RESEARCH_FILE
Kuang-Hui Yeh
Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Known for:The dual filial piety model, distinguishing genuine care from duty-driven obedience toward parents and elders
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“Keeping the peace is my job”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“I'm a guest at this table, not its emotional air traffic controller.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Write down the names of three specific moments from the last family gathering where you made a choice to redirect, smooth over, or manage someone else's reaction. Next to each one, write whether that person actually asked you to do that. Notice the pattern without showing anyone.
Key findings
- 2003
Filial piety splits into two distinct psychological dimensions — reciprocal (rooted in genuine affection and gratitude) and authoritarian (rooted in duty and hierarchy) — rather than functioning as a single undifferentiated value. A Test of the Dual Filial Piety Model ↗
- 2013
Comparing Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, authoritarian filial piety was consistently linked to more obedience-driven, duty-bound behavior toward parents and in-laws, while reciprocal filial piety was consistently linked to relationship wellbeing regardless of cultural context. Filial piety in contemporary Chinese societies: A comparative study of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China ↗
- 2019
Reviewing the psychology of filial piety, Yeh argues the reciprocal/authoritarian distinction has become a widely used framework for understanding when family obligation supports wellbeing versus when it functions as duty-based pressure. The History and the Future of the Psychology of Filial Piety: Chinese Norms to Contextualized Personality Construct ↗