About Takeo Doi
Lived 1920 – 2009 (aged 89). Takeo Doi was a Japanese psychiatrist, university teacher, academic and psychoanalyst.
was a Japanese academic, psychoanalyst and author.
Early life Doi was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1920. He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo.
Career Doi was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the University of Tokyo and a medical adviser to St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo. He was also Director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Japan. He taught at the University of Tokyo (1971-1980) and at International Christian University (1980-1982). He wrote numerous books and articles both in Japanese and in English.
Doi was best known for his influential explanation of contemporary Japanese society in the work The Anatomy of Dependence, published in 1971, which focused extensively on —inner feelings and behaviors that show individual's innate desires to be understood and taken care of—as a psychoanalytical concept and theory. The Anatomy of Dependence was described by Harvard professor emeritus Ezra Vogel as "the first book by a Japanese trained in psychiatry to have an impact on Western psychiatric thinking." His work has been categorized as nihonjinron.
In 1986, Doi published a further book, The Anatomy of Self, that expanded on his previous analysis of the concept of by a deeper examination of the distinctions between and (inner feelings and public display); (home) and (outside); and (front) and (rear) and suggests that these constructs are important for understanding the Japanese psyche as well as Japanese society.
Doi died aged 89 in 2009.
Publications Doi, T. (1956). Japanese language as an expression of Japanese psychology. Western Speech, 20(2), 90-96. Doi, T. (1967). : An interpretation. In R. P. Dore (Ed.), Aspects of social change in modern Japan (pp. 327–336). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Doi, T. (1973). and : Concepts derived from the Japanese two-fold structure of consciousness. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 157(4), 258-261. Doi, T. (1973). The anatomy of dependence: The key analysis of Japanese behavior (J. Bester, Trans.). Tokyo: Kodansha International. Doi, T. (1973). The Japanese patterns of communication and the concept of . Quarterly Journal of Speech, 59(2), 180-185. Doi, T. (1976). The psychological world of Natsume Soseki (W. J. Taylor, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: East Asian Research Center, Harvard University. Doi, T. (1986). : A key concept for understanding Japanese personality structure. In T. S. Lebra & W. P. Lebra (Eds.), Japanese culture and behavior: Selected readings (Rev. ed., pp. 121–129). Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press. Doi, T. (1986). The anatomy of self: The individual versus society (M. A. Harbison, Trans.). Tokyo: Kodansha International. Doi, T. (1989). The concept of and its psychoanalytic implications. International Review of Psycho-Analysis, 16, 349-354. Doi, T. (2005). Understanding amae: The Japanese concept of need-love. Kent, UK: Global Oriental.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Takeo Doi's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Takeo Doi's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Takeo Doi?
Japanese psychiatrist (1920-2009)
When was Takeo Doi born?
Takeo Doi was born on 17 March 1920 in Tokyo.
When did Takeo Doi die?
Takeo Doi died on 5 July 2009.
What was Takeo Doi's occupation?
Takeo Doi was a psychiatrist, university teacher, academic and psychoanalyst.
What nationality was Takeo Doi?
Takeo Doi was Japanese.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Takeo Doi. https://biography.guide/takeo-doi/
MLA: "Takeo Doi." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/takeo-doi/.
Chicago: "Takeo Doi." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/takeo-doi/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:29 UTC