意識の深層 Gendered Social Structures and Organizational Psychological Dynamics in Contemporary Japan: Transformation of Vertical and Horizontal Societies and Survival Strategies Against “Toxicity”
The Male “Vertical Society” and the Weaponization of EnvyThe “vertical society” (tate shakai) that men inhabit is a perpetual battleground of rank and position. Within it, individual identity is fused with organizational status, and the instinct to preserve order becomes inseparable from the instinct to protect one’s own place in the hierarchy. As social anthropologist Chie Nakane observed, vertical relationships in Japanese society, once established, grow more entrenched with each interaction and over time—making it extraordinarily difficult to maintain bonds the moment one steps outside the group.This compulsion to remain within the pack at all costs amplifies men’s attachment to authority and their drive to dominate others.