A Study of Wang Yangming's "Theory of Saints Being Equal to Plebeians" From the Angle of Personality Psychology

Social changes depend on individual changes.And the changes in an individual depend on the changes in the individual's mental state.Wang Yangming profoundly influenced his contemporary society and the mentality of Chinese people in later ages through his system of mental studies directly related to the mind.Wang Yanging's key measures for changing the mind were directed at reforming and transforming the thoughts of traditional personality psychology.In this paper the author mainly annotates Wang Yangming's theory of saints being equal to plebeians from the angle of personality psychology,focusing upon the implications,general features,and the far-reaching influence of his theory.Moreover,the author evaluates and reflects upon the theory's status in the history of traditional Chinese thoughts of personality and upon its instant enlightenment.