MODULE 4
G.E. 101
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
IBRAHIM A. ABDULHALIM
Major Module Developer
ALMA E. ISNAL
Contributor/Course Coach
1
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
4
Week/Day 5 – (M-W-F)
GE 2 Duration 3 hours
Course Code
Lesson No. 4
NOTE: DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING ON THIS PAGE USE THE PROVIDED WORK SHEET FOR THIS LEARNING MATERIAL
Course Description Understanding the Self
Lesson/Topic Lesson 4: The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts
Differentiate the concept of self according to Western thought against
Eastern/Oriental perspectives;
Learning Outcomes
Explain the concept of self as found in Asian thoughts; and create a
representation of the Filipino self.
Values Integration Act in recognition of professional, social, and ethical responsibility.
Understanding the Self First Edition
ISBN 978-971-23-8670-1
Reference
Classification: Textbook (04-PS-00029-0)
Author: Eden Joy Alata.,Bernardo Nicolas Caslib, Janice
Patricia Javier Serafica., and R.A. Pawilen
Module Developer/
ALMA E. ISNAL
Course Coach
A. ACTIVATION OF PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
INTRODUCTION
Different cultures , and varying environment tend 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. It must be understood that this
distinction and the countries included was politically colored at the time that aforementioned concepts were
accepted and used in the social sciences. Furthermore, it must be reiterated that while countries who are
geographically closer to each other may share commonalities, there are also a lot of factors that create
differences. In the Philippines alone, each region may have a similar or varying perception regarding the "self."
Page | 1
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
4
ACTIVITY 1
Two Sides of the Same Planet
DIRECTION: Write top five (5) differences between Western and Eastern society, culture, and individuals in the
table below. Cite your sources.
Western Eastern
ACTIVITY 2
ANALYSIS
DIRECTION: Do you agree with the differentiation between the West and the East? Where can you find the Philippines
in the distinction? What are the factors that make the Philippines similar or different from its Asian neighbors? Is there
also a difference between regions or ethno linguistic groups in the Philippines?
NOTE: PLEASE KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO WRITE ANYTHING ON THIS PAGE, YOU WILL BE
PROVIDED WORK SHEETS BY YOUR COURSE INSTRUCTOR FOR YOUR ANSWERS.
ANSWER THE ACTIVITY 1 AND 2 ON THE WORK SHEET PROVIDED ON ANNEX A
Page | 2
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
4
B. ENGAGEMENT OF RELEVANT CONTENT AND APPROPIATE LEARNNG
ACIVITES
ABSTRACTION
living a balanced life with society and nature, being open
There are actually a lot of sources in which you can and accepting to change, forgetting about prejudices and
analyze the perspective of each culture and country egocentric ideas and thinking about equality as well as
about the concept of "self." You can see it in their complementarity among humans as well as other beings
literature like how one culture depicts a hero or a villain in (Ho 1995). In this way, you will be able to act
their stories. You can see it in their social organization spontaneously because you will not be restricted by some
like how they see their boss or their subordinate. legalistic standards but because you are in harmony with
Artworks, dances, even clothing may show you clues everything.
about the "self."
The third belief is Buddhism. There are various
In this lesson, we will look at religious beliefs and groups who have adopted Buddhism; thus, you may find
political philosophies that greatly influenced the mindset differences in their teachings with our discussion but
of each nation or culture. Since almost all the theories more likely, their core concepts remained the same. The
about the self, which were discussed in the previous self is seen as an illusion, born out of ignorance, of trying
lessons, also came from the Western scientific research, to hold and control things, or human-centered needs;
we will highlight the Eastern thoughts in this lesson. thus, the self is also the source of all these sufferings (Ho
First is Confucianism. Confucianism can be seen as 1995). It is, therefore, our quest to forget about the self,
a code of ethical conduct, of how one should properly act forget the cravings of the self, break the attachments you
according to their relationship with other people; thus, it is have with the world, and to renounce the self which is the
also focused on having a harmonious social life (Ho cause of all suffering and in doing so, attain the state of
1995). Therefore, the identity and self-concept of the Nirvana (Ho 1995).
individual are interwoven with the identity and status of The self or the individual is not the focus of the
his/her community or culture, sharing its pride as well as abovementioned Asian or Eastern philosophies or beliefs.
its failures (Ho 1995). Even with extended discussions about how the self
Self-cultivation is seen as the ultimate purpose of life should work, Confucianism and Taoism still situate the
but the characteristics of a chun-tzu, a man of virtue or self within a bigger context. In striving to become a better
noble character, is still embedded in his social person, one does not create a self above other people or
relationships (Ho 1995). The cultivated self in nature but a self that is beneficial to his community as
Confucianism is what some scholars call a "subdued self' well as in order and harmony with everything else. As for
wherein personal needs are repressed (subdued) for the Buddhism, the self, with all its connections and selfish
good of many, making Confucian society also hierarchal ideas, is taken not just out of the center of the picture, but
for the purpose of maintaining order and balance in from the whole picture entirely.
society (Ho 1995). As previously discussed, Western perspective
The second philosophy is Taoism. Taoism is living in does not discount the role I of environment and society in
the way of the Tao or the universe. However, Taoism the formation of the self but the focus is always looking
rejects having one definition of what the Tao is, and one toward the self. You compare yourself in order to be
can only state clues of what it is as they adopt a free- better; you create associations and bask in the glory of
flowing, relative, unitary, as well as paradoxical view of that group for your self-esteem; you put primacy in
almost everything. Taoism rejects the hierarchy and developing yourself.
strictness brought by Confucianism and would prefer a One can also describe that the Western thought
simple lifestyle and its teachings thus aim to describe looks at the world in dualities wherein you are distinct
how to attain that life (Ho 19955. from the other person, the creator is separate from the
The self is not just an extension of the family or the object he created, in which the self is distinguished and
community; it is part of the universe, one of the forms and acknowledged (Wolter 2012). On the other hand, the
manifestations of the Tao (Ho 1995). The ideal self is Eastern perspective sees the other person as part of
selflessness but this is not forgetting about the self, it is yourself as well as the things you may create, a drama in
which everyone is interconnected with their specific roles
(Wolter 2012).
Page | 3
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
4
Several studies showed that Americans, for It must be emphasized, however, that these are
example, talk more about their personal attributes when general .commonalities among Western cultures as
describing themselves while Asians in general talk about compared to Asian or Oriental cultures. In the case of the
their social roles or the social situations that invoked Philippines, we can also consider the colonization
certain traits that they deem positive for their selves experience for differences and similarities with our Asian
(Gleitman, Gross, and Reisberg 2011). Evaluation of the neig\ibors. We might also find variation among provinces
self also differs as Americans would highlight their and regions due to geographical conditions.
personal achievements while Asians would rather keep a
With the social media, migration, and intermarriages,
low profile as promoting the self can be seen as
variety between the Western and Asian perceptions may
boastfulness that disrupts social relationships (Gleitman,
either be blurred or highlighted. Whereas conflict is
Gross, and Reisberg 2011).
inevitable in diversity, peace is also possible through the
The Western culture is what we would call an understanding of where each of us is coming from.
individualistic culture since their focus is on the person.
Asian culture, on the other hand, is called a collectivistic
culture as the group and social relations that is given
more importance than individual needs and wants.
By valuing the individual, Westerners may seem
to have loose associations or even loyalty to their groups.
Competition is the name of the game and they are more
likely straightforward and forceful in their communication
as well as decision making. Eastern or oriental persons
look after the welfare of their groups and values
cooperation. They would also be more compromising and
they tend to go around the bush in explaining things,
hoping that the other person would "feel" what they really
want to say (Qingxue 2003).
Westerners also emphasize more on the value of
equality even if they see that the individual can rise above
everything else. Because everyone is on their own in the
competition, one can say that they also promote ideals
that create "fair" competition and protect the individual.
Asians, with their collectivistic culture, put more emphasis
on hierarchy as the culture wants to keep things in
harmony and order (Qingxue 2003). For example,
Westerners would most likely call their bosses, parents,
or other seniors by their first name. The boss can also be
approached head-on when conflicts or problems about
him arises. For Asians, we have respectful terms for our
seniors and a lot of workers would not dare go against
the high-ranking officials (Qingxue 2003).
Page | 4
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
4
C. REFLECTION/RESPONSE-ACTION
NOTE: DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING ON THIS PAGE USE THE PROVIDED WORK SHEET FOR THIS LEARNING MATERIAL
ACTIVITY 3
APPLICATION
DIRECTION: Create a representation, diagram, or concept map of the SELF according to Filipino culture. Provide a
brief explanation of your output. You can also cite books and researches about Filipino culture, self, and identity to
further elaborate on the topic.
NOTE: PLEASE KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO WRITE ANYTHING ON THIS PAGE, YOU WILL BE
PROVIDED WORK SHEETS BY YOUR COURSE INSTRUCTOR FOR YOUR ANSWERS.
ANSWER THE ACTIVITY 3 ON THE WORK SHEET PROVIDED ON ANNEX B
D. SUMMATIVE ASSESMENT (will be given at the end of the unit)
E. FEEDBACK TO IMPROVE LEARNING AND TEACHING
Hi there! Now that you are about to end the learning material for this unit, let
me know something if you felt difficult in answering this module.
Write your feedback/thoughts on the space provided on the last part of this
learning material on Annex C
Page | 5
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
4
WORK SHEET
ANNEX A
NAME: DATE: SCORE:
A. ACTIVATION OF PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
ANNEX A.1
ACTIVITY 1
Two Sides of the Same Planet
DIRECTION: Write top five (5) differences between Western and Eastern society, culture, and individuals in the
table below. Cite your sources.
Western Eastern
ANNEX A.2
ACTIVITY 2
ANALYSIS
DIRECTION: Do you agree with the differentiation between the West and the East? Where can you find the
Philippines in the distinction? What are the factors that make the Philippines similar or different from its Asian
neighbors? Is there also a difference between regions or ethno linguistic groups in the Philippines?
Page | 1
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
4
WORK SHEET
ANNEX B
C. REFLECTION/RESPONSE-ACTION
ACTIVITY 3
APPLICATION
DIRECTION: Create a representation, diagram, or concept map of the SELF according to Filipino
culture. Provide a brief explanation of your output. You can also cite books and researches about
Filipino culture, self, and identity to further elaborate on the topic.
Page | 2
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
4
WORK SHEET
ANNEX C
D. SUMMATIVE ASSESMENT (will be given at the end of the unit)
E. FEEDBACK TO IMPROVE LEARNING AND TEACHING
Providing you with this purposive learning material helps you catch up lessons you are
supposed to learn in actual face to face classroom setting.
Let me know if somehow this learning material has helped you learn about the lesson
discussed.
(Write down below your feedback/thoughts about this module)
Page | 3
