THE SELF IN WESTERN

AND ORIENTAL
THOUGHT
 Western Thoughts
✔ Conducted scientific investigations
in the effort to understand the self
and have developed theories and
differences among them.
✔ They emphasized the importance of
scientific methods of investigation to
provide satisfactory answers to
understanding the self.

The emphasis is individualistic

rather than relational.
 Eastern Thoughts
✔ Raise questions about the ultimate
meaning of human life

✔ Developed theories of self as they have

investigated what it means to be a
human being.
 Eastern thoughts aim at
transformations in:
✔ Consciousness
✔ One's relationship to other people
and the world
✔ Emotions
✔ Feelings
 Eastern Thoughts

✔ The emphasis is relational rather than

individual.
✔ Self is considered not in isolation but in
relation to others, society, and the
universe
 Eastern Thoughts
✔ They do not utilize the scientific
techniques of investigation.

✔ They offer a variety of techniques for

cultivating a deeper understanding of the
self.
A closer look at different
Eastern thoughts:
BUDDHISM
HINDUISM
CONFUCIANISM
TAOISM
BUDDHIS
M
Comes from the root
word “budh” which
means awake.

Siddhartha Gautama
known as Buddha is
the founder of
Buddhism.
Five (5) parts that compose the
individual
Matter
Sensation
Perception
Mental constructs
Consciousness
BUDDHISM
There is no self (or no soul).
There is only nothing and all else is
an illusion
There is nothing permanent, but
change.
BUDDHISM
“annica”
Literally means impermanence
Means that everything in life is always
changing, that nothing last forever.
Buddhism
The ideal is to
experience
Nirvana, a state of
transcendence
devoid of self-
reference.
Buddhism
This state of
transcendence can
be achieved
through
meditation.
Hinduism
The religion
of ancient
people known
as the Aryans
Brahman
“The goal of man is to have
knowledge of the true reality.”
 Hinduism
✔ Law of karma is the most important
doctrine of Hinduism.
Hinduism
Hindus believe that Atman being an
immortal soul continues to be
reincarnated from lifetime to lifetime
until it is freed from the cycle of rebirth
and reach a state of nirvana or
non-birth.
Hinduism
Karma does not end with a body's
death, its influence may extend
through incarnation of the soul.
Confucianism
System of
thought and
behavior
originating in
ancient China
Golden rule
"Do not do unto others what you do
not want others to do unto to you"
Confucianism
Another important feature in
Confucian thought is the individual's
greatest mission of attaining
self-realization wherein
self-cultivation is instrumental.
Confucianism
Self-cultivation
could be
accomplished by
knowing one's role
in the society and
act accordingly.
Confucianism
Moral character is perfected through
continuously taking every
opportunity to improve oneself in
thought and action.
Taoism
The self is an
extension of
the cosmos,
not of social
relationships
 Taoism
✔ The self is described as
one of the limitless
forms of the Tao.

✔ The Tao is commonly

regarded as nature that
is the foundation of all
that exists.
Taoism
The perfect man
has no self and the
selfless person
leads to a balance
life, in harmony
with both nature
and society.
Western vs. Eastern
 Models and Approaches of Understanding the
Self
Dimension Western thoughts Eastern thoughts

Frame of reference There is a separation Religion and philosophy

between philosophy and are intertwined.
religion/spirituality

Scholasticism
Hinduism
Examples of School of
Rationalism
Thought/Belief system Buddhism
Empiricism
Confucianism
Phenomenology
Taoism
 Models and Approaches of Understanding the
Self
Dimension Western thoughts Eastern thoughts

Source of knowledge Has made use of reason Has trusted intuition and is
rather than faith to pursue often associated with
wisdom. religious beliefs

Socrates
Notable Philosophers Plato Siddharta Gautama
(Buddha)
Aristotle
Confucius
Rene Descartes
Lao Tzu
John Locke
 Models and Approaches of Understanding the
Self
Dimension Western thoughts Eastern thoughts

Modes of Cognition Analytic and Deductive Has trusted intuition and is

often associated with
religious beliefs
Distinctions and
Commonalities and
Opposition
Emphasis harmonies

Egocentric
View of Self Sociocentric

Linear
View of the Universe and Circular
Life
 Models and Approaches of Understanding the
Self
Dimension Western thoughts Eastern thoughts

Theological View Monotheistic Polytheistic (pluralistic)

Ideal Self-actualization through To achieve a balanced life

personal growth and find one’s role in
society

Cultural Framework Individualism

Collectivism