Introduction
The concept of positive psychology is fairly a new concept that was formulated in 1998 by psychology scholars. The founders believed that human beings could reason positively leading to logical explanation of facts. This would help individuals, families and the entire community to coexist peacefully. Positive psychology seeks to establish and nurture genius as well as talent in individuals.
This makes normal life more appealing, unlike looking for ways of curing mental problems. In other words, positive psychology aims at augmenting traditional psychology rather than abolishing it. Other than understanding why things go wrong, the field utilizes scientific techniques in determining how mistakes occur (Wierzbicka 37).
The field evaluates things such as happiness, morals and intrinsic worth. Positive psychology traces its roots in the humanistic theory, which focuses so much on pleasure and realization. The Chinese have one of the most complex cultures in the world. Most important values are derived from Confucianism and Taoism.
In business for instance, the Chinese respect the laid down rules that guide their day-to-day activities in trade. This paper tries to link Chinese culture with positive psychology. The paper situates the Chinese culture within the context of positive psychology. It further observes existing similarities and difference between Chinese culture and the new field of psychology.
Views on Good Life and Happiness
In the western world, happiness means pleasure or satisfaction implying that an individual is gratified through some things. In the Chinese sense, happiness means something different. This suggests that the word happiness is understood within cultural context because meanings and concepts are shaped by traditions.
Chinese culture presents a completely different perspective as regards to happiness. Through collective meanings and principles, cultural beliefs penetrate through human subsistence. Human beings are therefore linked to their culture professionally and socially. People come up with conclusions in life based on cultural framework.
Ancient Chinese philosophers did not explore the concept of happiness in their studies. Happiness is a new concept in the Chinese culture that traces its roots to the days of civilization. Chinese happiness tends to comprise of material profusion, physical fitness, righteous and peaceful life and relief from death nervousness. The Kings and other rulers made values associated with happiness mandatory for each person in the territory.
The works of great scholars influenced Chinese culture and its perception. Confucius talked about Li ritual, which is more valuable than ordinary happiness. The scholar insisted that a good ruler must always be virtuous and grant citizens their rights.
According to Confucius, Virtue and ritual enables people to appreciate diversity as a way of life. The Chinese society borrowed from Confucius writings by accepting egalitarianism and equality as one way of stabilizing societal structure.
In the Chinese culture, happiness does not lie in accumulation of resources or acquisition of power, instead it is perceived in terms of continuous self-cultivation, maintenance of happy family, leading the nation intelligently and maintaining tranquility in the world. Citizens believe in the Confucian teaching, which argues that an individual’s life is connected to his/her ancestry.
Real happiness is exercised when the society takes control of an individual’s life. Furthermore, Confucian principle posits that an individual must work hard to conserve and expand family vitality. This is the actual happiness. People work hard to accumulate resources for family use not for individual benefit. Social status is achieved through intellectual hard work, repressing egotistic and worldly desires and playing roles faithfully.
To some followers of Confucianism, happiness is not a collection of circumstances but a psychological state or religious world. Happiness is not transitory or shallow sensual contentment but it is a ceaseless and extremely momentous world of reason. Confucians believed that happiness is pious and is not related to material possessions. Moreover, it is ethical implying that it is not contingent.
Castro and Susana categorized the Confucian principles, still well conserved in Taiwan, into a number of clusters (479). Family aspects consist of family tasks and respect to one’s seniors. Group issues include recognizing the pecking order in society, depending on and respecting authority and loyalty to the structure, harmony and customs.
Job-orientation dynamics include schooling, skill learning, uphill struggle and parsimony. Outlook aspects include seriousness, serenity, modesty and self-discipline. Exercising these principles leads to pleasure in life.
Castro and Susana emphasized that the Confucian happiness is attained through familiarity, compassion and harmony (479). Confucian viewpoint emphasize on the shared interests of the family or kinfolk more than personal interest, which extend to culture and the entire human life.
Under this socialist course, Chinese traditions stress on distribution of individual assets to the group. Happiness contributes to peaceful coexistence in society. Individuals aiming at fulfilling their selfish interests are highly ostracized. They are regarded as worthless and disgraceful.
Chinese conceptualization of happiness varies greatly with western understanding. In the West, individualism is highly encouraged. The society does not restrict individual success. Each person determines his or her own destiny. Societal organizations only provide mechanisms for individual success.
This is the major difference between western happiness and Chinese culture. This also serves as a difference between Positive Psychology and Chinese culture. Scholars of psychology construe happiness in the European perspective.
Psychological health
Research shows that more prominence is put on emotional self-control in Chinese culture than in the mainstream culture. Moderation in Chinese culture is related to Confucian philosophy, which values balance and intricacy. Children are taken through impulse management processes to instill disciple in them. Absence of emotional moderation is assumed to cause severe consequence to the individual and community.
Lack of emotional moderation causes mental and physical health problems to an individual. Mental health in Chinese culture means managing emotions and nurturing skills. The Chinese respect interpersonal relationships than anything else. Management of emotions is therefore vital to maintenance of such relationships.
Chinese have a sense of community that compels them to be more observant than their western counterparts. Emotions regulate interpersonal associations in socialist cultures than in individualistic traditions.
It is not surprising that individuals from Chinese cultures behave well in social contexts as opposed to those from other cultures. Recently, China embraced positive psychology as a technique of maintaining cultural belief. The method focuses on society rather than the Western model.
The Chinese policy makers decided to change societal perception from domestic product to happiness. This calls for individuals to individuals to switch from native culture of struggle to forming commonwealth. Administrators are seeking to correct the mess by encouraging the science of pleasure in China.
This follows the remarkable increase in suicide and felony cases in the nation, including the modern knifings of youngsters. Therefore, a change of focus may be required to conserve the peaceful culture. It is alleged that many individuals in China are unsure about their future. Policy makers are required to do more than simply complaining about sadness and psychological sickness.
The government is figuring out how to change individual’s emotional attitudes. This would entail a switch from Buddhism to positive psychology. Consequently, the government started concentrating more on student’s good personality and gorgeous character. Furthermore, the state pays attention to constructive cognitive processes and optimistic expressive experiences.
Nonetheless, it encourages social interactions. These are encouraged so that students can become optimistic and strong people in society. Chinese bureaucrats are using positive psychology to develop positive academic attitude (Markus and Shinobu 74).
Positive psychology holds that health is a condition characterized by physical, mental and social wellbeing. It does not mean absence of infections. Individuals or groups must come up with ways of attaining objectives in order to fulfill their needs. Health is a permanent feature in an individual’s life. Chinese psychological health is not consistent with the provisions of positive psychology.
In China, reported cases of suicide and family breakups discourage continuation of life. Chinese psychological health system contravenes the principle of hedonism. The hedonism posits that positive effects must exceed negative effects. Chinese culture encourages individual to commit suicide because of deeper sense of guilt.
Individuals feel the society has let them down and decide to take away their lives. Positive psychology encourages happiness that is, living an intense and quality life. This is a life that is free of any problems be it social, physical or psychological. Optimism plays an important role in promoting psychological health. The Chinese culture shares this aspect with positive psychology.
Purpose and Meaning of Life
Positive psychology and Chinese culture value life. An individual’s life is very important hence there is need to protect it. In the Chinese cultural context, spiritual enrichment is emphasized rather than material gratification. It is argued that religious pleasure promotes life. Many Chinese natives believe that happiness is a quality of the mind.
Human brain perceives, interrelates with the outside world and formulates a variety of positive approaches if relations between the individual and himself or between the individual and his surroundings are pleasant. This implies that human brain is vital in analyzing behavior. Positive psychology differs with Chinese culture over this aspect because the latter emphasizes on individualism.
The individual is at the realm of everything. It is therefore true that, whereas Chinese culture views an individual from communal perspective, positive psychology capitalizes on autonomy. Hence, the only difference is on the perspective not subject matter.
Chinese culture postulates that individual life must be guided by ethical values. In other words, a momentous life is a righteous life. Positive psychology concurs with this principle. The only difference is that Chinese culture takes life the way it is, that is, either bad or good. Positive psychology is idealistic implying that only positive side of life is encouraged.
Human beings have the potential of eliminating unnecessary sufferings. Positive psychology believes in efficiency as well as effectiveness. Chinese culture relies on hope and spirit of collectivism while positive psychology is more scientific that is, facts are analyzed careful before predictions are made.
Chinese refer to themselves as descendants of dragon. This makes them think that they are the greatest people in the world. Chinese are very conservative implying that they rarely abandon their culture. They always follow their culture whenever expected to do so. Positive psychology is dynamic meaning that it adjusts according to new forces of life.
Research recommends that an individual’s understanding of life is vital in preventing diseases, recuperating from sickness, enhancing wellness and adjusting effectively to unstable circumstances of life. Positive psychology measures the value of life scientifically.
Some scientific instruments have been developed to evaluate the meaning and purpose of life. Personal meaning profile instrument was devised in 1998. The instrument is so effective to an extent that it cannot be compared with Chinese traditional measurements.
Recent studies on the meaning of life show that individuals create an internal structure of meaning. Four major factors must be considered in understanding the meaning of life in positive psychology. The first one is loyalty and objective attainment. This is the most important. Others include contentedness with life, being in charge of life and enthusiasm in life (Cresswell and Baerveldt 270).
A number of researchers have conducted studies as regards to the purpose of life. The studies center on the value of life, its importance, limitations, reactions, loss, preference, sequestration and the future existence or self-responsibility. Because the purpose of life is based on culture and socialization, the Chinese meaning of life represents its cultural legacy.
Chinese culture may perhaps be explained variously due to variations in geographical location and political authority. Ethics and justice present themselves through the exercise of devotion and reciprocity in the Chinese culture. The family is the basic unit of social life implying that life begins there. A supernatural being controls an individual’s life in the Chinese culture. This feature is not shared by positive psychology.
Relationship between Positive Psychology and Chinese Culture
Chinese culture is non-aggressive and non-violent. The Chinese cultural principles can be incorporated in the modern discipline of positive psychology. Positive psychology is purely European hence supplementing it with Chinese culture would strengthen its value in society. The two respected concepts can relate in three important ways.
Positive psychology can benefit from Chinese culture in a number of ways. One is through borrowing philosophical teachings. Another one is utilizing Chinese teachings to develop theoretical frameworks. Finally, positive psychology can aspire to test hypothesis or conduct further studies pertaining to the provisions of Chinese culture.
By combining the teachings of both positive psychology and Chinese culture, researchers can come up with global theories that are accepted or applied in all cases. The current teachings of positive psychology are limited to European and American experience only. Some members of global society do not recognize the teachings of positive psychology on happiness.
Positive psychology utilizes Aristotelian perspective, which claims that human beings are always good intentional (Belga 390). Chinese culture exposes some weaknesses of positive psychology. Aristotle postulated that human beings have the capacity to realize the best in their lives.
There are many variations between positive psychology and other fields of study such as Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. Language is noted as one of the barriers to effective communication among indigenous positive psychologists. Borrowing from Chinese culture would facilitate better understanding of concepts.
For illustrative purposes, a number of cultures around the globe have defined the concept of love variously. In Chinese culture, the concept of love is manifested through intrinsic worth. The field of positive psychology can borrow a lot from Chinese teachings on love. On the other hand, positive psychology scholars should empower Chinese cultural scholars to better their understanding, develop happiness and achieve their full potential.
Scholars from China and those from Europe can work together to enrich the field of positive psychology. To realize this, they should come up with ethical revelations pertaining to what constitute a decent life and the higher values of human nature.
Eastern pensive traditions and western transpersonal psychology have offered some visions as regards to the nature of mind. The two can therefore combine their skills to enlighten the public (Cheung and Rensvold 206).
Through cooperation, positive psychology and Chinese culture can facilitate deeper understanding about steady attention, calmness, consciousness, logical dreaming, emotional astuteness, all-encompassing worship, humane aims, ethical development and liberty to drive conflict.
The major aim of positive psychology is to develop knowledge that is utilized by all human beings. The skill should be retained through cultural exclusivity.
Positive Psychology in the Chinese Context
Positive psychology is an upcoming multicultural framework in China that support culturally responsive research and exercises that focus on human strengths and morals. The Chinese are trying to adjust the tenets of European positive psychology to suit their local environments. Rules and principles apply well in the place they originate. They may not flourish in other parts.
That is why positive psychology cannot be applied in same way as in Europe and United States. Positive psychology is widely applied in maximizing profits and increasing efficiency among employees in China.
Organizational behavior scholars have borrowed the concept of hope and happiness to boost employee morale. The Chinese are known for their hard work and patience. Incorporating positive psychology to their traditional beliefs has increased production and efficiency (Talamo and Pozzi 308).
Indigenous positive psychology has shaped Chinese society since the government encourages youths to abandon traditional beliefs and cultures and adopt modern behavior systems. From time to time, the government has been organizing seminars to train its citizens on the importance of happiness in production. Individuals are no longer affiliated to their family cocoons.
People are free to do what they desire economically. This means that an individual can accumulate property but he/she must also remember to give back to society. Overall, individuals are reluctant to abandon their cultures in favor of European positive psychology.
Positive psychology is related to optimism in the Chinese perspective. Optimism in China resembles a buffer. Again, some individuals are vulnerable to pessimism and stress than others mainly because of genetically related aspects. Optimism is therefore an outcome of an illustrative technique. Chinese conceptualize optimism based on self-concept.
Positive psychology in this sense is perceived to have changed the worldview of many Chinese. The Chinese society believe that a problem is short lived. Catastrophes occur under special circumstances and they should not discourage people from achieving their goals in life. Optimism has also encouraged Chinese to be prepared for any difficult moment.
They have learned that preparedness calls for proper planning and allocation of resources. Through planning, the concept of self-efficacy emerges. An individual with self-efficacy trait is likely to espouse an active problem-focused policy during traumatic encounters. Chinese performance and adjustment to modern life is attributable to optimism and self-efficacy.
Optimism is closely associated with coping reaction and seeking social backing. Finally, subjective well being is another feature of Chinese positive psychology (Smith 56). Subjective well being evaluates an individual’s cognitive and emotional reaction. It facilitates egalitarianism and provision of human rights.
Works Cited
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Markus, Hazel andShinobu, Kitayama. “The Cultural Psychology of Personality”, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, January 29, 1998, 63-87.
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