Module 05: The Western and Eastern Thoughts of the Self Flashcards
This dichotomy represents Asia
Eastern
This dichotomy represents Europe and North America.
Western
This belief states that the “self” is as autonomous relative to others and the environment, stressing separateness from the social world (independent).
Western Belief
What concept did the western belief used to perceive the self?
individualism
According to this belief, the self is part of a larger network of people who all help shape each other.
Eastern Belief
What concept did the eastern belief used to perceive the self?
we belief
This is a major religion common in the south Asian countries like India
and Sri Lanka.
Hinduism
In Hinduism, this is considered as the sacred, the god spirit or the universe.
Brahman
This is the human soul or the self
Atman
How did Hinduism viewed the self?
The “self” in Hinduism is just a part of a larger whole (the Brahman), which
embodies everything. The Atman of the self is tied to everything.
This Hindu belief states that each time a person dies and is reborn, it comes
closer to Brahman.
Reincarnation
While we have the tendency to think about our “self” today or tomorrow, the
Hindus think in terms of _____________________.
centuries and lifetimes
This is a common Eastern religion and philosophy where the self is often thought of as an illusion and perceived that humans are just a stream of
consciousness and not a separate entity
Buddhism
What are the two concepts in Buddhism?
Interconnectedness and the lack of self
This simply means that everything is connected
Interconnectedness
This is a place of perfect peace and happiness akin to HEAVEN due it to being the highest form of peace.
Nirvana
This does not teach the worship of any particular deity (Yao,1996). Instead, it is focused more on human behavior, causing many scholars to consider it more of an ethical system or a code of conduct rather than a religion
Confucianism
According to Confucianism, this human being is seen as a social being, whose personality is not inherently existing, but is being formed through __________,
upbringing and environment
This is the supreme goal-any person is a “gentleman” if his or her conduct is noble and unselfish.
Self-cultivation
He is a man of virtue or noble character
CHUN-TZU
It is an ancient Chinese philosophy that stresses the importance of living simply and honestly and in harmony with nature. (Ho, 1995)
Taoism
Based on Taoism, due to its focus on harmony and proper way to live, it is often referred to as the __________.
Way
Three of most important tenets of Taoism are:
- The First Principle
- The Yin-Yang classification
- The Wu Wei concept
What culture did the western value?
Individualistic culture
What culture did the eastern value?
Collectivistic culture
What did the western value?
competition and is straightforward
What did the eastern value?
cooperation
What did the western emphasize?
Emphasizes equality
even if the individual is
seen to rise above
everything else.
What did the eastern emphasize?
Emphasizes on hierarchy
as the culture wants to
keep things in harmony
and in order
These refer to the value cultures place on direct and indirect
communication.
High and low context cultures
This values direct communication and believes
people should “say what they mean and
mean what they say”.
Low Context Orientation
What countries are low context cultures?
America and Australia
This pays attention to what isn’t said as much as what
is said and a great deal of attention is put on
where people are seated, how people are
dressed, and reading between the lines.
high Context Orientation
What countries are high context cultures?
Asian, African, central European and Latin American
