本文旨在澄清中國人的心學與心理學之間的聯繫問題。我們肯定心學不等於心理學，但是也不同意心學只是準心理學。從整個歷史發展來看，心學是中國士人的本我心理論述。掌握論述權力的知識份子對本我的安身立命所發展出來的心理學論述，包括基本理論與相互辯駁而衍生的知識，以及透過生活鍛鍊試圖開展日用常行的實踐。自陸九淵設「槐堂」講授心學至今八百餘年，心學承續道儒的傳統專業語言，下了一個轉語：「心即理」，整個論述轉向「內心的風光」，而以盡心盡性為基礎，發展出至今不絕的本我心理論述。依此傳承，本土本我心理學的特徵在於本體本我的存養與鍛鍊，其中涵攝本我「溯源論」(心體)與「目的論」(倫常)兩個體用相間的體系，而以本我砥礪淬發為根本的立身立心之道，若與現今西土自我心理學相較，當可發現心學所立基的倫理性與超越性實足供本土心理學接枝，進而為本土本我心理學所開展。

This paper clarifies the relationship between Chinese studies of psyche, called xin xue, and the psychology of self. Xin xue is not a modern psychology, but is also not a Chinese philosophical psychology. It is a psychological discourse of Self (as a subject) developed among Chinese intellectuals that conceptualizes the Self as autonomous and includes basic theories and everyday knowledge. Xin xue has a long history in China. Xin xue classes (huai tang) were established almost eight hundred years ago. Xin xue inherited the traditional terminology of Taoism and Confucianism and focuses on the interior world of the individual psyche. From this focus, it has continued to develop on the basis of the concept of entirely exhausting the energy of a person's heart and nature. In line with this tradition, the characteristics of the Taiwanese indigenous psychology of Self maintain and cultivate the ontological Self, which contains theories of origin and teleology─two systems of the psyche and ethics, which are based on discipline-oriented order towards independence and autonomy of self. If compared to western ego psychology, the ethics and transcendent nature of xin xue would be integrated into Chinese indigenous psychology and help boost its development.