THE SELF

FROM VARIOUS
PERSPECTIVES
Lesson 5:The Self in Western and
Oriental/Eastern Thought
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Western Concept Of The Self

• Ancient Philosophers see humans as the
bearers of irreplaceable values
• Thomas Aquinas believed that the body
constitute individuality.
• The individual was the focus of Renaissance
thought
• Rene Descartes’ famous “I think, Therefore I
am” is the epitome of the Western idea of the
self.
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Western Concept Of The Self

• The western tradition is acknowledged to be

“imbued with a style of thinking based on
dichotomy and binary opposition”

• Frank Johnson (1985) outlined four

categories on how the term ‘self’ is used in
contemporary western discussion
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Western Concept Of The Self

Categories On
How The Term
Analytical
‘Self’ Is Used
Monotheistic
Individualistic
Materialistic/Rationalistic
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Western Concept Of The Self

1 Analytical- the tendency to see reality

as an aggregate of parts. The ‘self’ is
an observer separate and distinct from
external objects.

2 Monotheistic- the tendency toward unitary

explanation of phenomena and a closed-system
view of ‘self’ as modelled after a unitary,
omnipotent power
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Western Concept Of The Self

3 Individualistic- A quality of western

thinking where self-expression and self-
actualization are important ways of
establishing who one is.

4 Materialistic/Rationalistic – western
thinking tends to discredit explanations that
do not use analytical-deductive modes of
thinking
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Eastern Concept Of The Self

• The earliest religious writings in the East are the

Vedas. It formed the Hindu philosophy and
dharma (the principle of cosmic order).
• The chants and hymns in the Vedas illustrate
the eastern mind set of a nondual universe but
rather a creation that is completely unified with
the creator, with no distinction
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Eastern Concept Of The Self

• Accdg. to sacred Hindu texts, the true
nature of humans is described as
“Brahman” which is the divine universal
consciousness encompassing the universe
• “Brahman” is the Self that is all within us
• “Change your perception of the world to
perceive the Brahman in oneself and
others”
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Bhuddism
• the teaching of Buddha
• the ‘self’ is not an entity, a substance, or
essence
• ‘self’ is a dynamic process, interdependent
and ever changing
• the doctrine called anatta is defined as “no-
self or no-soul”
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Anatta is a concept that the sense of

being a permanent, autonomous ‘self’ is
an illusion

- there is no eternal, unchanging ‘self/soul’

inhabiting our bodies or living our lives
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Confucianism
- the quest for the ‘self’ in terms of
substance of spirit, of body, or of essence
does not exist

- The qualities that forms a person’s

character are not something that exist
inherently, formed through upbringing and
the environment
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Confucian Philosophy – every person

is born with four beginnings

1 Heart of compassion that leads to Jen

2 Heart of righteousness that leads to Yi

3 Heart of propriety that leads to Li
4 Heart of wisdom that leads to Chih
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

• Jen means goodwill, sympathy towards others,

politeness and generosity
• Yi means rightness and the respect of duty (you
must respect your position as a guardian toward
nature and humanity)
• Li means having the right to practice propriety in all
that you do
• Chih means wisdom; this wisdom is expressed by
putting jen, yi and li into practice.
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Personality (in the Confucian perception)

• an achieved state of moral excellence
rather than a given human condition.
• the Confucian concept of self is embedded
within the family and society, and it is only
in that context that the self comes to be
what it is.
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Taoism rejects a hierarchical view of the self,

society or cosmos
It does not regard the ‘self’ as an extension of
social relationship. Rather, the ‘self’ is but one
of the countless manifestation of the Tao. It is
an extension of the cosmos
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

According to Chuang-tzu

“The perfect man has no self; the

spiritual man has no achievement;
the true sage has no name.”

ideal is selflessness
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

The Arabic word for the word ‘self’ is

Nafs written in the Holy Qu’ran. It
pertains to the psyche (the totality
of the conscious and unconscious
human mind) or the soul
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

• the Qu’ran does not ascribe any

property of goodness or evil to the
‘nafs/self’
• the ‘nafs’ is something which has to be
nurtured and self- regulated so that it
can progress into becoming “good”
through its thoughts and actions.
• The “self” is used both in the
individualistic and collectivistic sense
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Collectivism refers to the extent that

we value our duty to groups which
we belong, and to group harmony.
Highly collectivist people define
themselves by their group
membership and value harmonious
relationship within those groups
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

Individualism refers to the extent

that you value independence and
personal uniqueness
Highly individualist people value
personal freedom, self-sufficiency,
control over their lives, and
appreciation of their unique qualities
that distinguish them from others
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

The Two Dominant Self-concepts

Individualistic Self
• emphasize the moral worth of the individual.
• Individualists encourage asserting one’s
goals and desires
• oriented around the individual
• a person should be independent instead of
having the mentality of identifying with a
group
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought

The Two Dominant Self-concepts

Collective Self
• In a study conducted by Patricia Licuanan, a
Filipino psychologist, one of the strengths of
the Filipino character is our deep love and
concern for the family
• To the Filipino, family is the source of personal
identity, emotional and material support.
• emphasizes interdependence and harmonious
relatedness with one another
Prepared by:

Mary Catherine Dela Cruz Rivera, MS Psych

Faculty – School of Teacher Education and
Liberal Arts
Gsuite Account:
[email protected]
Messenger Account: Cathy Dela Cruz Rivera