The Self in Western and Eastern Thought

Lesson objectives
• Differentiate the concept of self according to western thoughts
against eastern/oriental perspectives;
• Explain the concept of self as found in Asian thoughts; and
• Create a representation of the Filipino self.

Individualistic Self
• A person sees himself as capable
of living his own life, doing the
things that he would love to do,
making his own mistakes and
learning from his experiences.
• This is the individual who is aware
of his rights and the limitations of
his freedom in the extant society.

Collective Self
• In the culture of the East, the development of a collective self is
ingrained into the individual.
• Collective self is the group self to which the person belongs to.

Cultural perceptions of self

• Eastern and Western dichotomy wherein eastern is called
Orientals represents ASIA and western represents the EUROPE
and NORTHERN AMERICA.

EASTERN THOUGHT OF SELF

• CONFUCIANISM
-Code of conduct, of how one should
properly act according to their
relationship with other people-
harmonious social life.

-Self-cultivation is seen as the

ultimate purpose of life, but the
characteristics of a chun-tzu, a man
of virtue or noble character is still
embedded in his/her social
relationship

• The cultivated self is a subdued self– It is conditioned to

respond to perceptions, not of its own needs and aspirations,
but of SOCIAL REQUIREMENTS AND OBLIGATIONS wherein
the personal needs are repressed for the good of many, making
Confucian society also hierarchical for the purpose of
maintaining order and balance in society.

• TAOISM- it is living in the way of the Tao or

the universe. However, Taoism rejects
having one definition of what the Tao is.
• The self is not just an extension of the
family or the community; it is part of the
universe, one of the forms and
manifestations of the Tao.
• The ideal self is selflessness but this is not
forgetting about the self, it is living a
balanced-life with society and nature,
 being open and accepting the change.

EASTERN THOUGHTS OF SELF

• BUDDHISM- The self is seen as an
illusion, born out of ignorance, of trying
to hold and control things, or human-
centeredness, thus the self is also the
source of all these suffering;
• 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.

• Confucianism and Taoism- The person, in striving to a better

person, does not create a self above the other people or nature
but a self that is beneficial to his/her community as well as in
order and in harmony with everything else.

• As for Buddhism, the self, with all its connections and selfish
ideas, is totally taken, not just out of the center of the picture,
but out of the whole picture as a whole.

WESTERN THOUGHTS OF SELF

• Western perspective does not discount the
role of environment and society in the
formation of the self but the focus is always
looking towards the self. You compare
yourself in order to be better, you create
associations and bask in the glory of that
group for your self-esteem; you put
PRIMACY IN DEVELOPING YOURSELF.
• Western thought looks at the world in
dualities wherein you are distinct from the
other person, the creator is separate from
the object he/she created.

DIFFERENCES OF WESTERN AND

EASTERN THOUGHTS
In which the self is distinguished and acknowledged.
• On the other hand, the Eastern perspectives sees the other
person as part of yourself as well as the things you may create,
a drama in which everyone is interconnected with their specific
roles.
• Americans, for example, talk more about their personal
attributes when describing themselves while Asians in general
would talk about their social roles or the social situations that
invoked certain traits that the deem positive for their self.

DIFFERENCES OF WESTERN AND

EASTERN THOUGHTS

DIFFERENCES OF WESTERN AND

EASTERN THOUGHTS
• Evaluation of the self also differs as
Americans would highlight their personal
achievements while Asians would rather
keep a low profile as promoting the self
 can be seen as boastfulness that disrupts
social relationships;
• The Western culture then is what we
would call an individualistic culture since
their focus is on the person;
• Asian culture, on the other hand, is called
collectivistic culture as the group and
social relations is given more importance
than individual needs and wants.

• By valuing the individual, Westerners

may seem to have loose associations or
even loyalty to their groups.
• Competition is the name of the game
and they are more likely straightforward
and forceful in their communication as
well as decision-making;
• Eastern or oriental persons look after the
welfare of their groups and values
cooperation. They would also be more
compromising and they tend to go
around the bush in explaining things,
hoping that the other person would “feel”
what they really want to say.

• Westerners also emphasize more on the value of equality even

if they see that the individual can rise above everything else;
they also promote ideals “fair” competition and protect the
individual;
• As Asians, with their collective regard, puts more emphasis on
hierarchy- as the culture wants to keep things in harmony and in
order.
• Westerners would most likely call their boss, parents, or other
seniors by their first name;
• Asians have respectful terms for seniors and a lot of workers
would not dare go against ranking officials.

AS FOR THE PHILIPPINES

• Filipinos can also consider the colonization experience for
differences and similarities with our Asian neighbors;
• We might also find variation among provinces and regions due
to geographical conditions;
• With social media, migration, and intermarriages, variety
between the Westerners and Asian perceptions may either be
blurred or highlighted, whereas conflict is inevitable in diversity,
peace is also possible through the understanding of where each
of us is coming from.

THE SELF IN WESTERN

AND EASTERN THOUGHTS

exercise
Complete this sentence five times:

“I am ____________”