Conceptualization of Jeong and Dynamics of Hwabyung

Review

Psychiatry Investigation 2006;3(1):46-54.

Christopher K. Chung, MD; and Samson J. Cho, MD

Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, CA, USA

Abstract

Jeong
is an experience distinctive to those from a Korean heritage. Its definition is, as most things rooted deep within a culture, both simple and complex. In essence,
jeong
refers to the emotional and psychological bonds that join Koreans; it permeates all levels, dividing the world into different degrees of us/we versus them. The uniqueness of this phenomenon lies in its ubiquity and its source: the collective nature of Korean society. When this bond is broken, however, other culturally unique phenomena arise:
haan
and
hwabyung
.
Haan
is essentially the intense suppressed anger that arises from the violation of
jeong
. At times,
haan
can evolve to
hwabyung
or "anger syndrome," which includes many somatic elements. Therefore,
hwabyung
cannot rise without the initial presence of
jeong
and is considered a Korean culture-bound disorder. Those with borderline personality disorder (BPD), in contrast, seek relationships pathologically in "Western," individualistic societies where autonomy, independence, and privacy are highly valued. A comparative analysis of the socio-cultural dynamics of
hwabyung
, directly tied to Korea's
jeong
-based collective culture, and BPD, a mal-adaptation to a Western autonomy-emphasized culture, can provide insight into the nature of these respective societies and in developing treatment strategies for these contrasting disorders.

Key words Jeong;Haan;Hwabyung;Anger syn-drome;Borderline personality disorder.