ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Personality and Social Psychology
An exploration of the structure and understanding of Xin ("信") in Chinese culture: the development of a theoretical model and questionnaire instruments
Provisionally accepted
- Shandong University, Jinan, China
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This study investigates the multifaceted construct of Xin (" 信") within Chinese culture, reconceptualizing it as a core personality quality that extends beyond mere honesty or trustworthiness. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we integrated grounded theory and quantitative scale development to articulate the structure of Xin and its psychological significance. Three sequential studies were conducted: (1) Through in-depth interviews with 22 Chinese participants, a five-dimensional model of Xin was constructed, comprising relational domains between humans and heaven and earth, humans and social culture, the self, individual archetypes, and connective integration. (2) A corresponding questionnaire was developed and validated via exploratory factor analysis (Sample 1, N = 231) and confirmatory factor analysis (Sample 2, N = 814), confirming the five-factor structure. (3) The questionnaire was administered to a broader sample (Sample 3, N = 807) to assess recognition and identification levels across these dimensions. Results indicate that Xin is perceived most strongly in relational connectivity and least in archetypal manifestations, with significant variations by gender, education, and ethnicity. These findings illuminate Xin as a complex personality construct integral to Chinese cultural identity and personal development, offering insights for its cultivation in psychological practice and everyday life.
Keywords: analytical psychology, Chinese culture, Personality quality, psychological structure ofXin, Xin(Chinese character)
Received: 08 Dec 2025; Accepted: 05 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Lin, Jing and Sun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dian Jing
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