THE SELF IN WESTERN AND

ORIENTAL/EASTERN THOUGHT
INDIVIDUALISTIC SELF
 THE INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFIES
PRIMARILY WITH SELF, WITH THE
NEEDS OF THE INDIVIDUAL BEING
SATISFIED BEFORE THOSE OF THE
GROUP
 LOOKING AFTER AND
TAKING CARE OF ONESELF,
BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT,
GUARANTEES THE WELL-
BEING OF THE GROUP.
  INDIVIDUALISM, STATES THAT
EACH INDIVIDUAL IS ACTING ON
HIS OR HER OWN, MAKING THEIR
OWN CHOICES, AND TO THE
EXTENT THEY INTERACT WITH THE
REST OF THE GROUP.
 INDEPENDENCE AND SELF-RELIANCE
ARE GREATLY STRESSED AND VALUED.
IN GENERAL, PEOPLE TEND TO
DISTANCE THEMSELVES
PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY
FROM EACH OTHER.
 ONE MAY CHOOSE TO JOIN
GROUPS, BUT GROUP
MEMBERSHIP IS NOT
ESSENTIAL TO ONE’S IDENTITY
OR SUCCESS.
INDIVIDUALISTIC DOERS ARE
SELF-ASSURED AND VERY
INDEPENDENT PEOPLE.
THEY ARE QUIET AND
REALISTIC, VERY RATIONAL,
EXTREMELY MATTER OF FACT
PEOPLE.
 THEY STRONGLY CULTIVATE THEIR
INDIVIDUALISM AND ENJOY APPLYING
THEIR ABILITIES TO NEW TASKS.
 BUT THEY ARE ALSO VERY
SPONTANEOUS AND IMPULSIVE
PERSONS WHO LIKE TO FOLLOW THEIR
SUDDEN INSPIRATIONS.
 COLLECTIVE SELF
COLLECTIVISM VIEWS THE
GROUP AS THE PRIMARY
ENTITY, WITH THE INDIVIDUALS
LOST ALONG THE WAY.
THE SURVIVAL AND SUCCESS
OF THE GROUP ENSURES THE
WELL-BEING OF THE
INDIVIDUAL, SO THAT BY
CONSIDERING THE NEEDS AND
FEELINGS OF OTHERS, ONE
PROTECTS ONESELF.
 HARMONY AND THE
INTERDEPENDENCE OF
GROUP MEMBERS ARE
STRESSED AND VALUED.
 IT SEES THE GROUP AS THE
IMPORTANT ELEMENT, AND
INDIVIDUALS ARE JUST MEMBERS
OF THE GROUP.
THE GROUP HAS ITS OWN VALUES
SOMEHOW DIFFERENT FROM THOSE
OF THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS.
 BOTH COLLECTIVIST AND
INDIVIDUALISTIC CULTURES HAVE THEIR
FAILINGS.
PEOPLE IN INDIVIDUALIST CULTURES
ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO LONELINESS,
AND PEOPLE IN COLLECTIVIST
CULTURES CAN HAVE A STRONG FEAR
OF REJECTION.
 FEATURES OF INDIVIDUALISM
"I" IDENTITY.
PROMOTES INDIVIDUAL GOALS, INITIATIVE
AND ACHIEVEMENT.
INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS ARE SEEN AS BEING THE
MOST IMPORTANT. RULES ATTEMPT TO
ENSURE SELF-IMPORTANCE AND
INDIVIDUALISM.
INDEPENDENCE IS VALUED; THERE
IS MUCH LESS OF A DRIVE TO HELP
OTHER CITIZENS OR COMMUNITIES
THAN IN COLLECTIVISM.
RELYING OR BEING DEPENDENT
ON OTHERS IS FREQUENTLY SEEN
AS SHAMEFUL.
PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED
TO DO THINGS ON THEIR
OWN; TO RELY ON
THEMSELVES
PEOPLE STRIVE FOR THEIR
OWN SUCCESSES
EXAMPLES OF COUNTRIES WITH GENERALLY
INDIVIDUALISTIC CULTURES
UNITED STATES ITALY
AUSTRALIA BELGIUM
UNITED KINGDOM SWEDEN
CANADA
IRELAND
NETHERLANDS
HUNGARY (POST- NORWAY
COMMUNIST GENERATION) SWITZERLAND
NEW ZEALAND GERMANY
FEATURES OF COLLECTIVISM
EACH PERSON IS ENCOURAGED
TO BE AN ACTIVE PLAYER IN
SOCIETY, TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR
SOCIETY AS A WHOLE RATHER
THAN THEMSELVES
 THE RIGHTS OF FAMILIES,
COMMUNITIES, AND THE
COLLECTIVE SUPERSEDE THOSE
OF THE INDIVIDUAL
RULES PROMOTE UNITY,
BROTHERHOOD, AND
SELFLESSNESS
WORKING WITH OTHERS AND
COOPERATING IS THE NORM;
EVERYONE SUPPORTS EACH
OTHER
AS A COMMUNITY, FAMILY OR
NATION MORE THAN AS AN
INDIVIDUAL
EXAMPLES OF COUNTRIES WITH GENERALLY
COLLECTIVISTIC CULTURES
CHINA MALAYSIA
TAIWAN EGYPT
INDIA CYPRUS
PAKISTAN GHANA
BANGLADESH NEPAL
INDONESIA ARGENTINA
AFGHANISTAN ARMENIA
 SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION IN THE
WESTERN THOUGHT
A SHARED ASSUMPTION OR PERCEPTION OF
THE PEOPLE IN THE SOCIETY.
WESTERN SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION IN 3 WAYS:
1. INDIVIDUALISTIC
2. SELF-SUFFICIENCY
3. SELF BEING RATIONAL
 INDIVIDUALISTIC
THE MEASURE OF A SUCCESSFUL LIFE IS WHEN
THE SELF IS ABLE TO FULFILL THE LIFE-GOALS
SET FOR AND BY THE SELF
THE INDIVIDUALISTIC SELF IS ALWAYS
CONCEIVED AS THE AUTONOMOUS BOUNDED
ENTITY
FOR ONE TO BE AUTONOMOUS, ONE MUST BE
ABLE TO SHOW INDEPENDENCE
 SELF-SUFFICIENCY
A SUCCESSFUL SELF MUST BE ABLE TO
SUPPLY ONE’S NEEDS WITHOUT EXTERNAL
ASSISTANCE
IMPLIES CONFIDENCE IN ONE’S CAPACITY
TO PROVIDE WHAT THE SELF NEEDS FROM
ONE’S OWN RESOURCES AND AUTHORITY
 SELF BEING RATIONAL
THERE IS NO TIME FOR THE SELF
TO BE WEAK AND EMOTIONAL
EVERYTHING MUST BE EXPLAINED
BY LOGIC AND REASON
 PHENOMENON OUTSIDE THE
LOGICAL REALM ARE SIMPLY
DISCREDITED AND REJECTED
THIS EXPLAINS THE WESTERN
LOGICAL POSITIVIST MOVEMENT
 IT CONTENDS THAT WHAT IS
RATIONAL AND REASONABLE ARE
ONLY THOSE WHICH CAN BE
LOGICALLY VIABLE.
THE SUCCESSFUL SELF, THEREFORE, IS
GROUNDED ON ONE’S INVESTMENT
ON REASON AND LOGICAL THINKING
 CONFUCIAN THOUGHT –
EASTERN CONSTRUCT
PRIMARILY VIEWED AS COLLECTIVISTIC
AND IS GROUNDED ON NATURE.
THE SELF, BASED ON THE CONFUCIAN
SYSTEM, IS A PERSON WITHIN THE
SOCIETY WHO EXHIBITS REFINEMENT
AND COMPASSION.
 3 PRINCIPLES OF
CONFUCIAN PHILOSOPHY
JENZI
LI
REN
 JENZI
IT IS THE NEW SELF FORMED IN A RIGHT
EDUCATION UNDER THE VIRTUOUS TEACHER
AS THE ROLE MODEL
INVOLVES HUMANISTIC LEARNING, REFINED
PERSONAL MANNERS AND THE CAPACITY TO
GOVERN THE COMMUNITY WISELY AND WITH
COMPASSION
 LI
ORIGINALLY MEANS SACRIFICE
REFINED MANNER OF SPIRTUAL RITUALS
AND SACRIFICES, AND PROTOCOLS IN
HONORING THE ANCESTORS
BOTH RESTRAINING AND THE
REFINEMENT OF THE SELF
 REN
THE CHARACTER OF THE SELF THAT
SINCERELY SHOWS COMPASSION
TO OTHERS
THE SELF MUST BE HUMAN-
HEARTEDNESS BY PRIORITIZING
THE SELF-INTEREST OF OTHERS