The Self in the West and East Asia

From the fraught world of geopolitics to business and the academy, it’s more vital than ever that Westerners and East Asians understand how each other thinks. As Jin Li shows in this groundbreaking work, the differences run deep. Li explores the philosophical origins of the concept of self in both cultures and synthesizes her findings with cutting-edge psychological research to reveal a fundamental contrast. Westerners tend to think of the self as being, as a stable entity fixed in time and place. East Asians think of the self as relational and embedded in a process of becoming. The differences show in our intellectual traditions, our vocabulary, and our grammar. They are even apparent in our politics: the West is more interested in individual rights and East Asians in collective wellbeing. Deepening global exchanges may lead to some blurring and even integration of these cultural tendencies, but research suggests that the basic self-models, rooted in long-standing philosophies, are likely to endure. The Self in the West and East Asia is an enriching and enlightening account of a crucial subject at a time when relations between East and West have moved center-stage in international affairs.

Preface List of Figures List of Abbreviations 1 To Be or Not to Be: That is a Strange Question 2 The Western Essential Self and the East Asian Particular Self 3 The Western Bounded Self and the East Asian Flexible Self 4 The Western Fixed Self and the East Asian Malleable Self 5 The Western Linear Self and the East Asian Interrelational Self 6 The Western Rights-Bearing Self and the East Asian Role-Embodying Self 7 The Western Impersonalizing Self and the East Asian Personalizing Self 8 The Western Promotional Self and the East Asian Effacing Self 9 Two Selves within Each Culture, Possible Integration, and Challenges Notes References Index