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International Journal of Social Psychiatry
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Taoism and Its Impact on Mental Health of the Chinese Communities

Kam-Shing Yip

Department of Applied Social Studies, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.ssksyip{at}polyu.edu.hk

Spirituality and religious coping is an important and rapidly expanding field in recent years. For the Chinese, traditional Taoism may still have a strong impact on the mental health of Chinese people. Taoistic concepts of mental health stress the transcendence from self and secularity, the dynamic revertism of nature, integration with nature and the pursuit of the infinite. Compared with western concepts of mental health, Taoism advocates self-transcendence, integration with the Law of Nature, inaction and infinite frame of reference instead of social attainment, self-development, progressive endeavor and personal interpretation. By means of a case illustration, the writer tries to describe its impacts on help-seeking, stress and coping, and the meaning of life of a Chinese family. Its generalization to different types of Chinese communities is also discussed.

Key Words: mental health • Taoism • Chinese philosophy

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, Vol. 50, No. 1, 25-42 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0020764004038758
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