, maintenance of chemyon does not imply existence of authority.