The Feeling of “Urami”: A Structural Topic Modeling Approach

“Urami” is the negative emotional state that one experiences when treated unfairly by others. While similar to anger, it differs in various ways, such as in its long-term persistence. Empirical studies on urami have suggested that it comprises factors such as feelings of injustice, unforgiveness, and helplessness. However, the generalizability of its factor structure is questionable because most previous studies were based on small sample sizes. In this study, free descriptive responses regarding urami and anger provided by 489 participants (aged 19–72 years) were quantified and analyzed using structural topic modeling, a type of natural language processing algorithm. The results revealed the topics that compose the conceptual structure and the situations in which urami occurs, as well as the relationships between some grouped situations and individual traits, such as narcissism. Furthermore, comparing the conceptual structure and situational occurrences of urami and anger based on quantitative criteria revealed unique elements of urami, such as persistence and feelings of victimization. These elements are particularly likely to occur when one is victimized by a close other.