The Relationship of a Measured Taoist Orientation to Western Personality Dimensions

When a psychologist understands the relationship of Taoism to Western personality dimensions, it is then possible for the psychologist to apply counseling and psychotherapy concepts which may surpass traditional methods. A group of writings, the Tao Te Ching, attributed to Lao Tzu (1972), and those of Chuang Tzu, emerged in fifth-century China. These writings expressed a natural way of interconnectedness which came to be known as Taoism. Alan Watts wrote a lucid explanation of Taoism or, what he called, The Watercourse Way (l975). C. G. Jung (1931) made an initial exploration of Taoism from a psychological perspective and Bolen (1979) further developed Jung's notions about Taoism.