「嚐苦」概念化：華人受苦經驗及轉化歷程之初探

現有的品味（savoring）理論強調「延長及放大正向經驗」，以提升正向情緒與幸福（well-being），與「第一波正向心理學」的風潮相應。然而，這忽略了品味對於負向經驗也具有適應功能，亦即品味除了是享受正向經驗的能力外，也可以用來品嚐生命中的負向經驗與苦痛。加上這個觀點，品味便能與第二波正向心理學的主張：若能正視生命中的負向經驗，才能邁向完整人生（wholeness），不謀而合。若以儒家文化強調的「吃苦」、「嚐苦」角度，取代西方單一的品味觀點，應該能擴展品味理論，且更能貼近華人的生命經驗。因此，本研究問題在於了解華人感知苦難時，對於受苦經驗，品味如何作用？亦即在受苦經驗中，華人是否會品嚐苦痛（嚐苦）？嚐苦具備哪些內涵與文化特性？嚐苦又會歷經哪些階段，進而轉化苦難？據此，本研究從儒家「自我修養」（self-cultivation）的觀點，探究當代華人面對苦難事件時的嚐苦（品味苦痛）內涵及其轉化歷程。本研究為質性研究，深度訪談13位成人（年齡介於24至73歲）。研究結果顯示：在苦難中的品味共經歷五個階段：（1）「初受苦」：面臨認知與情緒的極大苦痛之狀態；（2）「苦痛緩解」：負面情緒緩解，有認知容量做反思；（3）「盡心盡力」：主要透過「盡己」（self-exertion）處理苦難，為有意義的「吃苦」；（4）「功成圓滿」或「順聽天命」：實質上解決問題或接受命運的安排，心理上不再受苦痛影響；（5）「怡然自得」：回顧生命歷程後，能體會並欣賞生命中「甘苦並存」的經驗與現實。整體而言，儒家社會有豐富的文化智慧幫助人們面對苦難，其過程從「受苦」，走向「吃苦」、「不苦」，最後可達「苦樂並嚐」的完整境界。最後，本研究將此歷程與Bryant與Veroff（2007）之品味理論進行比較，並提出未來研究方向。

關鍵字

受苦；品味；本土心理學；第二波正向心理學；自我修養

並列摘要

Savoring theory advocates prolonging and amplifying positive experiences for enhancing positive affect and happiness, which corresponds with the first wave positive psychology. However, current savoring theory ignores that savoring also has an adaptive function to negative experience, that is, savoring can be used to taste negative experience and pain in life. Adding this new proposition, savoring can coincide with the second wave of positive psychology, that is, one can only go towards “wholeness” if one can face up to the negative experiences in life. If the oversimplified concept of savoring can be supplemented with “tasting bitter (Chang-ku)” emphasized in Confucian cultural context, savoring theory will able to be expanded and closer to the life experience of Chinese people. Therefore, the aim of this study is to understand how contemporary Han Chinese people perceive and taste negative experiences or pains when they experience suffering. In the experience of suffering, will they taste bitter or pain (Chang-ku)? What are the connotations of Chang-ku? To appreciate or savoring the bitter or pain, what is the transformational process they have to go through? What stages are contained in the process? Accordingly, this study explored the connotation and transformation process of contemporary Chinese people's taste of bitterness when facing adversity from the perspective of Confucian self-cultivation. An in-depth qualitative research was conducted by interviewing 13 adults, aged between 24 and 73 years old. The results revealed that there were five savoring stages in suffering: (1) “Initial Suffering” Stage: A state of great cognitive and emotional distress, (2) “Alleviation of Emotional Distress” Stage: People’s negative affect starts to be lessened, and has the capacity to think deeply, (3) “Hard Work” Stage: People deal with the suffering through self-exertion to make suffering become meaningful, (4) “Successful Completion” or “Go with the Stream” Stage: People fully resolve the problems or kindly accept the destiny, and they are not suffering, and (5) “Both Sweet and Bitter of Life” Stage: After reviewing their life courses, people appreciate the both positive and negative experiences in their lives. Overall, the progress of “savoring bitter” consists of the following order: “great suffering”(shòu ku), “tasting bitter”(chī ku), “not feeling bitter”(bù ku), and “savoring the bitter and sweet”(kǔ lè bìng cháng). Lastly, we compared our findings with those of Bryant and Veroff (2007) and further research ideas were discussed.

並列關鍵字

Suffering ； Savoring ； Indigenous Psychology ； Second Wave Positive Psychology ； Self-Cultivation

參考文獻

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「嚐苦」概念化：華人受苦經驗及轉化歷程之初探

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