What Chinese Philosophy Can Teach Us About Community Mental Health

I recently read a blog post analyzing why Americans were less likely to wear masks during the height of COVID-19 compared to people in China. The author emphasized a fundamental cultural difference: Chinese values prioritize the community, while American values prioritize the individual.

This distinction is deeply rooted in religious and philosophical history.

Harmony as the Center

In studying Chinese religions, I was struck by the concept that the universe is not a static condition, but a "perpetual activity of creating a harmonized unity."

As Sorajjakool et al. (2017) note, the concept of Harmony is the center of Chinese thought, threading through both Confucianism and Taoism. It values bringing balance among people, nature, the physical world, and the cosmos.

Cultural Competency in Practice

In the West, we often view the "I to We" transformation as a later stage of development. But for someone who identifies with Chinese religions, the concepts of "Service to Community" and "We" might be present from the very beginning.

If a therapist tries to push a "self-first" agenda on a client whose soul’s purpose is dictated by harmony and balance, they are missing the mark. Cultural competency means understanding that for many, mental health isn't about individual achievement, it's about collective harmony.