Xieshi and Xieyi: How Chinese and Western Aesthetic Orientations Shape Mental Health, Anxiety, and Psychological Stress
Jin Zhao, Lu ChenAbstract
Objective
This study examines how Chinese (xieyi) and Western (xieshi) aesthetic orientations shape mental health—anxiety, depressive symptoms, and psychological stress. It investigates how analytic vs. holistic cognitive styles differentially affect emotion regulation and well-being, establishing a psychiatric framework for understanding aesthetic orientation as a determinant of mental health.
Subjects and Methods
This study compares xieshi (realistic representation) and xieyi (freehand expression) through cognitive-psychological analysis. Psychiatric frameworks include: analytic cognition examining object-focused attention and perfectionistic anxiety; holistic cognition assessing field-relational attention buffering depressive rumination; and aesthetic engagement evaluating how depiction mode affects stress reduction.
Results
Mental health findings reveal differential outcomes. Western xieshi—emphasizing volumetric realism—may reinforce perfectionistic tendencies, increasing anxiety. However, structured visual order provides cognitive predictability, reducing uncertainty-related distress. Chinese xieyi—emphasizing suggestion and imaginative completion—promotes holistic processing, countering depressive rumination. Calligraphic expression facilitates emotional catharsis, reducing stress. However, interpretive ambiguity may generate anxiety. Both orientations mobilize beholder's completion—reducing distress through engagement or exacerbating through uncertainty.
Conclusions
Chinese and Western aesthetic orientations produce distinct mental health outcomes. Xieshi's analytic focus may increase anxiety through perfectionism yet provide cognitive structure; xieyi's holistic orientation buffers against depression yet may generate interpretive anxiety. These findings inform culturally-adapted art therapy, suggesting matching aesthetic orientation to cognitive style optimizes therapeutic efficacy. Future research should examine dose-response relationships between aesthetic engagement and psychiatric outcomes.
Corresponding Author
Lu Chen, Chinese National Academy of Arts, Beijing, China.