The Self in

Western and
Eastern Thoughts
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
G.E.3

Prepared by:

MIANO, CRYZILLE D.

VALENCIANO, WELVIN J.

SALUDARIO,MCLEN T.

ROBIS,JOSHUA CARLO L.
INTRODUCTION

It is important in our understanding of the self that we realize the blending of the
eastern or oriental traditions in Asia and the Pacific and the western traditions of Europe
and North America. Moreover, we also have to comprehend the intermingling of the
North which is commonly referred to as developed countries, and the South referring to
as the developing countries of Asia, Africa, and some parts of South America. The
concepts we have of ourselves are actual appreciation of the unity between the East-
West and the North-South. In this section, we will discuss the (a) distinction between the
individualistic self and the collective self; we will clarify the (b) social construction of the
self in western thought; and finally, we will (c) recognize the self as embedded in
relationships through spiritual development of eastern thought.

Now, let us properly begin our discussion on The Self in Western

and Oriental/Eastern Thought!

1. INDIVIDUALISTIC SELF vs. COLLECTIVE SELF

The concept of the psyche is a western model of the soul. Western traditions are
always preoccupied by the duality of the body and soul. Plato started the idea that the
soul inhabited the world of ideas, while the body descended to the world of the sensible.
The ideal self is there up above the heavens while the bodily self or the soul imprisoned
in a finite material body, by which we know today is only thrown into the oblivion of
remembering what the soul used to know while still living in the world of ideas.

Even Aristotle did not solve this problem of duality. He proposed the hylomorphic
theory, meaning that the human person is composed of matter or the body and form or
the soul. Matter is changeable while the form remains. This means that the body will
grow and eventually die and decompose and will be transformed into something else.
The form however remains unchanged. But unlike Plato, Aristotle asserted that the body
is equally important as the soul because the former will give the latter the knowledge it
ought to have through senses.

This is very much similar to the duality of body and duality of Descartes. The
body is the one gathering information through the senses, although he never always
trusted the information coming from the senses. It is the reason that processes all
information and makes sense with experiences of the body. In an attempt to the issue of
duality, Descartes proposed that the body and the soul fused in one very important part
of the brain – the pineal gland.

Still, the western concept of the self is very much anchored on the individuality of
the psyche. The individual self is always in a struggle to reconcile the connection
between the ideal self or perfect soul and the limited toil for self-perfection. What is
important in this concept of the self is the development of the self from conception to
death.

In other words, from the moment of conception, the self is molded and prepared
to live a good and happy life. A daughter, for example, will be provided with the best
possible upbringing by the parents. She will be sent to the best school in town in view of
bestowing on her the necessary knowledge and skills to be independent and successful
professional in her adult years. She is expected to compete with other professionals in
her field and become the best in her line of work. She will eventually find a partner and
raise children the way she was raised. This is such an example of an ideal self that
manifests the perfection of the soul.

When on the contrary, the self did not have the opportunity to be raised, and to
grow, and die a good and happy life, the self becomes a waste as it did not live the
ideals of the soul. The lone purpose of the self, therefore, is to live according to the
ideals of the soul. The Greeks call this arete – the ultimate goodness, perfection, and
excellence. All of life’s directions, inasmuch as the western individualistic self is
concerned, are geared towards self-perfection.

Although the self in the eastern perspective also wants to attain perfection in
mediation and enlightenment, there has never been an issue of dualism. Easterners do
not have the notion of the separation of the body and soul. It is always one self. The
Atman, for example in Indian philosophy is considered to be the seat of consciousness.
The atman may have different levels of consciousness but there is always one self.
Even death is considered to be just another level of consciousness but the atman
continues to exist because it is not dependent on the body. This is in fact is also the
concept of the non-self in Buddhism. In this concept the self is considered as nothing
but an evolution and transformation of inner consciousness.

Further, the Confucian philosophy from China emphasized the relational self and
the social understanding of the self. Scholars read Confucius’ philosophy in two ways

1. The ideal – thus moral – self is always able to forego individual interest in view of
prioritizing the social interest. In a way, the self is the ideal of a selfless person
who is willing to forget about his self-interest in favor of the interest of the
 community. In this conception, there is still the individual self and the self is
mutually exclusive as the social self. However, the individual self is subsumed in
the interest of the social self.

2. The individual self and the social self are not mutually exclusive but are
metaphysically and profoundly related. The individual character of the ideal self
cannot be separated from the social character of the self. It means that the self is
constructively connected with the pursuit of the social self. Let us take as an
example many family dynamics in which, when in dire poverty one or the other
sibling will be asked to stop going to school so that the family will be able to send
the rest of the children to school to continue with their education.

The Middle Eastern traditions are also very much associated with the
communal self. One example is the Judeo-Christian philosophies which put
emphasis on the unity of a nation – the chosen people of God (Exodus 19:5).
The biblical prophets would always find themselves reminding the people as a
community of believers to be faithful to the loving compassion of God. Even
prophet Mohammad of Islamic traditions highlights the oneness of Allah and the
inclusivity of Islam as a religion. Islamic ethics, in the words if Mohammad
asserts that “My community will never agree to an error” (Esposito, 2005). Both
traditions stress the importance of the community over the self. The eastern
philosophy therefore, is more attuned to the collective dimensions of the self as
opposed to the western individualistic idels of the self.

Individualistic Self

 The individual identifies primarily with self, with the needs of the individual being
satisfied before those of the group.
 Looking after and taking care of oneself, being self-sufficient, guarantees the
well-being of the group.
 Individualism, states that each individual is acting on his or her own, making their
own choices, and to the extent they interact with the rest of the group.
 Independence and self-reliance are greatly stressed and valued.
 In general, people tend to distance themselves psychologically and emotionally
from each other.
One may choose to join groups, but group membership is not essential to one’s
identity or success.
 Individualistic doers are self-assured and very independent people.
 They are quiet and realistic, very rational, extremely matter of fact people.
  They strongly cultivate their individualism and enjoy applying their abilities to new
tasks.
 They are also very spontaneous and impulsive persons who like to follow their.

Collective Self

 Collectivism views the group as the primary entity, with the individuals lost along
the way.
 The survival and success of the group ensures the well-being of the individual so
that by considering the needs and feelings of others, one protects oneself.
 Harmony and the interdependence of group members are stressed and valued.
 It sees the group as the important element, and individuals are just members of
the group.
 The group has its own values somehow different from those of the individual
members. Both collectivist and individualistic cultures have their failings. People
in individualist cultures are susceptible to loneliness, and people in collectivist
cultures can have a strong fear of rejection.

Features of Individualism

 "I" identity.
 Promotes individual goals, initiative and achievement.
 Individual rights are seen as being the most important. Rules attempt to ensure
self-importance and individualism.
 Independence is valued; there is much less of a drive to help other citizens or
communities than in collectivism.
 Relying or being dependent on others is frequently seen as shameful.
 People are encouraged to do things on their own; to rely on themselves.
 People strive for their own successes
Features of Collectivism

 Each person is encouraged to be an active player in society, to do

what is best for society as a whole rather than themselves.
 The rights of families, communities, and the collective supersede those
of the individual .
 Rules promote unity, brotherhood, and selflessness
 Working with others and cooperating is the norm; everyone supports
each other
 As a community, family or nation more than as an individual

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE SELF IN WESTERN THOUGHT

Social construction is a shared assumption or perception of the people in society.

The western social construct of the self is categorized in three (3) ways:

1. Individualistic Self. At a very young age, the child is already taught to pursue
what is best for self. Thus, later in adult life, the measure of a successful life is
when the self is able to fulfill the life-goals set for and by the self. The
 individualistic self is always conceived as the autonomous bounded entity. For
one to be autonomous, one must be able to show independence.
2. Self-sufficiency. This construct presumes that a successful self must be able to
supply one’s needs without external assistance. It implies confidence in
one’s capacity to provide what the self needs from one’s own resources and
authority. Therefore, it is important for the self to establish one’s power and
accumulate the needed knowledge and resources so that one will be able to
provide one’s needs.

3. Self being rational. In western practice, there is no time for the self to be weak
and emotional. The self must not waste resources on meditation and other
metaphysical cognitions but to be constantly rational and reasonable. The self
masters the causal relationships of things. Everything must be explained by logic
and reason. Phenomenon outside the logical realm are simply discredited and
rejected. This explains the western logical positivist movement. It contends that
what is rational and reasonable are only those which can be logically viable. The
successful self, therefore, is grounded on one’s investment on reason and logical
thinking.

THE SELF AS EMBEDDED IN RELATIONSHIPS AND THROUGH SPIRITUAL

DEVELOPMENT IN CONFUCIAN THOUGHT – EASTERN CONSTRUCT

Eastern social infrastructures are mostly seen as contrary to the western

individualistic construct. The eastern social construct is primarily viewed as collectivistic
and is always grounded on nature. There were many eastern traditions that flourished in
the history of thought that were firmly based on how the self relates to others, to the
Divine Being, and to nature.

Confucius or Kung Fu Zi ascertained the ancient Chinese civilization by

establishing social order. The society will be led by wise leaders who guaranteed peace,
prosperity and harmony.

The self, based on the Confucian system, is a person within the society who
exhibits refinement and compassion.

3 Principles of Confucian philosophy:

1. Junzi is what Confucius envisioned as a refined and compassionate person. It is

the new self formed in a right education under the virtuous teacher as the role
 model. It involves humanistic learning, refined personal manners and the
capacity to govern the community wisely and with compassion.
2. Li originally means sacrifice. It is better understood as refined manner of spiritual
rituals and sacrifices, and protocols in honoring the ancestors. It is both
restraining and the refinement of the self.
3. Ren is the character of the self that sincerely shows compassion for others. The
self must be human-heartedness by prioritizing the self-interest of others.
Although Confucius was not given the opportunity to become the leader of China,
his principles of junzi, li, and ren become influential all throughout China even
unto many other modern civilizations of the world.

Conclusion

Western ideologies typically define "the self" as an individual entity separate from
that of others. Eastern ideologies, or Oriental thought, posit that "the self" is an illusion,
and that we are all interconnected. In Hinduism, "the self" is described by the
relationship between Brahman and Atman.This Topic discussed about the difference
of the self-concept between the East-West or North-South perspective of self. It
distinguish the individualistic and collective self and how this two intermingled in
some aspects. It also clarified how the social construction of the self in western
thought in three ways: individualistic, self being rational and self being rational.
Lastly, it also explained how the self is embedded in relationships and through
spiritual development in Confucian thought – Eastern construct.

REFERENCES

Villafuerte, Salvacion L., et al., (2018). Understanding the Self. Nieme Publishing House Co. LTD. Cubao,
Quezon City, Philippines