Understanding the Self

-Karen Millo
Instructor
5. The Self in Western and Eastern
Thought
It is important in our understanding of the self that we realize the
blending of the eastern or oriental traditions of Asia and the pacific,
and the western traditions of Europe and North America. In this
lesson, we will discuss the distinction between the individualistic and
collective self; we will clarify the social construction of the self in
western thought; and we will recognize the self as embedded in
relationships through spiritual development of eastern thought.
 INDIVIDUALISTIC 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
with the idea that the soul inhabited the world of ideas, while the body descended to the
world of the sensible.
✔ Even Aristotle did not solve this problem of duality. He proposed the HYLEMORPHIC
THEORY, meaning that the human person is composed of matter(body) and form(soul). But
unlike Plato, Aristotle asserted that the body is equally important as the soul.

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 INDIVIDUALISTIC SELF
 According to 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 solve the issue
of duality Descartes proposed that the body and the soul fused in one very important part
of the brain, the pineal gland.
✔ The lone purpose of the self, therefore is to live according to the ideals of the soul. The
Greek call this arete- the ultimate goodness, perfection, excellence.

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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 can be
characterized in three ways;
1. Individualistic Self – for one to be autonomous, one
must be able to show independence.
2. Self-sufficiency – the self must be able to supply
one’s need without external assistance.
3. Self being rational – the self must not waste
resources on medication and other metaphysical
cognitions but to be constantly rational and
reasonable.
* The self must be scientific.