The Self In The Perspective Of

ANTHROPOLOGY
▪Anthropology is the study of
people , past and present.
▪It focuses on the study of
human condition in its
cultural aspects.
▪In general sense,
anthropology is concerned
with understanding how
humans evolved and how
they differ from one another.
1. Katherine Ewing (1990)1
• described self as
encompassing “physical
organism, possessing
psychological functioning
and social attributes.”
• This definition portrays the
self as implicitly and
explicitly existing in the
mind comprised of
psychological , biological
and cultural processes.
➢ Ewing (1989) asserted that a self is illusory.
➢ People construct a series of self-representation that are
based on selected on selected cultural concepts of
person and selected ‘chains’ of personal memories.
➢ By self representation, Ewing meant culturally shaped
self concepts that one applies to oneself (Quinn, 2014).
➢ It is the mental entities that are supposed to represent
the self (Schlichet, 2009).
➢People from all cultures have been observed to be able
to rapidly project different self- representations,
depending on the context of the situation.
2. Joseph LeDoux (2002)1
- Conceptualized the implicit and explicit
aspect of the self.
- According to him, “the self is not static, it is
added to and subtracted from genetic
maturation, learning, forgetting, stress,
ageing, and disease.”
- 2 Aspects of Self:
- Implicit – self that you are consciously
aware of.
- Explicit – self that is not immediately
available to the consciousness.

Example: A family is surprised by a family Synaptic Self:

returning from abroad to his/ her home How are Brains Become
country. Who We Are
➢ How individuals see themselves, how they relate to each
other people, and how they relate to the environment is
deeply defined by culture.
➢ The ways of how the self is developed are bound to cultural
differences.
➢ The principles of how the mind works cannot be conceived
of as universal, but that is as varied as the culture and
traditions that people practice all over the world. The self is
culturally shaped and infinitely variable.
Independent Construct (Individualistic Culture)
▪ Individualistic culture represents the self as separate,
distinct, with emphasis on internal attributes and traits.
▪ such as in North America and Europe
Interdependent Construct (Collectivist Culture)
▪ The essential connection between thee individual to
other people.
▪ Such as in East Asia
Catherine Raeff (2010)1
Believe that culture influence on how you view:
1. Relationships
• culture influences how you enter into and maintain relationships. For
example, relationships may be seen as voluntary or as duty-based. In
Western societies, it is essential for a person on whom to marry while
some Eastern societies still practice arranged marriage.
2. Personality Traits
• culture influence whether (and how) you value traits, like humility, self-
esteem, politeness, assertiveness, and so on, as well as how you
perceive hardship or how you feel about relying on others.
3. Achievement
• culture influence how you define success and whatever you value
certain types of individual and group achievements.
4. Expressing emotions
• culture influences what will affect you emotionally, as well as how you
express yourself, such as showing feelings in public or keeping it
-Ruth Benedict