CHAPTER 16: Eastern Perspectives
PYC4804- PERSONOLOGY
BACKGROUND:
u Growing interest in Eastern psychology attributed to Eastern theories’ comprehensive perception of
states of consciousness.
u Consciousness represent the beginning and end of all human experience.
How does Eastern Psychology Differ from Western Psychology:
Most NB difference lies in their epistemologies and ontological points of departure.
Western psychology comes from philosophical and scientific tradition strongly embedded in positivist
objective view of person and empirical paradigm.
Mainstream Western psychology typified as scientific, analytical and reductionist with goal of analysing,
predicting and controlling human behaviour.
Western psychology is influenced by a Western rational, individualistic and extraverted lifestyle.
Eastern psychology and insights originate from religious and metaphysical tradition with subjective
observation and direct subjective experience as its paradigm.
It reflects a more introverted, collective and mystical Eastern lifestyle.
In the East focus is on the person having experience and method is based on first-person introspection.
In the West focus is on object of experience based on methods of third-person observation and
measurement.
Eastern psychology could be typified as intuitive and integrating major aims to acquire knowledge of
the soul and how to set soul free through self-actualisation.
Self-actualisation realisation of Atman (the real self) by transcending jiva (temporary changing aspect
of the self).
Eastern perspective believes in an impassive being.
Eastern psychology is anchored in that they say one should aim at becoming aware of world as
inseparable reality and everything is connected, interrelated and a unity.
Eastern psychology centers around collectivism and more interested in person’s harmonious
connectedness to fellow humans, society, nature and the cosmos.
Hsu avoids term ‘personality’ and uses the word ‘ren’ instead means personage.
Kalpana the term ‘personality’ does not entail all aspects and essential qualities of personality such as
spiritual personality.
Roland concluded that in the East little prominence is given to individualized self.
According to him the contextualised self is more central idea in Eastern psychology together with
emphasis on familial self and spiritual self.
Stronger disposition towards collectivism and spirituality does not signal an absence of individuality or
self-actualisation.
In the East self-actualisation means transcendence of the self or extension of the self.
In Western psychology the ego, ‘I” or self is central and must be preserved, extended or actualised at
all costs.
, Eastern aim is to dissolve the ego.
Eastern perspective individual can only attain ultimate destiny through transcending the self or even
renouncing the self.
Meditation primarily is the withdrawal of attention from the outside world.
Despite differences between these two perspectives in acknowledging these differences we should
not exclude one perspective to the detriment of the other.
They should be seen as complementary points of view.
PERSONALITY ACCORDING TO VEDANTA:
Background:
Vedanta orthodox Indian philosophical tradition.
Sankara non-dualistic Vedanta.
Worldview and View of Person:
No possible to separate view of the persona and worldview inherent in Sankara’s non-dualistic (Advaita)
approach.
Primary hypothesis Existence of single fundamental reality Brahman which is omnipresent, without
form or feature and basically indescribable.
Brahman is metaphysical concept which in lay terms is described as ‘cosmic soul’
Ultimate reality enfolds, transfuses and transcends phenomenal world OR world of objects which
humans know and experience through sense and erroneously accept as only true reality.
Brahman experienced in 2 ways:
o Through trans cognitive state of consciousness in which the transcendent, formless and featureless
Brahman is experienced.
o Through ordinary sense and reason with which we know phenomenal world.
Vedantic approach combination of monistic ontology with dualistic epistemology, a single reality that
can be known in two ways.
Real individual self Atman is essentially same as single, formless Brahman and forms partial unity with
Brahman.
The Atman can be depicted as individual soul or self.
Individuals real self can only be experienced in trans-cognitive state of consciousness where separation
of subject and object disappears.
Phenomenal world is experienced as reality it is only in higher trans-cognitive state the “I” of
phenomenal world is experience as invalid and therefore as ‘non-self’.
It is only from higher consciousness that phenomenal world can be observed as an illusion.
Brahman is characterized as indescribable 3 properties attributed to essential reality.
o Being
o Consciousness
PYC4804- PERSONOLOGY
BACKGROUND:
u Growing interest in Eastern psychology attributed to Eastern theories’ comprehensive perception of
states of consciousness.
u Consciousness represent the beginning and end of all human experience.
How does Eastern Psychology Differ from Western Psychology:
Most NB difference lies in their epistemologies and ontological points of departure.
Western psychology comes from philosophical and scientific tradition strongly embedded in positivist
objective view of person and empirical paradigm.
Mainstream Western psychology typified as scientific, analytical and reductionist with goal of analysing,
predicting and controlling human behaviour.
Western psychology is influenced by a Western rational, individualistic and extraverted lifestyle.
Eastern psychology and insights originate from religious and metaphysical tradition with subjective
observation and direct subjective experience as its paradigm.
It reflects a more introverted, collective and mystical Eastern lifestyle.
In the East focus is on the person having experience and method is based on first-person introspection.
In the West focus is on object of experience based on methods of third-person observation and
measurement.
Eastern psychology could be typified as intuitive and integrating major aims to acquire knowledge of
the soul and how to set soul free through self-actualisation.
Self-actualisation realisation of Atman (the real self) by transcending jiva (temporary changing aspect
of the self).
Eastern perspective believes in an impassive being.
Eastern psychology is anchored in that they say one should aim at becoming aware of world as
inseparable reality and everything is connected, interrelated and a unity.
Eastern psychology centers around collectivism and more interested in person’s harmonious
connectedness to fellow humans, society, nature and the cosmos.
Hsu avoids term ‘personality’ and uses the word ‘ren’ instead means personage.
Kalpana the term ‘personality’ does not entail all aspects and essential qualities of personality such as
spiritual personality.
Roland concluded that in the East little prominence is given to individualized self.
According to him the contextualised self is more central idea in Eastern psychology together with
emphasis on familial self and spiritual self.
Stronger disposition towards collectivism and spirituality does not signal an absence of individuality or
self-actualisation.
In the East self-actualisation means transcendence of the self or extension of the self.
In Western psychology the ego, ‘I” or self is central and must be preserved, extended or actualised at
all costs.
, Eastern aim is to dissolve the ego.
Eastern perspective individual can only attain ultimate destiny through transcending the self or even
renouncing the self.
Meditation primarily is the withdrawal of attention from the outside world.
Despite differences between these two perspectives in acknowledging these differences we should
not exclude one perspective to the detriment of the other.
They should be seen as complementary points of view.
PERSONALITY ACCORDING TO VEDANTA:
Background:
Vedanta orthodox Indian philosophical tradition.
Sankara non-dualistic Vedanta.
Worldview and View of Person:
No possible to separate view of the persona and worldview inherent in Sankara’s non-dualistic (Advaita)
approach.
Primary hypothesis Existence of single fundamental reality Brahman which is omnipresent, without
form or feature and basically indescribable.
Brahman is metaphysical concept which in lay terms is described as ‘cosmic soul’
Ultimate reality enfolds, transfuses and transcends phenomenal world OR world of objects which
humans know and experience through sense and erroneously accept as only true reality.
Brahman experienced in 2 ways:
o Through trans cognitive state of consciousness in which the transcendent, formless and featureless
Brahman is experienced.
o Through ordinary sense and reason with which we know phenomenal world.
Vedantic approach combination of monistic ontology with dualistic epistemology, a single reality that
can be known in two ways.
Real individual self Atman is essentially same as single, formless Brahman and forms partial unity with
Brahman.
The Atman can be depicted as individual soul or self.
Individuals real self can only be experienced in trans-cognitive state of consciousness where separation
of subject and object disappears.
Phenomenal world is experienced as reality it is only in higher trans-cognitive state the “I” of
phenomenal world is experience as invalid and therefore as ‘non-self’.
It is only from higher consciousness that phenomenal world can be observed as an illusion.
Brahman is characterized as indescribable 3 properties attributed to essential reality.
o Being
o Consciousness
