anthropology

Understanding the Self Charisse Kaye G. Berame

The self and the person
in contemporary
anthropology
What is Anthropology?
What is its view about the concept of “self”?
 anthropology
Anthropology is the study of
people, past, and present

Focuses on understanding the

human condition in its cultural
aspect

Concerned how humans evolved,

and how they differ from one
another
.
Anthropological literature offers
several definitions of “self”.
 A Unit but
Unitary
Anthropologist and professor, Katherine Ewing (1990), described
self as encompassing the “physical organism, possessing
pshychological functioning and social attributes”. This definition
portrays the “self” as implicity and explicity existing in the mind
comprised of psychological, biological, and cultural processes.
Neuroscientist Jospeh LeDoux (2002) conceptualized the two aspects of the
self (Kemp, 2002). These are:
1. Explicit Self Self - aspect of the self that you are consciously aware of
2. Implicit Self - one that is not immediately available to the consciousness

LeDoux’s view on how the “self” was developed asserted that

it is framed, maintained, and affected biologically, mentally,
and socially.

According to LeDoux (2002), “The self is not static; it is added

to and subtracted from by the genetic maturation, learning,
forgetting, stress, ageing, and disease”. This is true of both the
implicit and explicit aspects of the self.
 Ewing (1989) asserted that a “self” is

Self as illusory.

“People construct a series of self-

Representation representations that are based on
selected cultural concepts of person and
selected ‘chains’ of personal memories.
Each self-concept is experienced as
IS ILLUSORY whole and continuous, with its own
IS SHIFTING history and memories that emerge in a
specific context to be replaced by another
“NOT REAL” self-representation when the context
changes”.
 Self as By self-representation, Ewing

Representation meant culturally

“self” concepts that one
shaped

applies to oneself (Quinn,

IS ILLUSORY 2014); “it is the mental entities
IS SHIFTING that are supposed to
“NOT REAL” represent the self” (Schlichtet,
2009).
 According to Ewing (1990),
Self as people from all cultures have
been observed to be able to
Representation rapidly project different self-
representations, depending on
the context of the situation. The
IS ILLUSORY person is unaware of these
IS SHIFTING shifts; however, he/she will still
“NOT REAL” experience wholeness and
continuity despite these shifts.
 Self Embedded
in Culture
How individuals see themselves, how they relate to other people, and how they relate to the
environment are deeply defined or framed by culture.

The principles of how the mind works cannot be conceived of as universal, but that it is as varied
as the culture and traditions that people practice all over the world.

Cultural anthropologists have argued that the self is culturally shaped and infinitely variable.
“Cultural traditions and social practices regulate, express, and transform the human psyche,
resulting less in psychic unity for humankind than in ethnic divergences in mind, self, and
emotion” (Shweder, 1991)
Cultural psychologists distinguished two ways of how the self is
constructed. These are the independent and interdependent
constructs. These self-construals are also embedded in culture.

What is Construal?

Construal is an interpretation of the meaning of

something; hence, in this sense, the meaning of “self”.

The independent construct is characteristic of

individualistic culture.
The interdependent construct is typical of the
collectivist culture.
Cultural psychologists distinguished two ways of how the self is
constructed. These are the independent and interdependent
constructs. These self-construals are also embedded in culture.

Individualistic
Culture

North America and Europe

Represents the self as separate, distinct

Emphasis is placed on internal attributes, personal

traits, skills, and individual values
Cultural psychologists distinguished two ways of how the self is
constructed. These are the independent and interdependent
constructs. These self-construals are also embedded in culture.

Collectivist
Culture

East Asia

Stressing the essential connection

between the individual and other
people
 Developmental psychologist Catherine Raeff
(2010), believed that culture can influence how
you view:
Relationships

Personality Traits

Achievement

Expressing Emotions
1. ACHIEVEMENT
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 to choose whom to marry
while some Eastern societies still practice arranged marriage.

2. PERSONALITY TRAITS
Culture influences whether (and how) you value traits
like humility, self-esteem, politeness, assertiveness
How you perceive hardship or how you feel about
relying on others
3. ACHIEVEMENT
Culture influences how you define success and
whether 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 your
feelings in public or keeping it private.
Thank You for
Listening!