Chapter 08
Fate and Ritual
Palja, afterlife beliefs, rites
01 What Is Cultural Psychology?02 The Korean Heart03 “I” and “We”04 Side by Side05 Happiness and Sinmyeong06 Meeting the Unfamiliar07 Koreans in Korean Society08 Fate and Ritual
In preparation · The essay for this chapter is in preparation. Meanwhile, start with the key papers below — each has a plain summary and an in-depth explainer.
Key papers in this chapter
The studies that became reference points — each opens a plain summary and an in-depth explainer.
The study looked at when and why Koreans lament their palja (팔자, fate written in one's birth date) and found that people with stronger external control beliefs blame hard lives on palja more.
Palzha (八字) as Lay People's Mode of Self-View on Negative Life Events and History in Korean Culture
김지영, 김기범2005CH 08Key paper
Comparing Korean and Japanese films about funerals, the study shows both portray funerals as tied to the lives of the living, but Korea leans on filial piety (hyo, 효) and reconciliation, Japan on rebirth in the Pure Land (ōjō, 往生) and reflection.
A Cross-Cultural Study on the Viewpoint of Life and Death in Popular Culture of Korea and Japan: With Special References to the Films on Funeral Rites
신광철2006CH 08Key paper
Surveying the fate beliefs behind Koreans’ visits to fortune-tellers, the study found that the biggest belief — and the best predictor of fortune-telling — is yeongmyeong-gwan (역명관): fate is set, but effort can change it.
Explanatory Variable of Fate Consumption Behavior: Content and Structure of Fate's Orientation
김철민2002CH 08Key paper
What came after
Little psychology research since 2010 has followed this topic directly (checked against KCI).