From Filial Piety to Forgiveness: Managing Ambivalent Feelings in a Beijing House‐Church

Abstract

This article is based on fieldwork in a Chinese Protestant house‐church in Beijing—more specifically, it focuses on a form of group therapy, which took place in the vicinity of the church. It combines two phenomena usually studied separately, namely the popularity of Chinese underground churches and China's so‐called “psycho‐boom.” Drawing on attachment theory, I focus on the psychic conflicts that draw certain people, in this case a young woman, Lin, to this kind of therapeutic/ritual context. Filial piety, the moral value that children should respect and honor their parents, who have sacrificed so much for them, remains a strong social norm in Chinese society. I argue that forbidden feelings such as anger directed at parents found expression in this Chinese house‐church. The ritual and therapeutic context can be understood as a cultural defense mechanism, which celebrates an inversion of dominant societal norms.

When the Ghosts Live in the Nursery: Postpartum Depression and the Grandmother‐Mother‐Baby Triad in Luzhou, China

“…Susanne Bregnbaek, in her discussion of church‐based group therapy in China, describes a young participant “trying to come to terms with her feelings of anger and loss at having been abandoned by her father at a young age, as well as her strained relationship to her mother” (2016, 411). Bregnbaek notes that this sort of angst is not considered appropriate for airing publicly: “Up until that day I had not seen Chinese young people being so emotionally charged in public, let alone express anger in relation to their parents rather than filial devotion” (411).…”

“…It was their responsibility to “adjust themselves” ( ziwo tiaojie ) to an immutable family dynamic (Zhang 2014). As anthropologist Jie Yang notes, a mother “must strive to be happy and leave negative emotions outside before returning home…The worst scenario is if a mother transfers her bad heart‐emotions to her children” (2018, 91; see also Bregnbaek 2016). “When I fight with popo , it just hurts my children,” Peng said.…”

Filial beliefs reduce aggression in different cultures: A conditional process model

“…In this process, the children are more likely to forgive their parents based on genuine understanding. Bregnbæk argues that filial piety beliefs may promote forgiveness towards the parents even when the child is involuntary [ 47 ]. AFP emphasizes family order and hierarchy [ 23 ], and individuals with such filial piety beliefs are more likely to forgive their parents due to conformity to norms.…”

Anthropology and Psychoanalysis: The Looping Effects of Persons and Social Worlds

“…This collection is entitled, "Horizons of Experience: Reinvigorating Dialogue between Phenomenological and Psychoanalytic Anthropologies," with articles or commentaries by Willen & Seeman (2012b),Good (2012),Hollan (2012),Csordas (2012), Throop (2012, Desjarlais (2012),Corin (2012), andJackson (2012). 2 This collection is entitled, "Anthropology and Psychoanalysis," with articles or commentaries byGammeltoft & Segal (2016b),Bregnbaek (2016),Gammeltoft (2016),Mikkelsen (2016),Segal (2016), Steffen (2016), and Hollan (2016.3 This collection is entitled, "Hauntology in Psychological Anthropology," with articles byRahimi & Good (2019),,Corin (2019),Hollan (2019), Idria (2019), M.J.D Good (2019),Chiovenda (2019), McDowell (2019,. and Csordas (2019).…”