Self-Cultivation: Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapies in Confucian Societies Essay (Article Review)

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

The Confucian idea of self offers a unique opportunity to view a person from three different perspectives, i.e., as an individual, as an integral part of the society and as a non-self, i.e., as a complete absence of self (Tsai, 2001). In his article, Self-Cultivation: Culturally sensitive psychotherapies in Confucian societies, Kwang-Huo Hwang explores the opportunities that the teaching about the relational self opens for psychology, what questions it helps to answer and what problems it can possibly solve.

Speaking of Hwang’s paper, one must mention that the research offers a detailed analysis of the components of the Confucian idea of self, i.e., the relational self, the authentic self, and the non-self. Hwang analyzes the three elements to consider the ways in which self-cultivation in the context of the Asian culture differs from the process of self-cultivation in European countries.

Since, according to Hwang, the relationships between the society and an individual are especially significant in the Asian countries, the aspect of relational self is discussed especially thoroughly in the article. As for the research result, it is necessary to mention that Hwang proves that the idea of self-cultivation can help psychologists develop a reasonable approach towards the problems concerning people’s social interactions: “In terms of therapy, this teaching role may be partially undertaken by a clinician.

In addition, the students, or in this case the clients, should actually try and live their lives according to these principles rather than solely gaining a cognitive understanding of them” (Hwang, 2009, 1027). Considering the ideas that Hwang offers from the perspective of relational self, one must admit that the author emphasizes the significance of the latter a lot in his work.

Hwang also makes a very important statement concerning the difference between the Asian and the European model of psychological analysis. Hwang makes it clear that the Asian one relies on the analysis of the relational self greatly: “For people living in East Asian societies, the traditional one-on-one model of Western counseling is an unnatural way of communicating and conveying matters of mutual concern” (Hwang, 2009, 1027-1028).

Therefore, the difference between two analytical approaches is drawn with the help of the concept of relational self. Moreover, it is essential that Hwang provides the way to solve the conflicts that can possibly arise between the society and an individual by showing that relational self and self-cultivation are closely related to each other.

According to Hwang, “if an individual confesses or discloses desires, misdeeds, guilt, or psychological disturbances to others in a collectivist or relational society, that individual risks psychosocial imbalance by losing face” (Hwang, 2009, 1028). Based on the given idea, Hwang makes it obvious that self-cultivation must comprise the analysis of one’s individual characteristics and the demands that the society makes.

Therefore, it can be concluded that understanding the teaching of relational self will help sole the complexities that may arise in the course of an individual’s integration into the society. While it is important to keep in mind that the remaining two elements of the Self as Buddhism interprets it are crucial as well, it is the relational self that holds the key to a number of psychological disorders and offers the solutions for developing the required social behavior patterns.

Reference List

Hwang, K.-K. (2009). Self-Cultivation: Culturally sensitive psychotherapies in Confucian societies. The Counseling Psychologist, 37(7), 1010-1032.

Tsai, D. F.-C. (2001). How should doctors approach patients? A Confucian reflection on personhood. Journal of Medical Ethics, 27, 44-50.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2019, June 30). Self-Cultivation: Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapies in Confucian Societies. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-therapeutic-implications-of-the-three-different-views-of-self-hwangs-research-results-in-the-context-of-relational-self/

Work Cited

"Self-Cultivation: Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapies in Confucian Societies." IvyPanda, 30 June 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/the-therapeutic-implications-of-the-three-different-views-of-self-hwangs-research-results-in-the-context-of-relational-self/.

References

IvyPanda. (2019) 'Self-Cultivation: Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapies in Confucian Societies'. 30 June.

References

IvyPanda. 2019. "Self-Cultivation: Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapies in Confucian Societies." June 30, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-therapeutic-implications-of-the-three-different-views-of-self-hwangs-research-results-in-the-context-of-relational-self/.

1. IvyPanda. "Self-Cultivation: Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapies in Confucian Societies." June 30, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-therapeutic-implications-of-the-three-different-views-of-self-hwangs-research-results-in-the-context-of-relational-self/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Self-Cultivation: Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapies in Confucian Societies." June 30, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-therapeutic-implications-of-the-three-different-views-of-self-hwangs-research-results-in-the-context-of-relational-self/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1