Culture and Self

The Link Between Culture and Self

The way we understand ourselves is not universal. Several aspects of the self are deeply connected to the characteristic features of the culture in which a person lives. When psychologists analyse the self in the Indian cultural context, they find a number of important features that are distinct from those found in the Western cultural context.

The Core Distinction: The Boundary Between Self and Other

The most important difference between the Indian and Western views lies in how the boundary is drawn between the self and the other.

In the Western view, this boundary appears to be relatively fixed. There is a clear, stable line separating the individual self from others, from nature, and from the objective world. The Western perspective holds clear dichotomies: self vs. other, man vs. nature, subjective vs. objective.

In the Indian view, this boundary is shifting by nature. The self is not a fixed, isolated entity. At one moment, the self can expand to fuse with the cosmos or include others. At the very next moment, it can withdraw completely from that connection and focus fully on the individual self — for example, on personal needs or goals. The Indian view does not make the same clear dichotomies that the Western view does.

Self and Group: Individualism vs. Collectivism

This difference in boundaries is clearly seen in how the self relates to the group.

In Western culture, the self and the group exist as two different entities with clearly defined boundaries. Individual members of a group maintain their individuality. The self and the group often remain at a distance from each other. This is why many Western cultures are characterised as individualistic. …