Wesleyan University-Philippines

Mabini Extension, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija

CHAPTER 5:
WESTERN AND
EASTERN
CONCEPTS OF
SELF

SUBMITTED BY:

BALTAZAR, KRISTINA MARI

LARGO, JASSYLEIGH KRYZL

LINSANGAN, MARIELLE

SUBMITTED TO:

PROF. MA. LEONORA A. BAJUM-TOMBO

 WESTERN CONCEPT OF SELF
Accoridng to Geertz, the Western Concept of self as:

“A bounded, unique, more or less integrated motivational and cognitive universe, a

dynamic center of awareness, emotion, judgment & action organized into a distinctive whole
and set contrastively both against other such wholes and against its social and natural
background.”

This construction of an autonomous, unitary, and stable self in the West is grounded in a
contrasting assumption that non-western (Eastern) people do not possess an individuated self
that is differentiated from the other.

Western concept of self is holistically defined in terms of the following aspects:

1. WESTERN SELF AS ANALYTIC

The western way of thinking is analytic-deductive with emphasis on the causal link. Simply,
the ideal way of solving their problem must be through analysis and is pure systematic logic.

2. WESTERN SELF AS MONOTHEISTIC

The belief that there is only one Supreme Being that governs all, condenses the
supernatural and human capabilities into bipolarity of both qualities of existence.

3. WESTERN SELF AS INDIVIDUALISTIC

The idea of which a person is an independent entity in the society that he/she must seek
his/her own personal freedom.

4. WESTERN SELF AS MATERIALISTIC AND RATIONALISTIC

The western way of thinking is focused on material things and favors rational-empirical
approach. Western people are rationalist because they base their opinion on reason and
knowledge.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE WESTERN CONCEPT OF THE SELF

STAGE PERIOD HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

 There were philosophical

and theological attempts
to characterize the self
through the concepts of
soul and mind with
emphasis on conscious
1 Pre-Christian times until 1850 experience of the
individual, distinction
between physical and
mental nature of man
(mind-body dualism), and
the causality of human
behavior.

2 1850 - 1940  The establishment of

experimental psychology
in mid-nineteenth
century led to a change in
emphasis from abstract
 concepts of soul and
mind to observable and
measurable aspects of
human faculties.

3 1940 - Present  There is multidirectional

and continuous
development of concept
of self:

a) Sociological and
psychological theories of
self encompass all three
levels of self, namely
inner self, interpersonal
self, and social self.

b) b. Existentialists and
phenomenologists, both
in philosophy and
psychology, engaged in
holistic approach
integrating the inner,
interpersonal, and social
aspects of self.

c) At present, there is
convergence in some
conceptualizations of the
self among psychologists,
anthropologists,
sociologists,
philosophers, and
linguists whose studies
focus on the actual,
multivariate, and
situational contexts of
the self-employing new
frameworks and
methodologies.

EASTERN CONCEPT OF SELF

 Philosophy and Religion are twisted together.

Major Eastern Religions:

1. Hinduism

2. Buddhism

3. Confucianism
 4. Taoism

Eastern thought differ in their approaches about the concept of self, they share the same goal.

MAIN GOAL: “To teach how to become a perfect person.”

THE SELF IN FOUR GREAT SYSTEMS OF EASTERN THOUGHT

HINDUISM

The Hindu concept of the self is expounded in Vedanta. A major school of Indian
thought based on Upanishads (the Classical Indian philosophical treaties).

 Hinduism is not an organized religion and has no single, systematic approach to

teaching its value system.

BELIEFS SHARED AMONG HINDUS:

1. Truth is eternal.

Hindus pursue knowledge and understanding of the Truth: the very essence of the universe
and the only Reality. According to the Vedas, Truth is One, but the wise express it in a
variety of ways.

2. Brahman is Truth and Reality.

Hindus believe in Brahman as the one true God who is formless, limitless, all-inclusive, and
eternal. Brahman is not an abstract concept; it is a real entity that encompasses everything
(seen and unseen) in the universe.

3. The Vedas are the ultimate authority.

The Vedas are Hindu scriptures that contain revelations received by ancient saints and
sages. Hindus believe that the Vedas are without beginning and without end; when
everything else in the universe is destroyed (at the end of a cycle of time), the Vedas
remain.

4. Everyone should strive to achieve dharma.

Understanding the concept of dharma helps you understand the Hindu faith. Dharma can
be described as right conduct, righteousness, moral law, and duty. Anyone who makes
dharma central to one’s life strives to do the right thing, according to one’s duty and
abilities, at all times.

5. Individual souls are immortal.

A Hindu believes that the individual soul (atman) is neither created nor destroyed; it has
been, it is, and it will be. Actions of the soul while residing in a body require that it reap the
consequences of those actions in the next life — the same soul in a different body.

The process of movement of the atman from one body to another is known as
transmigration. The kind of body the soul inhabits next is determined by karma (actions
accumulated in previous lives).

6. The goal of the individual soul is moksha.

Moksha is liberation: the soul’s release from the cycle of death and rebirth. It occurs when
the soul unites with Brahman by realizing its true nature.

HINDU GODS AND GODESSES:

1. Brahma, the Creator

Brahma is the first member of the Hindu Trinity and is “the Creator” because he periodically
 creates everything in the universe. (The word periodically here refers to the Hindu belief
that time is cyclical; everything in the universe — except for Brahman and certain Hindu
scriptures — is created, maintained for a certain amount of time, and then destroyed in
order to be renewed in ideal form again.)

2. Vishnu, the Preserver

Vishnu is the second member of the Hindu Trinity. He maintains the order and harmony of
the universe, which is periodically created by Brahma and periodically destroyed by Shiva
to prepare for the next creation.

Vishnu is worshipped in many forms and in several avatars (incarnations). Vishnu is an

important, somewhat mysterious god. Less visible than nature gods that preside over
elements (such as fire and rain), Vishnu is the pervader — the divine essence that pervades
the universe. He is usually worshipped in the form of an avatar (see below).

3. Shiva, the Destroyer

Shiva is the third member of the Hindu Trinity, tasked with destroying the universe in order
to prepare for its renewal at the end of each cycle of time. Shiva’s destructive power is
regenerative: It’s the necessary step that makes renewal possible.

Hindus customarily invoke Shiva before the beginning of any religious or spiritual endeavor;
they believe that any bad vibrations in the immediate vicinity of worship are eliminated by
the mere utterance of his praise or name.

BUDDHISM

Siddharta Gautama a.k.a. Buddha , founder of Buddhism. The root word of Buddha is
budh means “awake” . According to the teachings of Buddhism, every person has the seed
of enlightenment, hence, the potential to be a Buddha. But the end should be nurtured.
(Mansukhani, 2013)

The four noble truths:

1. Life is suffering.

2. Suffering is caused by attachment to desires.

3. Suffering can be eliminated;

4. Through the practice of Eightfold Path.

In Buddhist philosophy, man has no self. There is only nothing and all else is an illusion.
There is nothing permanent but change.

EIGHTFOLD PATH

1. RIGHT VIEW

2. RIGHT ASPIRATION

3. RIGHT SPEECH

4. RIGHT ACTION

5. RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

6. RIGHT EFFORT

7. RIGHT MINDFULNESS
 8. RIGHT CONCENTRATION

5 PARTS THAT COMPOSE THE INDIVIDUAL

1. Matter

2. Sensation

3. Perception

4. Mental Constructs

5. Consciousness

CONFUCIANISM

The Confucian doctrines are found in the Analects (conversation of Confucius). The core of
the Confucian thought is the golden rule or the principle of reciprocity: “Do not do to others
what you would not want others to do to you”. The basic virtue or proper conduct is knowing
how to act in relation to others.

THE FIVE CARDINAL RELATIONSHIPS:

1. Between ruler and minister

2. Between Father and Son

3. Between husband and wife

4. Between brothers

5. Between friends

 Another important feature in Confucian thought is the individual greatest mission of

attaining self-realization wherein self-cultivation is instrumental. Self-cultivation could be
accomplished by knowing ones role in society.

Here, the self is a subdued self.

TAOISM

Taoism is a Chinese counterculture. It rejects the Confucian idea of a relational self. For
them, the self is an extension of the cosmos and they also described self as one of the
limitless forms of TAO (commonly regarded as nature that is the foundation of all that
exists).

 They also believed that a perfect man has no self. Selflessness is attained when the
distinction between ‘I’ and ‘Other’ dissolves.

 Individuals must seek to understand and act in accordance with the natural order. There
should be unity and harmony among opposing elements: The Yin and Yang.

DICHOTOMY OF WESTERN AND EASTERN CONCEPTIONS OF THE SELF

An extensive on the Eastern thoughts about the self exist. Eastern thoughts aims at
transformation of conciousness, feelings, emotions, and one's relation to other people and the
world. In contrast, Western thoughts tend to view the self as autonomous, unitary and stable.
Western thoughts have been examined by renowned theories like Freud, Erikson, Bandura,
Rogers, James,Jung,Mead, Cooley and others.

It is vitally important that both East and West appreciate each others attempt to
understand the self. According to Sarza(2013) one unique feauture of Eastern philosophy is it
great reference for nature. On the other hand Peacock (1986) mentions that modern Western
culture tends to set the individuals against nature, that is so,to struggle against nature which is a
dangerous enemy.

COMPARATIVE MATRIX OF WESTERN AND EASTERN APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING THE

SELF:

DIMENSION WESTERN THOUGHT EASTERN THOUGHT

Frame of Reference There is a separation Religion and philosophy are

between philosophy and intertwined
religion/spirituality.

Examples of Schools of ScholasticismRationalismEmp Hinduism Buddhism

Thought/Belief Systems iricism Phenomenology Confucianism Taoism

Notable Philosophers Greek Triumvirate: Socrates, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Siddharta

Plato, Aristotle, Rene Gautama (Buddha)
Descartes & John Locke

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

Model of Cognition Analytic and Deductive Synthetic and Inductive

DIMENSION WESTERN THOUGHT EASTERN THOUGHT

Emphasis Distinctions and oppositions Commonalities and

harmonies

View of the Universe and Life Linear Circular

View of Self Egocentric Sociocentric

Subject-Object Duality of self-as-subject
Distinction(Bipolar Qualities (knower) and self-as-object
of Self) (known)
Theological View monotheistic`
Ideal Self-actualization through
personal growth
Cultural Framework INDIVIDUALISM
The self is a distinct and
autonomous entity; it is an
independent part of the
universe and the
society.Independence and
self-reliance are core
values.Prioritize personal
goals over group
goals.Characterized by
exchange
relationship.Uniqueness,
sense of direction, purpose
and volition are the
acknowledged features of
self.Personal success is
important.
Simultaneously subject and
object (The experience of self
as both the knower and
known)
Polytheistic (Pluralistic)
To achieve a balanced life
and find one’s role in society
COLLECTIVISM
The self is an integrated part
of the universe and the
society.Interdependence and
connectedness are core
values.No distinctions
between personal and group
goals, or if there is a
distinction, the personal
goals are subordinate to the
group goals.Characterized by
communal
relationship.Conformity and
obedience are essential
social behaviors.Duty
towards all others is
important.