The Constituent Elements of Ikigai
Professor Akihiro Hasegawa’s Ikigai Framework
Did you know that your memories can generate ikigai-kan, the feeling that life is worth living?
Reflecting on my first year in Japan can generate an array of memories that act as ikigai sources. I can go back to these meaningful moments from the past whenever I want to, mentally relive them, and experience ikigai-kan ( ikigai feelings) in the present. It is a wonderful feeling — and it is an example of how ikigai is not just about engaging in the present, or anticipating the future, but also finding meaning in the past.
The Temporal Dimension of Ikigai
This temporal dimension of ikigai was the focus of research undertaken in 2001, by Professor Akihiro Hasegawa, one of Japan’s leading ikigai researchers who holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and lectures at Toyo Eiwa University.
Hasegawa has created a model called ‘The Constituent Elements of Ikigai’ to reflect the complex relationships between the things that lead us to feel ikigai (‘objects’, which may be found in the past, present, or future), the experience that results from engaging with these objects (‘feelings’, or ikigai-kan), and what mediates this process — the ‘agent’ (our selves).
