The Self in Western

and Eastern Thought

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the students will must

have:
• distinguished the characteristics of
individualistic self and collective self and
• differentiated the concept of self according to
Western thought against Eastern/Oriental
perspectives;
INTRODUCTION

• Different cultures and varying environment tends

to create different perceptions of the “self” and
one of the most common distinctions between
cultures and people is the eastern vs. western
dichotomy wherein eastern represents Asia and
western represents Europe and Northern America.
• Oftentimes we associate western thought with
individualism and eastern/oriental with
collectivism.
Let’s Watch…
Questions

• What message can you get

from the video clip in relation
to the concept on individualism
and collectivism?
ACTIVITY: Group Work
 Write five (5) characteristics of Individualism and
Collectivism.

INDIVIDUALISM COLLECTIVISM
ANALYSIS

• How were you able to come up with your list of

characteristics of individualism and collectivism?
• What was your bases in identifying those
characteristics?
• What significant insights have you gathered from
this activity?
Abstraction
Individualism vs. Collectivism

•Individualist culture is a culture in which

the goals of the individual take
precedence over the goals of the group.

•Collectivist culture is a culture in which

the goals of the group take precedence
over the goals of the individual.
Individualism vs. Collectivism
• In other words…

In an individualist culture, members are

responsible for themselves and, perhaps,
their immediate families.
In a collectivist culture, members are
responsible for the group as a whole.
Individualism vs. Collectivism
• In other words…

In an individualist culture, success is measured

by how far one stands out from the crowd.
Ex: self-made millionaires, employees of
the month, standing out…
In a collectivist culture, success is measured
by one’s contributions to the group as a whole.
Ex: loyalty to company or country,
specialized skills, fitting in…
Individualistic self vs. Collectivist self

•Also applies on a personal level.

That is, one can personally be

collectivist while his or her culture is
individualist.
Cooperation versus competition
Importance of in-group and out-group
members
Individualistic self

• The “I” identity.

•The individual identifies primarily with
self, with the needs of the individual
being satisfied before those of the group.
•The individual is acts and makes his own
choices, looks after and taking care of
oneself and being self-sufficient.
Individualistic self

•Independence and self-reliance are

greatly stressed and valued.
•In general, they 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 self

•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.
Collectivist self

•The “We” identity.

•Collectivist 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.
Collectivistic self

•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.
• Each person is encouraged to be an active player
in society, to do what is best for society as a whole
rather than themselves.
•Rules promote unity, brotherhood, and selflessness.
•Working with others and cooperating is the norm;
everyone supports each other.
•Both collectivist self and
individualistic self may have their
downside. Individualistic people are
susceptible to loneliness, and
collectivist people can have a strong
fear of rejection.
The characteristics of individualism and
collectivism can be summarized as follows:

Individualism:
Individual autonomy; self-oriented; personal goals; unique
and independent; individual privacy; nuclear family;
individual rewards (equity); competition

Collectivism:
Group unity and harmony; group-oriented; group goals;
conforming and interdependent; group belongingness;
extended family; equal distribution of reward (equality);
cooperation
Examples of Countries with Generally
Individualistic Cultures
United States Italy
Australia Belgium
United Kingdom Sweden
Canada Ireland
Netherlands
Hungary (post-communist Norway
generation) Switzerland
New Zealand Germany
Examples of Countries with Generally
Collectivistic Cultures 

China Malaysia
Taiwan Egypt
India Cyprus
Pakistan Ghana
Bangladesh Nepal
Indonesia Argentina
Afghanistan Armenia
•When East Meets West
•Differences Between Eastern and
Western Culture
To sum up what we have discussed let u
s watched this..