Gratitude in a Culturally Adapted Psychotherapy Group and in Chinese Culture: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Although scholarship on the clinical applications of gratitude to psychotherapy is growing, research on gratitude psychotherapeutic group interventions that specifically address Chinese culture is limited. To promote well-being and optimal functioning among people of Chinese cultural backgrounds, this study describes the Mandarin gratitude group (MGG), a culturally adapted psychotherapeutic model designed to foster gratitude among people from Chinese culture. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, the authors examined 11 Mandarin speakers' perspectives on gratitude and their experience of participating in the MGG at a U.S. Midwestern university. Eight themes emerged: (a) evolved understanding of gratitude, (b) centrality of family, (c) high context communication styles, (d) perceived barriers to verbalizing gratitude toward others, (e) corrective experiences in most grateful moments, (f) experiencing gratitude as behavioral contagion, (g) experiencing holistic growth, and (h) cultural adaptations of gratitude psychotherapeutic interventions. The authors conceived the core phenomenon of participants' experience of gratitude as navigating a dialectical interplay between Chinese cultural norms and MGG norms. Based on the findings, the authors offer recommendations for counselors to provide culturally sensitive treatment and prevention programs for Chinese cultural communities.