Western and Eastern Thoughts of

the Self
• Different cultures and varying
environment tend to create different
perception of the “self” and one of the
most common distinctions between
cultures and people is the Eastern-vs-
Western dichotomy.
• Eastern represents Asia
Religious Belief and
Political Philosophies of
Eastern Thoughts
•Can be seen as a code of ethical conduct,
of how one should properly act according
to their relationship with other people;
thus, it also focused on having a
harmonious social life (Ho 1995).
Self-cultivation
• Is seen as the ultimate purpose of life
but the characteristics of a chun-tzu, a
man of virtue or noble character, is
still embedded in his social
relationships (Ho 1995).
“Subdued Self”
• It is the cultivated self.
• It means that the personal
needs are repressed
(subdued) for the good of
•Taoism is living in the way of the
tao or the universe.
•The self is not just an extension
of the family or the community;
it is part of the universe, one of
the forms and manifestations of
The ideal self is “selflessness” but
this is not forgetting about the self,
if 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
• The self is seen 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 (Ho 1995).

State of Nirvana
-one is reincarnated until they can
Confucianism and Taoism
• In striving to become a better
person, one does not create a self
above other people or nature but
a self that is beneficial to his
community as well as in order
and harmony with everything
Buddhism
• The self, with all its connections
and selfish ideas, is taken not just
out of the center of the picture,
but from the whole picture
entirely.
Western Thought of the Self
• Western thought does not discount
the role of environment and society in
the formation of the self but the focus
is always looking toward the self.

You compare yourself in order to be better;

you create associations and bask in the glory of
that group for your self-esteem; you put primacy
in developing yourself.
Western Perspective
vs
Eastern Perspective
•Western thought looks •Eastern Perspective sees the
at the world in dualities other person as part of
wherein you are distinct yourself as well as the
from other person, the things you may create, a
drama in which everyone is
creator is separate from interconnected with their
the object he created, in specific roles (Wolter
which the self is 2012).
distinguished and •Asian Culture, on the
acknowledge (Wolter other hand is called
collectivistic culture as the
•Westerners may seem to •Eastern or oriental
have loose associations persons look after the
or even loyalty to their welfare of their groups
groups. Competition is and values cooperation.
the name of the game
and they are more likely
straightforward and
forceful in their
communication as well •Put more emphasis on
as decision-making. hierarchy as the culture
•Westerners also wants to keep things in
harmony and order.
In the case of the Philippines, we
can also consider the colonization
experience for differences and
similarities with our Asian
neighbors. We might also find
variation among provinces and
regions due to geographical
Thank You !