Tenets of life: a structural equation model of East Asian ideologies, culturally informed characteristics, and psychological functioning

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rochester. Warner School of Education, 2017.Empirical studies about how East Asian philosophical ideologies (i.e., Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism) influence East Asian lives and mental health are urgently needed. Such studies should advance our understanding of the unique challenges associated with preventing and treating mental health issues among East Asians and offer potential insights into interventions. To address this need, the present study sought (1) to examine predictive links between East Asian philosophical ideologies and psychological functioning (PF), and (2) to examine culturally-informed behaviors and attitudes (CIBA) as possible mediators between ideologies and individual functioning. A total of 2091 participants were recruited from China (n=322), Japan (n=400), Taiwan (n=362), and the United States (n=688 White Americans, n=319 Asian Americans) via an online survey (30-35 minutes). Multiple languages were available for participants. Separate exploratory factor analyses suggested 20 tenets of East Asian ideologies forming four constructs (i.e., Restrictive Confucianism, Benevolent Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism) and 14 facets of CIBA forming four constructs (i.e., face, accepting parental influence, devotion to parents, and prioritizing others). Based on this structure, a full structural equation model was used to examine the relations between ideologies, CIBA, and PF (i.e., psychological distress and wellbeing). The results show that Buddhism, Taoism, and Benevolent Confucianism (e.g., leading by example and self-cultivation) predicted higher PF. In contrast, Restrictive Confucianism (e.g., conforming to social norms and interpersonal harmony) predicted poorer PF. Furthermore, 15 significant indirect paths suggest that ideologies might influence PF partially by shaping CIBA. For example,Restrictive Confucianism emerged as the strongest predictor of face management, which in turn predicted higher distress and lower wellbeing. Thus, face management helped to explain the association between Restrictive Confucianism and lower PF. Unexpected indirect paths also emerged. For example, after controlling for the other CIBA, accepting parental influence emerged as a predictor of higher PF and devotion to parents was not significantly related to PF. Additionally, although Buddhism, Taoism, and Benevolent Confucianism robustly predicted better PF, via face management and prioritizing others (i.e. collectivism), these ideologies slightly lower wellbeing. The implications of these ideologies on CIBA and PF for counseling professionals are detailed