COURSE MATERIAL 4 Prepared by:

This module has been designed to help students: Rhodora C. Amora

• Develop multicultural sensitivity by showing
respect to and acceptance of ethnic diversity;
• Apply concepts and theories in understanding social
realities and issues involving oneself in relation to
one’s socio-cultural environment and/ or
community; and
• Enhance their self-appreciation through more
profound self-awareness and self-knowledge.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
3

PRETEST

4 LEARNING OUTCOMES

REQUIRED MATERIALS &

RESOURCES

PRE-ACTIVITY

CONTENT and DISCUSSION

5

13 ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

15 POSTTEST

17 SUMMARY

KEY TERMS

18 REFERENCES

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19 CHECK MY LEARNING
 The Western and Eastern
MODULE 4
Concepts of Self

Culture or most popularly known as “the way of life” influences the development of one’s

identity. In today’s lesson, we will focus on the distinctions between the Eastern and Western cultures.

This will highlight how the self is perceived by the Eastern philosophy particularly through the views

of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

Pretest
Watch the video entitled “Me or We” Cultural Difference between the East” and the West” by
opening this link https://youtu.be/78haKZhEqcg. Based on the video that you watched, write the
major differences between Eastern and Western cultures.

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 Learning Outcomes

At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:

1. Compare the concepts of self and life based on Eastern philosophies to that of Filipino
concept.
2. Differentiate individualistic from collectivistic culture.
3. Create a representation of Filipino self-using concept map or diagram; and
4. Value and appreciate cultural diversity.

Required Materials and Resources

❖ Laptop
❖ References (journal articles, books, online sources/materials)

Pre-Activities

Let us analyze the given case below and explain your answer by writing it on the blanks
provided below.

How do you address someone superior to you in rank or an older person? Let us meet
Mark, a junior executive in one of the premiere banks in Australia. When he communicates
with his boss, be it face-to-face or over the phone, or whether he meets him inside or outside
their office, he would just address him using his first name. Is Mark’s behavior acceptable?
Explain your answer and cite your reference to support your answer.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Content and Discussion

1. Unlocking of Meaning
Let’s first define culture.

Culture is the “characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing

language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts”(https://www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-
culture-definition-of-culture.html). It is “the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a
particular group of people at a particular
time"(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/culture).

As Filipinos we have our own unique culture which mirrors our beliefs, practices, and traditions.
This is the reason why we have our own notion of “Filipino time” or our concept of “hiya” or shame
especially when believe that our behavior is not acceptable by the group where we belong. Now, let us
explore further the intercultural differences between collectivistic and individualistic cultures.

2. Collectivistic Cultures

• Collectivist cultures emphasize the needs and goals of the group(“we’) over the needs
and desires of each individual. In such cultures, relationships with other members of
the group and the interconnectedness between people play a central role in each
person's identity.
• Cultures in Asia, Central America, South America, and Africa tend to be more
collectivistic
• People are considered "good" if they are generous, helpful, dependable, and attentive to
the needs of others. Also, characteristics like being self-sacrificing, dependable,
generous, and helpful to others are of greater
importance(https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-collectivistic-cultures-
2794962).

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 We belong to a collectivistic culture. This explains why we Filipinos would love to
celebrate important events in our lives with our family for our personal happiness would
only be possible if and only if our family is also happy. In fact, we can sacrifice our own
personal happiness for the welfare of our family.

Source:Verywellmind.com

3. Individualistic Cultures

• Individualistic cultures are those that stress the needs of the individual (“me’) over the
needs of the group.
• People are independent and autonomous. Social behavior tends to be dictated by the
attitudes and preferences of individuals.
• Cultures in North America and Western Europe tend to be individualistic.
• People are considered "good" if they are strong, self-reliant, assertive, and independent

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 Source: Sciencestruck.com

Let us explore further the cultural trait distinctions between these two types of culture
by examining the table below.

4. Cultural Traits Distinctions between the Individualistic and Collectivistic Cultures

Collectivistic
• Social rules focus on promoting
selflessness and putting community
needs ahead of individual needs.
• Working as a group and supporting
others is essential.
• People are encouraged to do what's
best for society.
• Families and communities have a
central role.
• There is a greater emphasis on
common goals over individual pursuits
Individualistic
• Being dependent upon others is often
considered shameful or embarrassing
• Independence is highly valued.
• Individual rights take center stage.
• People often place a greater emphasis
on standing out and being unique
• People tend to be self-reliant.
• The rights of individuals tend to take a
higher precedence.

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5. Eastern Philosophy and the Concepts of Self

In Eastern philosophy, the most well-known conceptions of the self are represented by the
views of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Hinduism (Ho, 1995; Mosig, 2006 as cited in Dimkov,
2020).

Beliefs of Confucianism
The following are the core beliefs of
Confucianism(https://philosophyterms.com/confucianism/).

• Confucianism is the most influential of the three main

philosophies and pillars of Chinese culture today.
• It is named after Kongfuzi (pronounced ‘kong-foo-dzih’ and
Latinized as Confucius), a scholar and bureaucrat from the 5th
century BC.
• Kongfuzi taught that all human life takes place within a system
source:vectorstock.com
of relationships which he categorized into five bonds:
(1) ruler and subject;

(2) parent and child;

(3) husband and wife;

(4) elder sibling and younger sibling; and

(5) elder friend and younger friend.

• Each relationship is governed by its own form of li—which translates as ‘duty’ or ‘proper
behavior
• The Golden Rule. Confucianism believed that ethics could be summed up by the rule “do unto
others as you would have them do unto you (https://philosophyterms.com/confucianism/).”

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The Concept of Self

The self is conceived as a “relational self” – “one which is intensely aware of the social
presence of other human beings” (Ho, 1995: 117 as cited in Dimkov, 2020). In this way, the
individual self is dependent on all other selves. The self is thus an obedient self, which follows
the appeals of social requirements, rather than its own needs and desires. The ideal self,
according to this doctrine, can be achieved through a harmonization of one’s everyday
communication with other individuals in society at large (Ho, 1995: 118 as cited in Dimkov,
2020).

Any insight from this philosophical belief? A very popular quote “No man is an island,”
relates to this. Have you recalled a quote relevant to this?

Beliefs of Taoism

These are the core beliefs of

Taoism(http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat3/sub10/item91.htm):

• The core of the basic belief and doctrine of

Taoism is that Tao is the origin and law of all things
in the universe.
• The focus of Taoism is the individual in nature
rather than the individual in society. It holds that the
goal of life for each individual is to find one's own
personal adjustment to the rhythm of the natural
(and supernatural) world and to follow the Way

Source: Quora.com (dao) of the universe.

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• Taoists stress the importance of harmonizing with nature by balancing yin and yang, and
developing chi through meditation and disengagement. The human body is regarded as a source
of chi-derived energy, which some people have the power to concentrate and congeal into an
essence. Chi (also spelled ch'i or qi) is variously known as the "breath of heaven," “mystical
breath," the "breath of nature" and the "quality of spirit"

The Concept of Self

The self is not just an extension of the family of the community; it is part of the universe,
one of the forms and the manifestations of the Tao. The ideal of Taoism is the achievement of a
lack of self or “selflessness”. However, this does not mean forgetting about the self. It is living a
balanced life with society and nature, being open and accepting to change, forgetting about
prejudices and egocentric ideas and thinking about equality as well as complementarity among
humans as well as other beings (Ho, 1995 as cited in Alata et al., 2018).

Taoism’s concept of selflessness which emphasizes living a balanced life with society and
nature complements our belief in kapwa tao by which we regard each other as equals. According
to Enriquez (1992 as cited in Edman and Kameoka,1999) kapwa or shared identity best
characterizes the Filipino personality. This term implies that others should be treated as equals
and with dignity. A person without this shared identity ceases to be human(Edman and
Kameoka,1999)

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Buddhism
These are the core beliefs of Buddhism
(https://www.britannica.com/topic/Buddhism/The-life-of-the-Buddha#ref68652).

• Existence is painful. This pain is experience in birth,

aging, sickness, and death.
• Our individuality has limitations which give rise to
desire which causes suffering because it is transitory.
• Samsara or rebirth, refers to a potentially endless series
of worldly existences in which every being is involved. Rebirth is
associated with the doctrine of karma.
• The doctrine of karma connotes that good conduct
brings a pleasant and happy result and creates a tendency
toward similar good acts, while bad conduct brings an evil result
Source: Clipart-library.com
and creates a tendency toward similar evil acts.
• In relation to rebirth, some karmic acts bear fruit in the same life in which they are committed,
others in the immediately succeeding one, and others in future lives that are more remote.

Four Noble Truths(https://philosophyterms.com/buddhism/):

1.Life is suffering (Dukhka). Everyone gets sick. Everyone experiences loss and
disappointment. And in the end, everyone dies. Suffering is all around us, and Buddhists believe
we must acknowledge that suffering before we can try to address it.

2.Suffering is caused by craving and attachment (trishna). Buddhists teach that true
happiness can only come when we quiet our desires and focus our attention elsewhere.

3. There is a way to end suffering. For Buddhists who believe in reincarnation, the answer to
suffering is to end the constant cycle of death and rebirth: once we achieve enlightenment, we
will no longer be reincarnated, and will no longer suffer.

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 4. The way to end suffering is through wisdom, ethical conduct, and meditation. Also
known as the Noble Eightfold Path, these practices involve intense meditation and constant
effort to be more wise, kind, and compassionate.

The Concept of Self

The self is seen as an illusion born out of ignorance, of trying to hold and control things
or human-centered needs; thus, the self is also the source of all these sufferings (Ho, 1995 as
cited in Alata et al., 2018). It is therefore, our quest to forget about the self, forget the cravings
of the self, break the attachments you have with the world, and to renounce the self which is
the cause of all suffering and in doing so attain the state of Nirvana or the extinction of desire,
hatred, and ignorance and ultimately, of suffering and rebirth (Ho, 1995 as cited in Alata et al.,
2018).

Hinduism

• Like Buddhism, Hinduism views the essence of human

life as consisting of suffering and asserts that this is caused by
having a fallacious (mistaken belief) conception of the self.
• It believes that existence is a cycle of birth, death and
rebirth, governed by Karma or the concept where the
reincarnated life will depend on how the past life was spent.

Source: Pininterest.com

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 The Concept of Self

“The true self is permanent and unchanging, the non-true self is impermanent and
changes continually” (Ho, 1995: 124 as cited in Dimkov., 2020). This affirms their belief that
human beings as Atman or soul is immortal.

Assessment Activities

Self-assessment Activity (SAA) 1

In Column A, list down five countries which belong to collectivistic culture and do the same in
Column B for countries which belong to individualistic culture. Cite your source/s.
Column A Column B
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.

Source/s:_________________________________________________________________________________________

Self-assessment Activity (SAA)2

With globalization, there is a high possibility that a person would identify some traits from
both individualistic and collectivistic cultures that apply to himself/herself. In your case, what
are those traits? What insight have you gained from this?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Self-assessment Activity (SAA)3

As Filipinos, what particular beliefs about self or existence are similar or related to those of
the Eastern philosophies? Explain your answer.

ONLINE RESOURCE AND ACTIVITY

Source:bworldonline.com

Let’s learn more about Philippine culture. Watch the video entitled “Preserving
the Uniqueness of Philippine Culture”. Just open the link below in the refence section

REFERENCE
➢ https://youtu.be/z1gfrrevD1A

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Online Resources
You can now watch the video on Symbolic Interactionism Theory. Just open the link below.

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/society-and-culture/social-structures/v/symbolic-
interactionism

POSTTEST
Create a representation, a diagram or concept map of the SELF according to Filipino
culture. Briefly explain your output and cite researches to support your explanation.

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 Rubric for Posttest
BELOW EXPECT-
OUTSTANDING PROFICIENT BASIC
INDICATOR ATION SCORE
4 3 2
1

KNOWLEDGE
The student The student The student The student
demonstrates demonstrates demonstrates demonstrates
50% high degree of considerable basic limited
understanding understanding understanding of understanding
of the concept. of the concept. the concept. of the concept.

Explanation is
Explanation is generally Explanation
organized and organized and provided needs
CONTENT logically logically some
presented. presented. improvement in
40% organization and The answer
presentation. needs revision.
Cited Cited Cited literatures
literature/s literature/s have little
validate/s the has/have connection to the
response. connection to findings.
the
explanation.

Typographical,
Response has 2-3 Response has
Response has no spelling, and
typographical, 4 -5
typographical, grammatical
spelling, and typographical,
spelling, and errors hinder
grammatical spelling, and
MECHANICS grammatical understanding
errors. grammatical
errors. of
10% errors.
the response.

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 LESSON SUMMARY

• Cultures in Asia, Central America, South America, and Africa tend to be more
collectivistic.
• Cultures in North America and Western Europe tend to be individualistic.
• Individualistic cultures emphasize individual rights while collectivistic cultures promote
selflessness and putting community needs ahead of individual need.
• Confucianism believes in the Golden Rule, that is, “do unto others as you would have
them do unto you. It conceives the self as a “relational self.”
• The ideal of Taoism is the achievement of a lack of self or “selflessness”.
• For Buddhism, the self is the source of all sufferings because of its cravings and
attachment to the world.
• Hinduism conceives the true self as permanent and unchanging.

KEY TERMS

Culture Karma Nirvana

Relational Self Selflessness Yin

Yang

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 REFERENCES

Book

Alata,E.P., Caslib,B.N.Jr., Serafica, JP. J. & Pawilen,R.A.(2018). Understanding the self.

Manila,Philippines: Rex Bookstore.

Online Journals
Dimkov. P.R(2020). The Concept of Self in Eastern and Western Philosophy
Center for Open Access in Science ▪ Belgrade - SERBIA 5th International e-Conference on
Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences
http://centerprode.com/conferences/5IeCSHSS.html ISBN (Online) 978-86-81294-05-5 ▪
2020: 197-204. Published Online: 10 July 2020

Edman, J.L. & Kameoka, V.A. (1999).Intracultural Variations in the concept of self: A comparison of
educated and less educated Filipino Women. Ssouth Pacific Journal of Psychology, 11(1)
http://spjp.massey.ac.nz/issues/1999-v11/v11-1_edman.pdf, retrieved August 5, 2020.

Worldwide web
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Buddhism/The-life-of-the-Buddha#ref68652. Retrieved
August 10, 2020.

https://philosophyterms.com/confucianism/. Retrieved August 4, 2020.

https://philosophyterms.com/buddhism/. Retrieved August 4, 2020.

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-individualistic-cultures-2795273.
Retrieved August 4, 2020.

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-collectivistic-cultures-2794962). Retrieved
August 4, 2020.

https://youtu.be/78haKZhEqcg. Accesssed August 4, 2020.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/culture.Retrieved August 8, 2020.

http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat3/sub10/item91.htm.Retrieved August 8, 2020.

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 CHECK MY LEARNING

Pretest

Note: You may use your own words as long as the idea is clear.

Individualistic Culture Collectivistic Culture

Each person is responsible for his/her own
over all well-being.
Achievement/success is credited to
individual’s hard work, determination and
focus.
Preference for nuclear or small family.
Human behavior is a reflection of one’s
personality (e.g. trait for being lazy)
Values individual freedom
Each person is responsible for the well-being of
other persons.
Achievement/success is credited to teamwork.
Preference for extended family.
Human behavior is influenced by a larger
context or external factors (e.g. traffic for being
late)
Values community or group over oneself

Pre-activity: Answer is either a YES or a NO. It depends on one’s cultural background. This is
explained by cultural relativism which refers to not judging a culture to our own standards of what is
right or wrong, strange or normal. Instead, we should try to understand cultural practices of other
groups in its own cultural context.

Self-assessment Activity 1: (Answer may vary. Just cite your reference to support your answer.
Below are some of the possible answers.)

1. United States, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, and Australia are some examples of countries
which culture is individualistic(https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-individualistic-
cultures-2795273)
2. Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Venezuela, Guatemala, Indonesia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, and
India. (https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-collectivistic-cultures-2794962)

Self-assessment Activity 2: You will have diverse insights based on your answers.

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Self-assessment Activity 3. Answer may vary.

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