EASTERN AND

WESTERN CONCEPT OF
THE SELF
Richard Shweder, wrote “cultural traditions and
social practices regulate, express, and
transform the human psyche, resulting less in
psychic unity for humankind than in ethnic
divergences in mind, self, and emotion (1991).”
Western Concept of Self

•In Medieval times, philosopher and saint, Thomas

Aquinas believed that the body constitutes
individuality
•The individual was the focus of Renaissance thought,
with Rene Descartes famous “I think, therefore I am” as
the epitome of Western idea of self.
•The western tradition is generally acknowledged to be
“imbued with a style of thinking based on dichotomy
and binary opposition”
Psychiatrist and professor, Frank Johnson (1985)
outlined four categories on how the term “self” is
used in contemporary Western discussion.

•Analytical
•Monotheistic
•Individualistic
•Materialistic/rationalistic
•analytic, Johnson meant the “tendency to see reality as an
aggregate of parts.” The “self” is an observer separate and
distinct from external objects (Me versus Other).

•Monotheism according to Johnson involved the tendency

toward unitary explanations of phenomena and a closed-
system view of “self” as modeled after a unitary, omnipotent
power (“Man was created by God, in His image)

•Individualism on the other hand, is a quality of Western

thinking where self-expression and self-actualization are
important ways of establishing who one is as well as in
finding satisfaction in the world.
•materialistic/rationalistic Western thinking tends
to discredit explanations that do not use analytic-
deductive modes of thinking
HINDUISM
The earliest religious writings in the East
are the Vedas . It formed the Hindu
philosophy and dharma (the principle of
cosmic order). The chants and hymns in
the Vedas illustrate the Eastern mindset of
a non-dual universe but rather a creation
that is completely unified with the
creator, with no distinction
true nature of humans is described as “Brahman” which
is the divine universal consciousness encompassing the
universe. The Brahman is the Self that is all within us

Hinduism - “change your perception of the world to

perceive the Brahman in oneself and in others
Buddhism is composed of the teachings of Buddha. In
Buddhist traditions, the “self” is not an entity, a
substance, or essence. Rather, the “self” is a dynamic
process. It is interdependent and ever changing.

Anatta, which is often defined as "no-self or no-soul".

Annata is a concept that the sense of being a
permanent, autonomous “self” is an illusion. It is the
teaching that there is no eternal, unchanging "self/soul"
inhabiting our bodies or living our lives.
Buddhism takes a great interest in how people
experience their “self”, rather than just their abstract
idea of it, because Buddhist practices are designed to
lead to a new (correct) experience of self

In Confucianism, the quest for the “self” in terms of

substance, of spirit, of body, or of essence does not
exist .
The form which Confucius’ wrote about the concept of
“self” is that of personality. The qualities that form a
person’s character not something that exists inherently.
Rather, in Confucian thought it is something that is
formed through upbringing and the environment
Confucian philosophy presented the idea that
every person is born with four beginnings.
However, these do not yet comprise the concept
of “self”, but when perceived together it could
be explained in Western terms as a “pre-self” or
a “potential self”. These four beginnings are:

• Heart of compassion that leads to Jen

• Heart of righteousness that leads to Yi
• Heart of propriety that leads to Li
• Heart of wisdom that leads to Chih
•Jen means goodwill, sympathy towards others,
politeness, and generosity.
•Yi means rightness and the respect of duty (you must
respect your position as a guardian towards nature and
humanity).
•Li means having the right to practice propriety in all
that you do. Propriety involves not demonstrating your
inner attitude in your outer expression.
• Chih means wisdom, this wisdom is expressed by
putting jen, yi, and li into practice (Quinlan, 2001;
Chinavoc, 2007).
Personality (in the Confucian perception) is
an achieved state of moral excellence
rather than a given human condition.
However, such achieved personality, or
self, is not to be understood as primarily
an individual entity. The Confucian
concept of self is deeply embedded within
the family and society, and it is only in
that context that the self comes to be
what it is
Taoism does not regard the “self” as an extension of
(or defined by) social relationships. Rather, the “self”
is but one of the countless manifestations of the
Tao.
According to Chuang-tzu,"The perfect man has no
self; the spiritual man has no achievement; the true
sage has no name". The ideal is thus
selflessness.In sum, Chuang-tzu's conception
of selfhood entails conscious self-transformation
leading to the attributes of a balanced
life in harmony with both nature and society.
The Arabic word for the word “self” is
Nafs written in the Holy Qur'an. It pertains to
the psyche (the totality of
the conscious and unconscious human mind)
or the soul.

Instead the “nafs/self” is something which has

to be nurtured and self-regulated, so that it
can progress into becoming 'good' (or
conversely, 'evil') through its thoughts and
actions
Individualistic vs Collective Self

Individualistic self

•Individualists encourage asserting one's goals and

desires; they highly value independence and self-
reliance. They insist that the interests of the individual
should take precedence over the state or a social
group. They also strongly oppose external interference
by society or institutions (such as the government)
upon one's own interests
•In interpersonal relationships, Individualists see each
other as only loosely linked, and they value personal
goals over group interests (Hofstede, 2001). Moreover, it
is characterized with emphasis on personal
achievements and a rational assessment of both the
beneficial and detrimental aspects of relationships with
others
•Societies that focus on the person create an
individualistic self-concept wherein the person sees the
constellation of traits and characteristics that
distinguishes the individual within his or her social
context
Collective self
Eastern culture practiced by countries in Asia
(i.e. the Philippines) base their values and self-
concept in a collectivist view. People in
collectivistic culture emphasize the
interdependence and harmonious relatedness
with one another (e.g. the family, co-workers,
friends, etc.). It is of utmost importance to be
part of and maintain social networks, maintain
good relationships, and fulfill obligations
Closing the gap

Baumeister (1986) proposed that self-concept could be organized

in three aspects:

Private – refers to the mental processes that perceive one’s own

traits or behaviors (e.g. I am honest)
Public – refers to the generalized view of self, such as the
perception of how others view you (e.g. People think I’m honest)
Collective – refers to the view of self in a collective concept (e.g.
My family expects me to be honest)

It is assumed that these three aspects exist in every person.

However, a dominant aspect would probably present itself
depending on one’s culture