Date of Award
5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Sociology
First Advisor
Dr. Jennifer Nourse
Abstract
This thesis explores how Chinese “youth” experiencing emotional distress pursue healing outside formal psychiatric frameworks. Drawing on thirteen qualitative interviews and guided by theories from medical anthropology, this study examines how young people engage Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices and everyday bodily adjustments to manage suffering. Rather than rejecting care altogether, participants turned toward culturally resonant practices that emphasized gradual self-attuning (自我调节, zìwǒ tiáojié) to internal rhythms. Healing was framed not as rupture or diagnosis, but as a relational and moral process: one that preserved emotional dignity, protected family honor, and maintained social harmony. The findings challenge assumptions that psychiatric avoidance among Chinese “youth” stems from stigma or ignorance alone. Instead, “youth” strategically navigated care pathways that minimized emotional exposure and allowed them to act on distress without surrendering agency. By centering the lived experiences of “youth” and the moral logics underpinning their choices, this thesis highlights the need for culturally sensitive approaches to mental health that recognize healing as both a personal and relational act.
Recommended Citation
Zhou, Ziran (Ted), "Healing on Their Own Terms: Self-Guided Attuning and Mental Health Among Chinese “youth”" (2025). Honors Theses. 1865.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1865
