A psychodynamic model of Self-nature

ABSTRACT

In order to bridge the gap between humanistic psychology and positive psychology, this article proposes a psychodynamic model of Self-nature (自性, zixing) by integrating the Mandala model with several core ideas of Jung’s psychology for the future development of cultural psychology. The Mandala model of self, as well as the relationship between Freud and Jung, will be discussed in the context of an ogdoad formal structure in order to illuminate the psychological topography of conscious, personal unconscious and collective unconscious. Jung had been inspired by the philosophy of Daoism in his long-term search for the undiscovered Self. His Seven Sermons to the Dead will be reinterpreted to show the sharp cultural contrast between East and West. The potential contribution of this model to cultural psychology will be discussed, it is expected that this new model of Self-nature may bridge the gap between humanistic psychology and positive psychology.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-nature (自性
• zixing)
• the Self
• ogdoad
• Mandala model of self
• collective unconscious
• cultural psychology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan [106-2410-H-037-004-MY2].

Notes on contributors

Kwang-Kuo Hwang

Kwang-Kuo Hwang obtained his PhD in social psychology from the University ofHawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii. He is currently National Chair Professor at Kaohsiung Medical University, awarded by the Ministry of Education, Republic of China. Professor Hwang has endeavored to promote the indigenization movement in psychology and the social sciences in Chinese society since the early 1980s. He has published more than 150 articles on related issues in both Chinese and English in addition to eight books including Foundations of Chinese Psychology: Confucian Social Relations (English). He is past president of the Asian Association of Indigenous and Cultural Psychology (2010-2014), and the Asian Association of Social Psychology (2003–2005), and was the Principal Investigator of the research project “In Search of Excellence for Indigenous Psychology,” sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Republic of China (2000–2008).