Theoretical psychology in China: Past, present, and future

Abstract

This article first describes the three periods of the recent past in Chinese theoretical psychology: (a) the period that introduced Western theoretical psychology and the establishment of Chinese theoretical psychology (1917–1948), (b) the period that introduced Soviet Russian psychology and the popularity of Marxist psychology (1949–1976), and (c) the period that reintroduced Western theoretical psychology and the birth of its Chinese counterpart (1977–present). Then, we discuss the trapped condition of contemporary Chinese theoretical psychology, such as the need for originality, the change in the Chinese academic environment, and the lack of proper self-positioning. To solve these problems in China, the following suggestions are proposed: (a) advancement of meta-theoretical research, (b) support for experimental psychological studies, (c) bridging of psychology and its neighboring disciplines, (d) bridging the gap between psychology and the public, and (e) bridging domestic and foreign cultural psychology.