Emotional Inhibition in Collectivist Cultures: A Schema Therapy Perspective (Part I)

Emotional Inhibition

From a Schema Therapy perspective, many Asian adults could be seen as emotionally inhibited. I can understand why this might seem true. To link it to western ideas, I wish to refer to some of the consistency between collectivistic culture and the Western philosophy of Stoicism.

Stoicism (Becker, L. C., 2017) teaches that individuals should focus on what they can control—primarily their response to external events—and view challenges as opportunities to practice four virtues: courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom. Simply put, Stoicism encourages remaining calm under pressure and avoiding emotional extremes. While the original philosophy is more complex, its essence aligns closely with virtues widely accepted in Chinese culture.

For instance, the Chinese proverb “中庸之道” (translated as “the way of moderation”) reflects a belief in maintaining balance and restraint, which resonates with Stoic principles. However, without a nuanced understanding of emotions and personal needs, these cultural ideals can easily lead individuals to control and suppress their emotions rather than regulate them in a healthy way.

Emotional Inhibition and Cultural Expectations

It is important to clarify that I do not use the term “inhibition” with a negative connotation. Rather, I refer to the Schema Therapy language here, as freedom to express valid needs and emotions (Young, et al., 2003) is one of the five core emotional needs identified by Dr. Jeffrey Young, the founder of Schema Therapy.

Clinically, it is common to meet Chinese clients who struggle to ‘experience’ their emotions.  It involves to feel, label, understand, and verbalize their feelings. I believe this phenomenon is largely influenced by the culture and Confucian teachings, or at least how they are interpreted by the average person.

Many Asian parents, often unconsciously, encourage their children to suppress their emotions (both positive and negative, but even more so to the negative emotions) to maintain social harmony.  For example, if a child expresses anger in public, parents may label the emotion as “bad” or “wrong” because it disrupts group cohesion. In some social situations, parents might invalidate their child’s feelings to preserve their own “face” or maintain outward peace.

As I mentioned in a previous article, Confucianism fosters a culture where personal identity is closely tied to social roles and relationships, reinforcing collectivist values.  (To your easy reference about comparison between individualistic and collectivistic cultures, please refer to the table below or my first article) To elaborate, Yu (2021) explains that Confucian love is differentiated and context-specific, manifesting in different virtues based on one’s role in a relationship.

For example:

• A child’s love for their parents is expressed through 孝 (xiào, filial piety).

• A parent’s love for their child is expressed through 慈 (cí, kindness).

  
  

This philosophy outlines not only how children should behave toward their parents but also vice versa. However, due to the power imbalance in Chinese society, respect (as part of filial piety) is often equated with obedience to authority (See details here). In practice, this creates stress for children, pressuring them to suppress their emotions and prioritize obedience to their parents or other authority figures. This pattern contributes to emotional inhibition among individuals from collectivist cultures.

Schema Therapy and Emotional Inhibition

In Schema Therapy, the Emotional Inhibition Schema refers to a pattern where individuals automatically suppress their emotions, perceive emotions as negative, and may even dislike those who express emotions freely. Given this cultural background, how should we address emotional inhibition in therapy? (Emotional Inhibition client treatment story in Chinese) To what extent should we label someone as having this schema? Moreover, how can we cultivate a Healthy Adult Mode when becoming more emotionally expressive might result in negative reactions from peers, potentially affecting a client’s sense of connection and belonging?

How can we integrate these insights into our clinical practice? In my next article, I will share five key strategies for implementing culturally-sensitive Schema Therapy. (More 'Emotional Inhibition Schema' case story in Chinese)

Aspect	Collectivistic Culture (Confucianism-influenced)	Individualistic Culture
Core Values	Harmony, duty, loyalty, social roles, family honour	Personal freedom, independence, self-expression
Identity	Defined by relationships with others	Defined by individual quality such as personal achievements and unique traits
Decision-Making	Consensus-based, considers impact on the group, prioritizes responsibility	Individual choice, prioritizes personal right
Authority & Hierarchy	Respect for hierarchy and authority figures	More egalitarian, questioning authority is accepted
Conflict Resolution	Avoid direct confrontation, maintain social harmony	Open discussion, assertive self-expression
Success & Achievement	Measured by contributions to family and society	Measured by personal accomplishments
Communication Style	Indirect, polite, context-sensitive	Direct, explicit, and self-promoting

Beatrice Ng-Kessler

Registered Clinical Psychologist (HK and UK)

Advance Certified Schema Therapist and Supervisor (ISST)

Certified Mindfulness Trainer from Canada

Reference:

Becker, L. C. (2017). A New Stoicism: revised edition. Princeton University Press.

Young, et al. (2003). Schema Therapy: A practitioner’s guide.  Guilford.

Lu, Y. (2021). Confucianism and phenomenology: An exploration of feeling, value and virtue. Brill. http://public.eblib.com/choice/PublicFullRecord.aspx?p=6746185

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