Assessing the Impact of Western Psychology in Hong Kong

Abstract

The impact of Western psychology in Hong Kong can be seen in its institutions and practices- Local students however acquire their knowledge of psychology through the medium of at least two foreign languages; English (the medium of instruction) and the technical language of its subject matter, which does not find ready equivalents in Chinese. Some examples of psychological terms in Chinese and English are presented to support this. Problems of translation and of the models implicit in much of psychology's subject matter reduce its impact. Because indigenous beliefs are more likely to shape psychology's development than imported ones, they should be made explicit in psychological practice and reworked into future educational curricula so that the discipline as a whole may benefit.