Chinese psychoanalyst Wu Zhihong seeks new approach to China’s social problems in new book ‘ Nation of Giant Infants’
The mental age of most of adults in China are stuck at the level of a 6- month- old infant, claims Wu Zhihong.
Wu says this can help us understand the character of the nation as a whole and explains why Chinese people are so focused on the now.
Wu, a Guangzhou- based psychoanalyst who used to write for the Guangzhou Daily’s psycho- health column and has published more than 10 books, has spent 21 years researching individuals, family and society in China from a psychological viewpoint.
Nearly three years after he put forward his “old infant” theory, Wu is publishing a new book providing an all- round systematic analysis of the extreme narcissism of the giant infant – Juying Guo ( Nation of Giant Infants). The book is available for preorder on Monday.
For Wu, this giant infant syndrome is the result of China’s deeply ingrained traditions of collectivism and filial piety. Looking through this lens one can make sense of a series of social problems such as delusions of persecution, Mama’s boys, poor family relationships with in- laws and manic depression.
“Strictly speaking, the infant we mean is one who is a less than oneyear- old baby who cannot speak and is still in the oral stage [ the first of five Freudian psychosexual development stages during which a child is focused on oral pleasures],” Wu told the Global Times in an interview in early November.
“Psychoanalysts widely consider the mental age of Chinese to be around that of a 1- year- old infant. I put the age a little lower, no older than a 6- month- old.”
Placing the blame
According to Wu, there are two key mental characteristics of infants younger than six months. One is the symbiotic relationship they have with their mothers and the other one is an extreme self- love. This latter characteristic means infants want to follow their own rules and immediately blame others when problems occur.
As an example, Wu pointed to the phenomenon in China where elderly people who fall in public tend to accuse whoever helps them up of knocking them down in the first place. Their first response is to find someone else to take responsibility for what happened.
“Admittedly, some fall on purpose so they can try and extort people, but some sincerely think that the person who helps them up has to be the one who knocked them down,” Wu said. He explained that since at that moment they are unsure of why they fell, they “naturally believe the first person they see is the one responsible.”
The phenomenon of Mama’s boys and poor family relationships with inlaws in China reflects the psychology of infants seeking a closer connection to their mother.
Both mother and child see themselves as an organic whole at this stage in life, which is mostly embodied in a mother- son relationship, according to Wu. “When a son gets a wife, his mother sees her as intruding in their symbiotic relationship and thus becomes hostile to her. In turn, a son sees his father as an intruder while growing up. So in a Chinese family, it’s common to see the father getting edged out at first and then the daughter- in- law,” Wu said.
Real adults
Wu said that the inspiration for the giant infant theory was the film Back
to 1942, which he saw back in 2013. A scene involving prostitution got him thinking of how prostitution is commonly portrayed in Chinese films, a totally different portrayal than in Western films.
“In addition to sex, in Chinese films women offer other services such as footbaths to take care of their clients. They are like a mother,” Wu said, explaining that Western films portray the sex trade as a transaction between two equal adults.
Wu’s theory is nothing ground breaking as it has long been talked about in psychoanalysis circles. Some even point out that the “nation of giant infants” label can also be applied to some African and South American countries and is not exclusive to China.
Rebellious ideas
Before his giant infant theory, Wu had other viewpoints from which he approached Chinese society that were rather contrary to traditional Chinese culture, such as “filial piety is stupid” and “young people should not obey grown- ups too much.”
His ideas have caused quite a few controversial debates online.
Wu has both his supporters and detractors, the latter of which suspect that his rebellious view of family life in China must have originated with some sort of childhood trauma.
Talking about his own experiences, Wu admitted that some of his viewpoints originated from childhood experiences, but these mainly involved his observations concerning how his grandparents “oppressed” his parents.
“My parents are victims of Chinese filial duty. Our village once broadcasted through loudspeakers that my parents were unfilial. One of the reasons I advocate my ideas is to support my parents.” Wu said.
“All I’m going is pointing out the improper ways people used to think. I’m not trying to provide solutions.”
“Only by truly understanding oneself can people avoid getting caught up in tragic cycles,” he concluded.