Empathy and self-awareness ( <i>rasa rumangsa</i> ) in the Javanese cultural context

Indonesia, as well as every country in the world, has its unique cultural values. As a value familiar to most Indonesian people (Javanese), rasa rumangsa helps individuals produce behavior that supports society’s harmony, peace, and welfare. It is essential to develop rasa rumangsa due to its relevance to the psychological concept of mental health. The current qualitative research used a case study involving 153 participants. Methods for collecting data were a literature review, semi-structured interviews with several Javanese cultural scholars, Javanese psychology experts, and community members supported by focus group discussion (FGD) with community members, and an open-ended questionnaire for Javanese people, which was constructed gradually from previous findings. Responses to this questionnaire were analyzed using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The main finding of this research explained the definition, dimension, aspects, and process of rasa rumangsa . This research found rasa rumangsa to be a potential concept to be used as a variable in future research. The bisa rumangsa behavior proved to help prevent individuals from continuous concern and frustration.