A Study On The Moderating Effects Of The Confucian And Taoist Values On The Relationships Between Life Events And Mental Health

Based on the theories related to Taoism, taking Lao Tz’s Tao Te Ching, the classic of Taoism, as the original materials, combined with interviews and expert judgments, the present study developed the original items of Taoism values questionnaire. Through exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, a five-dimension,42-item Taoism values questionnaire was developed and its reliabilities and validities were detected. Then taking the followings as measuring tools including Taoism values questionnaire, Yang Guoshu’s Confucian Traditional Values Questionnaire, Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, and University Personality Inventory (UPI), this study explored the regulating effect of Taoism and Confucian values on the relationships between life events and mental health, and also considered the Taoism and Confucian values as two variables to make a cluster analysis of the study object, discussing the individual differences of different types in mental health.The following main results are obtained from this research:(1) The Taoist Values Questionnaire has acceptable reliabilities and validities. The five dimensions contained in Taoist values include:"peace of mind", "compliance and inaction", "behaving lowly and standing aloof from the worldly affairs", "detachment and few desires" and "dialectical concepts".(2) The test results of the participants’ Taoist values or Confucian values showed significant differences in terms of several demographic variables. Females’ Taoism values are higher than males, but, there is no significant differences on Confucian values. The participants’age has a significant positive correlation with Taoism value, but has no relations with Confucian value. Participants who live in countryside for a long term are the highest on Taoism values. Participants who live in towns are the second highest on them. The residents living in big cities for long term are the lowest on Taoism values. However, the participants living in different geographic areas for long periods have no significant differences on Confucian values. For participants whose fathers engage in different careers, there is no significant difference among the participants in terms of both Taoist values and Confucian values. For participants whose mothers engage in different careers, there is no significant difference among them in terms of Confucian values, where the average score from Taoist values of the participants whose mothers are workers and farmers is the maximum, and the average score from Taoist values of the participants whose mothers are teachers and scientific researchers is the minimum.(3) There is no significant correlation between the total score of Taoist values and total score of UPI. However, the two factors of "peace of mind" and "detachment and few desires" present significantly negative correlation with total score of UPI. There is no significant correlation between the total score of Confucian values and total score of UPI, where its factors and total score of UPI also present no significant correlation.(4) The moderating effects of Taoist value and Confucian value on the relationship between life events and mental health:both Taoist value and Confucian value can significantly moderate the influence from life events on mental health. However, their moderating effects are different:high Taoist value have the optimal moderating effect on the negative influence from life events on mental health, while medium Confucian value has the optimal moderating effect on the negative influence from life events on mental health. Low Taoist value has the worst moderating effect on the negative influence from life events on mental health, while high Confucian value has the worst moderating effect on the negative influence from life events on mental health.(5) A cluster analysis was conducted on the data with Taoist value and Confucian value as two variables. The value modes of participants can be divided into four major types:Type 1, higher Taoist value and low Confucian value; Type 2, high Taoist value and higher Confucian value:Type3, lower Taoist value and high Confucian value, Type 4, low Taoist value and lower Confucian value. The number of testees with Type 4 value mode is the most, while the number of testees with Type 2 value mode is the fewest.(6) The individual mental health levels of the four types present significant differences, where the participants with the value mode of "high Taoist value and higher Confucian value" have the best mental health level, while the testees with the value mode of "higher Taoist value and low Confucian value" have the worst mental health level.(7) The moderating effects of the four types of value modes present borderline significant differences. The participants with the value mode of "high Taoist value and higher Confucian value" present the lowest correlation between life events and total scores of UPI, which shows that they can give full play to the moderating function of traditional values in face of life events, thus relieving the negative influence on their mental health. However, the participants with the value mode of "lower Taoist value and high Confucian value" present the highest correlation between life events and total scores of UPI, which shows that they are most vulnerable to the negative influence from life events on mental health as they have the worst moderating function of traditional values.The conclusion of this research is:Taoist value is represented five dimensions. The cooperation of Taoist value and Confucian value is a condition to constitute a healthy personality rather than the level of one of the two values.