Anthropology is the study of

people, past and present.

It focuses on understanding
human condition in its cultural
aspect.
Anthropology is a very dynamic
field and anthropological
literature offers several definitions
of “self”
• Katherine Ewing (1990) described
the self as encompassing the
“physical organism, possessing
psychological functioning and social
attributes”. This definition
portrayed the “self” as implicitly
and explicitly existing in the mind
comprised of psychological,
biological, and cultural processes.
• Neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux
(2002) conceptualized the implicit
and explicit aspects of the self
(Kemp, 2012). The aspects of the
self that you are consciously aware
of are the explicit self; while those
that are not immediately available
to the consciousness is the implicit
aspect. This concept can be traced
to the famous psychologist
Sigmund Freud’s “level of
consciousness”.
 SELF-
REPRESENTATIO
N
• Ewing (1989) asserted that a
“self” is illusory. Rather,
“People construct a series of
self-representations that are
based on selected cultural
concepts of person and
selected ‘chains’ of personal
memories
 The Self Embedded
in Culture
How individuals see themselves, how they
relate to other people, and how they relate
to the environment is deeply defined by
culture.

If one finds the view that the “self” is a

product of society, then it is plausible that
the ways of how the self is developed are
bound to cultural differences as well.
• Construal is an
interpretation of the
meaning of something;
hence in this sense, the
meaning of “self”.

• individualistic culture
represents the self as
separate, distinct, with
emphasis on internal
attributes traits, skills, and
values.
 According to Developmental Psychologist Catherine
Raeff (2010), culture can influence how you view:
1. Relationships
Culture influences how you enter into and maintain relationships.

2. Personality traits
Culture influences whether (and how) you value traits like humility, self-esteem, politeness,
assertiveness, etc.; as well as how you perceive hardship or how you feel about relying on
others.

3. Achievement
Culture influences how you define success and whether you value certain types of individual
and group achievements.
4. Expressing emotions
Culture influences what will affect you emotionally as well as how you
express yourself, such as showing your feelings in public or keeping it
private.