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儒家思想中“天命情结”及其对中国文化的影响：基于体验心理学的文本诠释

The Complex of “Tianming” (Heavenly Mandate) in Confucianism and Its Influence on Chinese Culture: A Textual Hermeneutics Based on Experiential Psychology

Psychology of China / 2026,8(2): 164-169 / 2026-02-27 52 29

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• Authors: 吕仁慧
• Information:

  北京科技大学文法学院社会学系，北京

• Keywords:
  Confucian psychology; Experiential psychology; Cultural psychology; Tianming (The Mandate of Heaven); Tianming complex; Meaning therapy
  儒家心理学; 体验心理学; 文化心理学; 天命; 天命情结; 意义治疗
• Abstract: Tianming (The Mandate of Heaven) is not only an ontological category of Confucian philosophy but also a core cultural-psychological complex deeply rooted in the collective unconscious of the Chinese people. From the perspective of experiential psychology, this paper systematically examines the conceptual connotations, dynamic mechanisms, and cultural value of the “Tianming Complex”in Confucian thought. First, through a textual analysis of classical works such as the Analects and Mencius, this study distinguishes the multiple attributes of “Tian”(Heaven) as an archetypal image—encompassing natural laws, a sovereign will, and a moral source—as well as the psychological function of “Ming” (Fate/Mandate) as a boundary consciousness. On this basis, the paper elucidates how the Tianming complex, through the mechanism of “immanent transcendence,” constructs a sense of existential security characterized by a “belief in being protected” driven by a sacred sense of mission. This complex shapes a dialectical outlook on life and death—“cherishing life without fearing death”—and provides individuals with a cognitive reappraisal schema of “trials from Heaven”when facing extreme adversity, demonstrating its autonomous moral function without recourse to theistic supervision. Finally, the paper proposes pathways for the contemporary psychological transformation of Confucian Tianming resources. In terms of empirical research, it suggests exploring the path contribution of the Confucian Tianming complex to positive psychological traits such as resilience, optimism, and the meaning of life, while employing paradigms like the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to empirically interpret decision-making regarding life and death under the influence of ConfucianTianming thought. In terms of clinical application, it explores ways to deeply integrate Confucian Tianming thought with cultural psychotherapy to develop an indigenous meaning therapy system that aligns with the psychological structure of the Chinese people. For Western psychotherapeutic modalities such as psychoanalysis, the paper argues for the necessity of examining individual symptoms and defenses through a cultural lens, situating the individual within their cultural matrix, and actively activating and utilizing psychocultural resources such as the sense of Tianming to achieve profound integration with Chinese culture and therapeutic healing. “天命”不仅是儒家哲学的本体论范畴，更是深植于中国文化集体潜意识中的核心心理情结。本文基于体验心理学视角，系统考察儒家心理思想中“天命情结”的构念内涵、动力机制及其文化价值。研究首先通过对《论语》《孟子》等古籍的文本分析，辨析了儒家思想中“天”作为原型性意象蕴含的自然、命运主宰与道德等多重属性，以及“命”作为边界意识的心理功能。在此基础上，阐明了“天命情结”对人的心理影响：形成一种基于神圣使命感的“受护佑信念”；塑造了“惜生而不畏死”的辩证生死观；为个体应对困境提供了“天降大任”式的认知应对图式；使个体在无外界监督的条件下保持道德自律。最后，本文提出了儒家思想中的天命思想资源的当代心理学转化路径：在实证研究方面，探索儒家天命情结对心理韧性、乐观、生命意义感等积极心理品质的路径贡献，并结合内隐联想测验（IAT）等范式对儒家天命思想下的生死决策进行实证诠释；在临床应用方面，探索将儒家天命思想与文化心理治疗深度整合的途径，开发契合中国人心灵结构的意义治疗体系。对于精神分析等源自西方的心理治疗流派，需要带着文化视角审视个体的症状与防御，将个体放置于其所属的文化母体中，主动激活并利用天命感等传统心理文化资源，实现与中国文化的深度整合与治愈。
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.35534/pc.0802026 (registering DOI)
• Cite: 吕仁慧. (2026). 儒家思想中“天命情结”及其对中国文化的影响: 基于体验心理学的文本诠释. 中国心理学前沿, 8 (2), 164-169.