Eastern and Western

• Individualism


  An orientation concerned with the independence and self-reliance of the individual
• Western conception of the self

  • Individualistic
  • Gives more emphasis on freedom and choice
  • Emphasizes the uniqueness of every individual
  • Predicted on egoism or self-orientedness
• The western conception of the self foregrounds that a human being has a self, is an individual, and is a person
• The western conception of the self does not promote isolation
• Individualistic cultures


  • New Zealand
  • Germany
  • Austria
  • Greece
• Collectivism


  An orientation characterized by belongingness to larger groups or collectives
• Eastern conception of the self

  • Collectivistic
  • Gives more importance on relationships, roles, duties, obligations, and the preservation of culture and tradition
  • Others-oriented because it encourages people to be kind, benevolent, charitable, dependable, and sensitive to the needs of others
• Collectivism stresses that an individual has "many selves" instead of having a one knowable self
• Collectivism is an idea that man should think, live, and act toward certain goals that benefit the group
• Collectivistic cultures


  • Philippines
  • Indonesia
  • Denmark
  • Sweden
• Atman


  (in Buddhism) The self, spirit or soul that does not actually exist in any metaphysical, material, and spiritual level
• Buddhism refuses the idea of having an enduring self, a self that stands the test of time, for it implies that something is permanent or never changing
• Anatta


  (in Buddhism) The conviction that no words can define the essence of this present moment of existence
• Entities should be seen more as processes rather than as static, substantive things (in Buddhism)
• The Buddhist version of the creation of human being is taken from Hinduism's "Story of Creation" in the Upanishads
• Confucianism


  A way of life propagated by Confucius, where the individual is seen as a member of a larger whole, not as a separate being
• Five Cardinal Relationships or Five Bonds in Confucianism

  • Between the king (ruler) and his subject (ruled)
  • Between father and son
  • Between husband and wife
  • Between brothers
  • Between friends
• Relational self


  Individual identity is defined by membership in the reference group to which one belongs
• Subdued self


  To practice ren (human-heartedness) the hallmark of Confucian ethics, being "person for others"
• Tao


  The way or path, the expression of the unity of the universe, the ultimate creative principle of the universe
• Taoism does not support the philosophical teachings of Confucius about self and society
• Atman


  (in Hinduism) The self, spirit or soul that is the same as the Brahman (the absolute, transcendental power)
• The atman is being viewed as a spiritual, immaterial being that must be detached from the material world and worldly possessions