I would like to share with you part of a piece of writing titled Structure of Self-Image, which was written by a Japanese psychoanalyst, essayist, and Wako University professor emeritus by the name of Kishida Syu and published in Eureka magazine in the May 1975 issue. Below are two excerpts from this work.


First excerpt:

"Every person has a certain image of themselves, i.e., they feel that they have so and so a disposition or such and such a personality. This self-image is a reflection of the person's expectations or demands in relation to other people, not a reflection of the person's objective disposition. In other words, what we learn about a person from their self-image is what they expect or demand of other people, not what kind of human being they are; self-image is indispensable as a rationale to justify their expectations or demands.

For example, people whose self-image is "someone who is easily deceived by other people" like to give as a reason for this that they are "too good-natured" or "too trusting of other people," but if we remove the subjective component from this self-assessment and think rationally, what we realize is that there is merely a large gap between the person's expectations of other people and the actual benefit the person receives from other people. For instance, it can safely be said that people who think that they are "particularly prone to being deceived by other people" have unjustifiably excessive expectations of other people, and they have a strong tendency to assume that their expectations are justified."


Second excerpt:

"What would an aggressive person do? Harming other people out of self-interest and exhibiting aggressive behavior in a moment of rage are morally strictly prohibited; such actions will bring criticism and contempt from other people, and there is no room for self-justification. The only situation where attacking another person is permitted is when the person is a bad person and the attack is done in the name of justice. Consequently, the most convenient way to justify aggression is to have a self-image of "champion of justice".

According to conventional wisdom, bad people do bad things, but as history demonstrates, most evil deeds in this world have been committed by "champions of justice" who bring down the "iron hammer of justice" on "bad people" out of a "sense of justice". History has never known an evil act that was not performed in the name of virtue."

Which brings us to events currently unfolding in the world. The perpetrator must be feeling a major injustice with respect to the gap between his excessive demands and the reality he is facing. And like the above-mentioned example, he must be feeling as if he is bringing down the iron hammer of justice out of a sense of justice. This may be his "sense of justice," but it is not justice. I sincerely hope that peace will return as soon as possible.

The Journal of Medical Ultrasonics (JMU) consists of academic research articles in a variety of engineering fields and a variety of clinical disciplines. In this month's issue, I am glad that we were able to publish many review articles and original articles in basic research fields and clinical disciplines. I am proud that they demonstrate the breadth of topics covered in JMU. I feel like we have created a platform to discuss seeds and needs that connect basic research and clinical medicine. In addition to its current editorial policy, I think that JMU will need to increase its efforts going forward to transform into an academic journal that is able to pioneer medical fields where basic researchers and clinicians can jointly conduct research. The JMU Editorial Board will continue to do its utmost to publish issues filled with articles that will be helpful to all of our readers. Thank you for your continued support.