A Cross-Cultural Study of Ikigai ‘life purpose’ of College Students in Japan and the United States — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

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Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

A Cross-Cultural Study of Ikigai ‘life purpose’ of College Students in Japan and the United States

Name: Andrew Igl
Major: Japanese
Hometown: Oregon, WI
Faculty Sponsor: Yan Wang
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Senior thesis

Abstract

As humans, a question we often (or eventually) ask ourselves is “Why am I here?”, or perhaps even, “Does my life hold any significance?”. Moreover, when asked the question “What really gives your life value or meaning?”, it may be difficult to answer. During my year-long study abroad at Tokyo Gakugei University in Tokyo, Japan, I discovered a Japanese word addressing some of these questions: Ikigai (life purpose). In this study, I interviewed both Japanese and American university students with major questions such as “What is your ikigai?” and “What makes your life worth living?”. In Japan, studies on ikigai focus primarily on the elderly, so I wanted to focus instead on university students. In particular, I interviewed nine Japanese college students and nine American college students, which were conducted in both Japanese and English respectively. The results of my research varied from each individual response; however, I identified overlying themes for both groups. For Japanese interviewees, three major themes emerged: 1. [Contributing to Others], 2. [Doing Something for Oneself], and 3. [Living with God]. For American interviewees, two major themes emerged: 1. [Contributing to Others] and 2. [Self-Actualization]. The results do not represent each population/group as a whole, but rather are individual responses. I discovered that regardless of nationality or language, the concept of ikigai exists, unique to each individual.

Poster file