Intercultural psychology in the greater China region

Abstract

This chapter focuses on intercultural psychology in China, starting with a discussion of the history of psychology in China. The discussion covers the influence of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and the impact of Euro-American, Japanese and Soviet psychology on the development of psychology in China. By examining the limitations of Western psychological theories and research in the Greater China Region, this chapter reviews the development of indigenous Chinese psychology. It explores a key concept in indigenous Chinese psychology—indigenous compatibility; and also reviews the theoretical, empirical and methodological endeavours in developing indigenous Chinese psychology. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the authors propose directions of intercultural psychology that will incorporate both approaches to develop indigenous Chinese psychology.