Neurasthenia and the Rise of Psy Disciplines in Republican China

Wang, Wen Ji

doi:10.1215/18752160-3112038

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In the Republican period (1912–49), the disease had been a favourite in a burgeoning medical market, and its treatment was largely determined by personal preferences and available medical resources (Wang, 2016). With the founding of the Communist regime in 1949, the relationship between neurasthenia, mental health and psy sciences changed enormously, and in the late 1950s it suddenly became a health problem worthy of governmental attention.…”

Section: Neurasthenia As a Medical And Political Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ting Tsan – a leading medical psychologist in the late Republican era and a top science-policy maker in the early Communist era – was instrumental in establishing the Chinese Academy of Sciences and its Institute of Psychology in the early 1950s (Fan, 2017). Despite the fact that his training during the Republican era was rooted in the Meyerian tradition (Li and Schmiedebach, 2015; Wang, 2016), Ting’s long-term wish to promote medical psychology and mental health on the national level was likely to be realized with the establishment of the People’s Republic (Fan, 2014; Ting, 1956, 1958). However, psychology as a discipline was later subjected to persecution for various reasons, including ideological concerns, partisan politics and Ting’s pre-1949 political mistake (Chin and Chin, 1969; Huang 2015; Xue and Xiong, 2006).…”

Section: Neurasthenia As a Medical And Political Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, apart from Arthur Kleinman's seminal work (1986) and other brief historical accounts (Jia, 2004;Lin, 1985), the history of neurasthenia in Maoist China remains relatively unexamined. On the basis of previous works in the field of the history of medicine and cultural anthropology (Lee, 1998(Lee, , 1999Wang, 2016), the present study looks into the relationship between neurasthenia, psy sciences and politics from the early 1950s to the mid-1960s.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neurasthenia, psy sciences and the ‘great leap forward’ in Maoist China

Wang

2019

Hist Psychiatry

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The present study looks into the much-neglected history of neurasthenia in Maoist China in relation to the development of psy sciences. It begins with an examination of the various factors that transformed neurasthenia into a major health issue from the late 1950s to mid-1960s. It then investigates a distinctive culture of therapeutic experiment of neurasthenia during this period, with emphasis on the ways in which psy scientists and medical practitioners manoeuvred in a highly politicized environment. The study concludes with a discussion of the legacy of these neurasthenia studies – in particular, the experiment with the famous ‘speedy and synthetic therapy’ – and of the implications the present study may have for future historical study of psychiatry and science.

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Section: Neurasthenia As a Medical And Political Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Neurasthenia As a Medical And Political Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neurasthenia, psy sciences and the ‘great leap forward’ in Maoist China

Wang

2019

Hist Psychiatry

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“…Historians have explored the social and cultural meanings of the rise of modern mental health provision (Baum, 2013; Shapiro, 1995; Szto, 2002), the processes through which diverse bodies of psychiatric and psychological knowledge traveled to and flourished in China (Blowers, 2004; W. Li & Schmiedebach, 2015; Wang, 2016), and the roles of “psy” sciences (psychology, psychiatry, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, etc.) in constructing new ways of understanding social and individual problems (Chiang, 2014).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

An international teamwork: Mental hygiene in Shanghai during the 1930s and 1940s.

Wang¹

2019

History of Psychology

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Mental hygiene experienced significant growth on an international level in the first half of the 20th century. A concept of American origin, mental hygiene developed into various forms in different cultural and national contexts. With a large international settlement and vibrant cultural activities, Shanghai witnessed a rise of interest in preventing mental illnesses and promoting mental health during the 1930s and early 1940s. The city gradually became one of the most important places for providing mental hygiene services in China. Apart from the establishment of mental hospitals, departments of neuropsychiatry, and child guidance clinics, people from various disciplines, sectors, and nationalities united to deliver health services to the foreign as well as local Chinese population. The present study first examines the social and cultural conditions that made possible, according to contemporary firsthand accounts, this international “teamwork.” Taking the establishment of The Mercy Hospital for Nervous Diseases and the organization of child guidance clinics as examples, this study investigates the ways in which knowledge and practices of different origins were combined and transformed. In contrast to previous depictions of the development of psychiatry and mental hygiene in Republican China as a product of missionary influence, scientific progress, or social control, this study seeks to illuminate the interplay of international and local forces in negotiating the meaning of mental hygiene and creating a flexible public health model characteristic of Shanghai’s political and social makeup.

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“…Some studies have indicated that neurasthenia in non-English countries can be largely equated with anxiety and/or depression in English-speaking countries (Gillespie et al, 1999; Hickie & Davenport, 1998). In Chinese traditional medicine, neurasthenia is known as shenjingshuairuo , which is the most common nonpsychotic disorder in China (Lee, 1998; Wang, 2016). In this study, we are interested in examining the relationship between adolescents’ personality and neurasthenia by using samples from Australia and China.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship Between Adolescents’ Personality and Neurasthenia: A Comparison of Australian and Chinese

Zhu

Martin

et al. 2019

The Journal of Early Adolescence

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The aim of the present study was to examine the cross-cultural differences in the relationship between personality traits and neurasthenia across early adolescence. The participants were from Australia and China. Adolescents’ personality was measured by the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and neurasthenia was measured by the Somatic and Psychological Health Report. Structural equation modeling showed that neuroticism significantly predicted neurasthenia for both Chinese and Australian adolescents. Multigroup comparisons indicated that the strength of the relationship between neuroticism and neurasthenia was consistent across Australian and Chinese adolescents. Our findings imply that the relationship between personality traits and neurasthenia is consistent across different cultures.

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Neurasthenia and the Rise of Psy Disciplines in Republican China

Cited by 14 publications

References 26 publications

Neurasthenia, psy sciences and the ‘great leap forward’ in Maoist China

Neurasthenia, psy sciences and the ‘great leap forward’ in Maoist China

An international teamwork: Mental hygiene in Shanghai during the 1930s and 1940s.

The Relationship Between Adolescents’ Personality and Neurasthenia: A Comparison of Australian and Chinese

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