THE SELF IN WESTERN

AND EASTERNTHOUGHT
 LESSON OBJECTIVES

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

1. Differentiate the concept of self according to Western
thought against Eastern/Oriental perspectives;
2. Explain the concept of self as found in Asian thoughts;
and
3. Create a representation of the Filipino self.
 ACTIVITY
Write top five differences between Western society and Eastern society,
culture, and individuals in the table below. Cite your sources.
 ANALYSIS

Do you agree with the differentiation between the

West and the East? Where can you find the Philippines
in the distinction? What are the factors that make the
Philippines similar or different from its Asian
neighbors? Is there also a difference between regions
or ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines?
 EASTERN THOUGHTS

o Sees the other person as part of yourself as well as

the things you may create, a drama in which
everyone is interconnected with their specific roles
o Asian culture is called a collectivistic culture as the
group and social relations that is given more
importance than individual needs and wants.
 WESTERN THOUGHTS

. o Looks at the world in dualities wherein you are distinct

from the other person, the creator is separate from the
object he created, in which the self is distinguished and
acknowledged
o The Western culture is what we would call an
individualistic culture since their focus is on the person.
 CONFUCIANISM
o A code of ethical conduct, of how one should
properly act according to his/her relationship with
other people
o The identity and self-concept of the individual are
.
interwoven with the identity and status of his/her
community or culture, sharing its pride as well as its
failures.
o Self-cultivation is seen as the ultimate purpose of
life.
o The cultivated self in Confucianism is what some
scholars call a “subdued self” wherein personal
needs are repressed (subdued) for the good of
many, making Confucian society also hierarchal for
the purpose of maintaining order and balance in
society.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 CONFUCIANISM

.
 TAOISM/DAOISM
o Living in the way of the Tao or the universe
o Rejects having one definition of what the Tao is
o Rejects the hierarchy and strictness brought by
Confucianism and would prefer a simple lifestyle and
. its teachings thus aim to describe how to attain that
life
o The self is not just an extension of the family or the
community; it is part of the universe.
o The ideal self is selflessness but this is not forgetting
about the self; it is living a balanced life with society
and nature, being open and accepting to change,
forgetting about prejudices and egocentric ideas and
thinking about equality as well as complementarity
among humans as well as other beings.
 BUDDHISM
o The self is seen as an illusion, born
out of ignorance, of trying to hold
and control things, or human-
. centered needs; thus, the self is also
the source of all these sufferings.
o To forget about the self, forget the
cravings of the self, break the
attachments you have with the
world, and to renounce the self
which is the cause of all suffering and
in doing so, attain the state of
Nirvana.
 WEST Vs. EAST

.
 WEST Vs. EAST
• Eternal reality of the
universal truth: self-
.liberation through getting rid
of the false "Me"
and discovering the true
"Me"
• "Me" is here and now.
The true “Me” in every
human being is a part
of the Divine that need
to become apparent.
True “Me” is given
and doesn’t have to
be cognizable.
 WEST Vs. EAST

.
 WEST Vs. EAST
• Independence • Interdependence
 Tasks more important  Relationships more
important than tasks
than relationships
 Social and cognitive skills
.  Cognitive skills integrated
independent of social  Arranged marriages are
skills common. They are normally
arranged by parents or
 Concepts like arranged elders. They believe in a
marriages are not at all concept that love comes after
common. They go for love marriage.
marriages as they believe
in a concept that love •
comes before marriage.
 WEST Vs. EAST
How a child is being taken care of?

.
 WEST Vs. EAST
How a child is being taken care of?
 Overriding goal of the  Train children in dependent
parents is to make the child behaviors including
. independent and “self- obedience, calmness,
reliant” politeness and respect
toward others.
 “Babies are bundles of
potential and a good parent  Ultimately, these child-
is one who can uncover the rearing practices emphasize
feeling responsible for
latent abilities and talents behavior and avoiding
in their child, encourage shaming both personally and
the good while for the family, clan or
discouraging the bad.” community.
 WEST Vs. EAST
How a Senior life looks like?

.
 WEST Vs. EAST
ON EDUCATION

.
 WEST Vs. EAST
ON EDUCATION
 Western educational systems focus on 
the ideas of creativity Obviously, the system
being a system means that numerous things
. are bound together, but still, it normally
does it’s best to elevate individual ways to
deal with various students.
 Western education moves further and
facilitate along the road of transforming
students into undeniable members of the
training procedure. They are urged to make
inquiries and debate with their instructors, 
to think critically.
Eastern education, it is all about hard
work and struggle. Nothing is difficult
if you practice hard. Consequently,
kids are given lots of homework and
are instructed to buckle down. That is
the reason Asian students are
frequently considerably more
profitable than their peers when they
get into more casual Western
educational institutions.
Students are the beneficiaries, they
submit to the authority of teachers and
the method itself is far less interactive.
 WEST Vs. EAST
LEADERSHIP

.
 WEST Vs. EAST
THOUGHT PROCESSES

.
 WEST Vs. EAST
THOUGHT PROCESSES

.
 WEST Vs. EAST
Female Female
• white, fair skin • white, fair skin
• young, girly features • young, girly features
. • skinny thin • skinny thin
Male Male
• boyish, cute guys • boyish, cute guys

Personality wise Personality wise

beautiful personality is an beautiful personality is an
obedient, passive, docile one obedient, passive, docile one
 APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

.o Create a representation, diagram, or concept map

of the SELF according to Filipino culture.
o Provide a brief explanation of your output. You can
also cite books and researches about Filipino
culture, self, and identity to further elaborate on the
topic.
 LESSON SUMMARY

Eastern
. thoughts:
o Asian culture is called a collectivistic culture as the group and
social relations that is given more importance than individual
needs and wants.
Western thoughts:
o The Western culture is what we would call an individualistic
culture since their focus is on the person.
 LESSON SUMMARY
Confucianism
o A code of ethical conduct, of how one should properly act according to their
relationship with other people
o Self-cultivation is seen as the ultimate purpose of life.
.
•Taoism
o The self is not just an extension of the family or the community; it is part of the
universe.
o The ideal self is selflessness but this is not forgetting about the self; it is living a
balanced life with society and nature.
•Buddhism
o The self is seen as an illusion, born out of ignorance, of trying to hold and control
things, or human-centered needs
o To forget about the self, and in doing so, attain the state of Nirvana.