Understanding The Self

TOPIC 5: THE SELF IN WESTERN & EASTERN THOUGHTS

Dr. Jona Addatu, RGC

“One ship sails east and another sails west with the same self–wind that blow, it’s the set of the
sail and not the gale that determines the way we go. As the winds of the sea are the ways of fate.
As we voyage along through life, it’s the act of the soul that determines the goal and not the
calmness of the strife.”- Ella Wilcox

As you personally introspect on the question “Who am I?” you

might have considered acquiescing on how various disciplines
view this question or you might find yourself groping for more
plausible thoughts about it. As you become more fascinated, you
may even possibly think of viewing it through the eyes of others;
to look at how the great civilizations of the world – the East and
the West - have attempted to answer the same question.

The Eastern world comprises of nations in Asian while the

Western world consists of countries which are geographically
located in Europe and North America. The perceived dichotomy
https.medium.com/@evans.fishman between the East and the West is not only geographical but more
of cultural as it encompasses differences in terms of beliefs and
modes of thinking, values and ways of life. Divergences between the two are apparent even in terms
of understanding concepts like truth, justice, and the self. You will discharge all of these for 4 hours.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. distinguish how the self is construed according to Western and Eastern perspectives;
2. describe the construction of the self-based on Asian thoughts; and
3. create a representation of the Filipino self.

LET’S LEARN
Do This! Individualist or Collectivist?

a. Read of the statement below and with the scale ranging from 1-9, choose how applicable
these statements are to you. Respond to each of the statement honestly by encircling your
responses.

Statement 1-Never/ Definitely No...........9-Always/Definitely Yes

1. I'd rather depend on myself 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
than others.

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2. I rely on myself most of the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
time; I rarely rely on others.
3. I often do "my own thing." 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4. My personal identity, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
independent of others, is very
important to me.
5. It is important that I do my job 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
better than others.
6. Winning is everything. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
7. Competition is the law of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
nature.
8. When another person does 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
better than I do, I get tense and
aroused.
9. If a co-student gets a prize, I 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
would feel proud.
10. My co-students’well-being 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
is important to me.
11. To me, pleasure is spending 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
time with others.
12. I feel good when I cooperate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
with others.
13. Parents and children must 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
stay together as much as
possible.
14. It is my duty to take care of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
my family, even when 1 have to
sacrifice what I want.
15. Family members should 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
stick together, no matter what
sacrifices are required.
16. It is important to me that I 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
respect the decisions made by
my groups.

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 Understanding The Self
Adapted from: Triandis, H. C. & Gelfland, M. J. (1998). Converging measurement of horizontal and
vertical individualism and collectivism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 118-128.

b. After answering all the 16 statements, sum up your responses in items 1-8 (Individualist
items) and items 9-16 (Collectivist items). Higher score in the individualist items mean
you see yourself as fully autonomous; higher score in the collectivist items imply that you
see yourself as part of the collective. You will understand more about the characteristics
of the individualists and collectivists in the succeeding discussions.

INDIVIDUALISTIC VERSUS COLLECTIVE THOUGHTS

It’s the first day of the class and everyone is excited to know everybody. John Doe was asked by
the teacher to start introducing himself in the group and he responded by saying, “I am John Doe,
a clever basketball player and trainor. I used to live in Toronto but I moved in here for new
experiences. Aside from I enjoy dancing, I also find fulfilment in basketball coaching. In fact, I am
one of the most amateur coaches in basketball in our village”. Juan Dela Cruz on the other hand,
who was asked to do the same started his self-introduction by exclaiming, “I am Juan Dela Cruz,
a full-blooded Ilocano. I am the youngest in a brood of five; I also love playing basketball and an
avid fan of Toronto Raptors”.

If you’re on the same class as the characters above, how would you present yourself in the group?
Would you be like John Doe whose sense of individualism is unquestionable? Or would you
introduce yourself akin to that of Juan Dela Cruz, who obviously sees himself in interdependence
with others.

The aforementioned scenario captures individualistic and collectivistic orientations toward the self
which are espoused by the Western and Eastern worldviews respectively. The individualistic
perspective views the self as one that is independent from others; it is a separate, autonomous, and
distinct entity. Like John Doe, individualists when asked to talk about themselves would prefer to
express their unique inner attributes, abilities, personal preferences and achievements. The
individualistic thought recognizes individual differences; it tends to prize autonomy over collective
wisdom and effort where the individual is a regarded a self-made whose success and happiness do
not necessarily depend on others, not even to the society in general. On the other hand, in the
collectivistic thought, all things are seen as interdependent and inseparable parts and parcels of the
larger social world. One of the most distinguishing hallmarks of the Eastern worldview is the
awareness on unity and mutual interrelation of all things and events in life.

The fundamental relatedness of the self to others is accentuated and people construe themselves
and ascribe meaning to their personhood by emphasizing their social roles, group memberships or
personal relations to their significant others. Collectivists recognize that their identity and self-
esteem are wrapped up in their group and so they would more likely value promoting group
harmony and cohesion, belonging and fitting-in.

The collectivistic thought underscores that relationships with others in specific contexts is the
primordial consideration in defining the self. Reflecting back unto the result of your activity on
Individualist or Collectivist? And considering the above discourse, what realizations do you have?

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Were you able to distinguish the two orientations particularly in terms of how they view the self?
Now take a look on the table below and learn more about their notable differences particularly in
terms of their philosophies.

EASTERN AND WESTERN THOUGHTS

Western Eastern
(Greek and Judeo-Christian Traditions) (Classical Indian and Chinese Philosophies)
Individualism/Fragmentary/Dualistic: Collectivism/Wholistic:
A human being has an individualistic nature A human being is an integral part of the
and is an independent part of the universe and universe and the society. People are
the society. More focused on the individual fundamentally connected. all events in the
events and the role of the person. Emphasis is universe are interconnected (Systematic
on the “I”. Approach). Emphasis is on the “WE”.
Outer-world dependent: Searching outside Inner-world dependent: Searching inside
yourself – through research and analysis yourself – through meditation and right living
Science/evidence-based culture: What can be Evidence is meaningless; truth is given and
proven/measured is deemed the truth does not have to be proven
Man is an element of the Divine Man is a part of the cosmic unity
Life is a service (to God, money, business, etc.) Life is a journey towards eternal realities
outside the world
The journey of mankind is linear; everything The journey of mankind is cyclical: perception
has its beginning and end. of eternal recurrence (life after death,
reincarnation)
Action is not necessarily a translation of the The action is the extension of the mind.
mind.
The concept of “Me”: the true “me” is a part of Me- to be discovered by liberating from the
the Divine that need not become apparent: it is false “me” – attachment to the material things
given, does not have to be cognizable

Construction of the Self in the Western Perspective

The Western worldview underscores the importance of the parts rather than the whole. It suggests
a fragmentary approach in understanding phenomena as it does not subscribe to a holistic view of
reality. As such, all aspects of life are explored and analyzed not as whole but as separate parts.

Even the self is purported to be investigated and viewed as a highly compartmentalized entity. The
Western Thought maintains the individual as a separate, self-contained individual, whose sense of
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 Understanding The Self
self-worth is focused on internal attributes (ability, intelligence, personality, goals, preferences,
rights). Since the West values individuality and freedom, the self as an independent individual is
given preference over the others. It does not however discredit the role of environment and society
in the development of the self but its focus is always looking toward the self. The personal
achievements of the self over the others for instance is highlighted, thus Westerners tend to
compare themselves to the rest of the group in order to be better. Their self-esteem can in fact be
verified and confirmed through social comparison. But they can set out their own goals regardless
of whether or not these goals conform to the society’s shared goals. Moreover, individual needs
and wants are given more importance as they put primacy in developing themselves.

From this standpoint, equality is accorded to every individual self who is regarded as an
independent being that has inalienable right to life and personal development. Individual rights are
recognized and given prominence over duties as it is only through this where the society at large
attains progress and civilization.

The self according to Western theories was comprehensively discussed in the preceding topics.
For us to fully appreciate the self and make an objective synthesis about it, we shall, in particular,
take a brief look unto how it is explained based on the Eastern theories. We will be examining how
the self was explained by the major philosophies of the East – Hinduism, Buddhism,
Confucianism, Taoism. We shall likewise explore the indigenous conceptualization of the self
based on the Filipino culture.

The Self as Embedded in the Oriental Thoughts

Understanding the propositions of the East regarding the self entails a paradigm shift of the
Western views. While its western counterpart highlights the importance of individualism, the
eastern thought values unity and harmony and being part of the greater whole, where everything
is believed to be connected and the interdependent with others and nature. The Eastern perspective
does not see any distinction in all the things in the world; everyone is interconnected thus, the other
person is deemed part of yourself.

The self, through this holistic view, is considered a relational being whose very existence is defined
by his being blended harmoniously with the other selves, all things and events. The self is
fundamentally connected with the other selves and is an integral part of the universe and society.
In this web of interdependency, harmony is the key. One’s conformity with shared norms and
values is very important.

Consequently, the self must place duties over rights. Individual goals are manifested and find
fulfilment in society’s shared goals. It is crucial for the self to participate in creating harmony, and
to avoid criticism, ridicule, and rejection to gain approval and acceptance.

The Self in Hinduism

Who is the self? The self is Atman, and Atman is the innermost essence of the self whose destiny
is to be Brahma in Nirvana. Attachment of the self to the material world (maya/illusion) leads to
suffering (samsara). Reincarnation of the self is a form of suffering because the self keeps coming

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 Understanding The Self
back to the material-world thinking that it is its real destiny. The self has to liberate itself from this
ignorance by cultivating an authentic knowledge (self-realization) that the self has is NOT MAYA
but ATMAN. When the self has been thoroughly cleansed from its illusions, the self is filled with
the sense of well-being, and at death, its soul is liberated from endless rebirths (reincarnation) and
join the universal spirit Brahma and becomes one with Brahma.

The Self in Buddhism

The doctrine of non-self or annata dictates that the self is subject to the law of changes. Everything,
including the self, is always in constant change: born, grows, and dies. The self is composed of
five aggregates: natter, sensation, perception, mental construct, and consciousness. Each aggregate
is transitory in nature. That is why there is no such thing as permanent self. Buddhism discards the
existence of the self. The idea of the self is illusory. This false belief yields harmful thoughts of
selfish desire, “me-and-mine” mentality, craving, attachment, ill-will, hatred, conceit, pride,
egoism, and any other defilements and social problems. It is the source of all troubles in societies.

The goal of the self is to attain enlightenment by freeing oneself from ignorance that causes
suffering. To eliminate ignorance and attain enlightenment, the self should:
1. Know the four noble truths that there is suffering in this world; the cause of suffering is
craving for self-identity as if it is permanence; there is way out of this bondage of suffering.
2. The way to get out of suffering is by practicing the eightfold path.

The Self in Confucianism

The self is a moral and social being. Confucius was essentially concerned with what made a good
life. Good life depends on order, and order depends on good and just government. If a ruler lives
and governs virtuously, virtuous people would obey him. Virtue consists of correct behavior, such
as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and loyalty.

These virtues must guide human relations, namely, (a) between ruler and people; (b) between
parents and children; (c) between husband and wife; (d) between elder brother and younger
brother; and (e) between friends and friend. A true self is a noble man possesses all the virtues,
and this noble man is called the man of JEN.

The self is a dot in the universe and being a part of nature, the self must live in accordance with
the law of nature that rules and directs the movements of all things. The highest achievement of
every human being is being a wise person. As a wise person, his highest achievement is affinity
with the universe. The happiness of the self is found in the self’s conformity with nature.

Confucius advocated the active role of man in relation to creating oneness with nature. Since the
self is the master of nature, his duty is to actively harmonize himself with nature by translating the
innate law of nature into action.
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 Understanding The Self
The Self in Taoism

As a philosophy, Taoism advocates what is natural and spontaneous, simple, and necessary.
Taoism derived its name from its central idea, Tao or the Way of nature. Taoism, just like
Confucianism aimed at humanity’s oneness with nature. But Taoism contradicted Confucianism
as regards to how oneness shall be achieved. Taoism considers the self as merely one of the many
elements of the natural world. Tao is an indescribable force that govern natures. The self must
bring himself in harmony with Tao by practicing the three great virtues: humility, frugality and
contentment. The self should not strive for learning, riches, and power; the self should find last
thing happiness by being, quiet, thoughtful, and humble. In other word to be able to harmonize,
the self must practice the WU-WIE or the non-interference with the natural courses of events. Most
of the problems in the world is caused by the self’s active participation in creating harmony with
nature. Too much involvement of the self in nature can lead to destruction.

Filipino Concept of the Self

Do Filipinos have their own concept of the self? Who is a Filipino? Most of our worldviews are in
common with the other oriental thoughts. But some neighboring countries often consider the
Filipino as the most westernized person because of the captive or colonial consciousness that has
long been imbued in us. A Filipino is also multilayered because of foreign influences, such as
those of India, Indonesia, Malay, Chinese, Spanish, and American which are embedded in our
culture. So how do we define a Filipino as a self?
Our understanding of the Filipino as a self must be based on the concepts of PAGKATAO and
LOOB. Pagkatao or humanities indicates the fact that a Filipino is a human being just like anyone
else. The concept of loob is exemplified by Filipino holistic worldview and interiority (human
heartedness) (Mercado, 1974).

With this nondualistic worldview, the self is seen as a body-soul embodiment. Life is not seen as
compartmentalized, the present is the continuation of the past, and this continuity moves in a cyclic
manner that has no beginning and no end (Gulong ng Palad). A Filipino does not distinguish the
subject from the object, the person from feelings. Harmonious relationship is of prime importance;
this is maintained by the value of sensitivity. Interiority pertains to love, mercy, charity, elemency,
and leniency.

This human heartedness is mirrored in the Filipino concepts of kagandahang-loob, kabutihang

loob, kalooban, which somehow depict our interdependency with others. They slow the social
dimension of the self, sharing of the self with others in values of pakikisama, camaraderie,
hospitality, utang-na-loob, bayanihan spirit, family-centeredness, meal-centeredness, etc.

The self, therefore, is a relational being, who thinks, acts, behaves, and decides always in
accordance with his being with others.

LET’S PRACTICE

Try This! Watch and Reflect

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 Understanding The Self
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Culture

a. Watch the videoclip, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Culture by Saba
Safdar at TEDxGuelphU which you can access at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaOJ71czAGQ.
b. The video-clip talks about cultural diversity and cultural orientation. It discusses about
individualism and collectivism and its application to self and our relation with others,
particularly in terms of giving and responding to insult and humor.
c. Make an individual reflection by considering the speaker’s statement:“What we find
offensive, what we find funny, what we find important in our life, what to say and what not
to say reflects what culture we come from”.

LET’S ASSESS

Check This! Draw and Explain

The Filipino in Me

Draw a unique representation of yourself which you think manifests your being a Filipino. Briefly
explain your output.

Rubrics

Exceeds Meets Approaches COMMENTS

Criterion Expectations Expectations Expectations
3 2 1
All graphics were Most graphics
Some graphics
related to the task were related to the
Relevance were related to
and easy to task and easy to
the task.
understand. understand.
Graphics were
All Graphics used Most of the
made by the
on the drawing graphics used on
student, but
Originality reflect exceptional the drawing
most were
degree of student reflect student
based on the
creativity creativity
ideas of others.
The drawing is The drawing is 41
The drawing is
exceptionally acceptably
attractive in terms
Attractiveness attractive in terms attractive
of design, layout
of design, layout, though it may
and neatness.
and neatness. be a bit messy.

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 Understanding The Self

UNIT SUMMARY

Read This!

The unit encompasses the different standpoints underlying the conception of our understanding of
the self. This includes the philosophical, sociological, anthropological, psychological and the
eastern and western thoughts. The philosophical viewpoints radiate from the works of the eleven
great philosophers namely Socrates, Plato, St. Augustine, Rene Descartes, John Locke, David
Hume, Immanuel Kant, Sigmund Freud, Gilbert Ryle, Paul Churchland, and Maurice Merleau-
Ponty.

The “Me” self and the “I” self is being clearly differentiated by George Herbert Mead, a well-
known sociologist for his theory of social self. While, the anthropological perspective explained
to you the cultural construction of the self, including the concept of identity struggles while the
psychological perspective, focuses on the cognitive construction; and the last topic in this unit
dwelled on the western and eastern thought.

LET’S REFLECT

Finish This! Things Learned

1. What surprised you on the things you learned in this unit?

2. What was the most important thing you learned? Why did you think so?
3. What do you want to learn more about and why?
4. When were you the most creative? And why do you think that is?
5. What made you curious all throughout the unit? How does learning feel different when
you’re curious?
6. When were you at your best in this unit, and why?

UNIT REFERENCES

Bjorklund, D. F., & Blasi, C. H. (2015). Child and Adolescent Development: An Integrated
Approach. Pasig City, Philippines: Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd (Philippine Branch).
Degho, S. E., Degho, Grace S., De Claro, L. S., & Lejano, J. B. (2018). Understanding the Self:
An Outcome-Based Workbook for College Students. Malabon City, Philippines: Mutya
Publishing House, Inc.
Hurlock, E. B. (1982). Developmental Psychology. Metro Manila: McGraw-Hill, Inc. 42
Thomas, W. L., & Anderson, R. J. (1982). Sociology: The Study of Human Relationships. New
York, NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.
William James (1890), The Principles of Psychology,
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Tagini, A. and Raffone, Antonino (2009), The ‘I’ and the ‘Me’ in self-referential awareness: a
neurocognitive hypothesis

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Retrieved:www.researchgate.net/publication/26821196_The_%27I%27_and_the_%27Me
%27_in_self-referential_awareness_A_neurocognitive_hypothesis
Henry A. Murray and Clyde Kluckhohn (1953) Personality in Nature, Society, and Culture
Retrieved: https://www.panarchy.org/kluckhohn/personality.1953.html
Mauss, M. (1950). A category of the human mind: The notion of person; the notion of self [W D.
Halls, Trans.].
Retrieved:http://www.gpgrieve.org/PDF/Category_of_the%20_Person.pdf
M. Carrithers, S. Collins, & S. Lukes (1985), The category of the person: Anthropology,
philosophy, history (pp. 1-25). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Retrieved:http://www.urbanlab.org/articles/Carrithers%20et%20al.%20(1986)%20The%
20Category%20of%20the%20Person.pdf
Manfred Kuhn & Thomas McPartland (1954), Twenty Statements Test (TST)
Retrieved: http://mountainmeadowmt.com/files/Manford_Kuhn.pdf
Naomi Quinn (2006), The Self.
Retrieved: https://sites.duke.edu/nquinn/files/2014/10/theself.pdf
Paul Hiebert, Anthropological points of view: A reading for Cultural Anthropology
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Triandis, Harry C. (1989) The Self and Social Behavior in Differing Cultural Contexts
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9c.pdf
https://fetzer.org/sites/default/files/images/stories/pdf/selfmeasures/CollectiveOrientation.pdf
https://www.ethnicgroupsphilippines.com
http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/James/Principles/prin10.htm
http://journalpsyche.org/revisiting-carl-rogers-theory-of-personality/
https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html
https://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Bandura/Bandura2001ARPr.pdf
https://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Bandura/Bandura1999HP.pdf
http://www.cabrillo.edu/~creyes/classes/Differentiation.pdf
http://icpla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Daehnert-C-The-False-Self-Contemp.-Psychoa.-34-
251-271.pdf

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