I am just reading James W. Pennebaker’s highly recommended “Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions” and half way through the book I came to think that there might be a connection between “the healing power of expressing emotions” and the lack thereof in China with regard to the Cultural Revolution or just about any other traumatic event in China’s turbulent history, and the much debated lack of creativity among Chinese people.
Now, I realize that I will in no way be able to even marginally “psychoanalyze” an entire nation here, but I will elaborate why I think that there might at least be some connection.
As far as I know, just about no Chinese person who lived through the Cultural Revolution ever talked to his or her children or anyone else about it. Those ten years were a time of unimaginable horror in which an entire society tore itself to shreds. And experience was horribly traumatic for the victims as well as the aggressors who have to live with what they did. It happened on such a large scale that virtually every Chinese person was affected. And as a result no one feels that it is necessary to talk about it.
In the book, Pennebaker talks about people, such as the wives of Israeli soldiers who went missing in action and their response to these traumatic events – namely the compulsive preoccupation with trivial problems. Now, if these victims of traumatic events are not able to talk about what happened, they are much less likely to resolve feelings of stress and anxiety. They will often revert to “low-level thinking” – mindless, addictive, and compulsive behaviors – to protect themselves from their own feelings and to dull the pain.
The price tag of psychological defense mechanism of mindlessness is the loss of creativity. People caught up in low-level thinking are rigid in their thinking and are less able to appreciate novel approaches to problems.
I do not necessarily saying that westerners are better at talking about and dealing with traumatic events (though the Jews did and do talk a lot about the Holocaust), but we in general never endured any event comparable to the Cultural Revolution in recent history.
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Thanks for writing, I really enjoyed your newest post. I think you should post more frequently, you evidently have natural ability for blogging!
Thank you! I would now go on this blog every day!
Lack of creativity is actually the aftermath of speaking blockade.look at youtube and twitter.its the upgraded tricks doing on them.people dont have the right to talk the truth and their true feelings.they feel like no one would care.I wrote a lot when I blogging in 2008,but no body gives a shit.and day by day,you will be tired of self-playing.its not ppl they dont express,its the atmophere and circumstances they are in is a heartless son of a bitch.and this is bascially formed by the goverment.and the worse thing is,the atmosphere effects everyone and no one wanna change this fact.imagine that no one gives comments on ur articles and no one discuss these isusses with you,what will you do next?i believe we can change this situation by trying to care more about what other ppl experienced and what other ppls thinking.and thats what we are lack of.chinese are usually not friendly actually,we are cold.we care too much about ourselves and ingore others.thats the biggest block of communication,expressing.i belive,if one dosent share opinions with others,he or she cannot be creative in even his or her own field.
You are right,expressing our emotions could help.but im just worrying about the HOW.how to make this chenged.how to get ppl feel safe and comfortable to express.