From rasa to rukun: Toward a geopsychiatric perspective on Javanese well-being

This conceptual article articulates a culturally grounded framework of Javanese mental health built around rasa (epistemic–affective attunement), nrimo ing pandum (acceptance-based cultural coping), and rukun (collective social–spiritual harmony). We synthesize anthropological and psychological scholarship to propose a reflective-transformative cycle whereby rasa enables meaning-making and self-regulation, fostering nrimo as flexible acceptance, which in turn orients individuals and communities toward rukun as a moral–cosmological ideal of well-being. We contrast this framework with dominant Western, individual-centric models, highlighting both synergies and boundary conditions (e.g., risks of conflict avoidance). We then outline culturally sensitive clinical and community interventions, and map research pathways for geopsychiatry in Indonesia, including psychometric development for rasa-rumangsa, nrimo , and rukun . The article advances epistemic decolonization by positioning Javanese concepts not as add-ons but as theory-generative constructs with testable implications for prevention, treatment, and community mental health.