Perception of the Self and the Individual 

The concept of the individual self is an integral assumption of American culture so deeply ingrained that Americans ordinarily do not question it. They naturally assume each person has his own separate identity which should be recognized and stressed.

The concept self implies the constellation of patterns of thinking, assumptions and values which supply to the person a sense of continuity in time and the ability to introspect. As an individual moves from event to event in his daily life he has a subjective feeling of the same person, the me , participating in each event and reflecting upon them. The concept of the self answers the question of what it is that underlies the awareness of continuity.

In many cultures, the individual may subscribe to the very general perception of the self held by Americans and, in addition, identify himself by constraints of birth and experience. The self may be given an overly narrow definition by occupation (professor, soldier) or by family (a Smith, a Kennedy) or the primary consideration in defining the self may be locale or ethnic group (a village, a particular mountain tribe in Vietnam). The narrower the perception of the self, the more precisely delineated will be the types of contact the individual will have with others, including people from other nations. The qualities of the “self” concept in American life are reflected by the capital pronoun “I” which demonstrates the individualistic element in English. Another aspect of the self is its use of the possessive, in the sense of “drinking my coffee, ” “ my house, ” “ my country, ” “ my reaction. ” It seems that it is only the association with things or acts in the world which endows the self with significance, as though the self exists locked in solitude and requires the external world to give it vibrancy and meaning.

(E. C. Stewart. “American Cultural Patterns: A Cross-Cultural Perspective”)

a) What does the concept of the individual self assume?

b) What does this concept imply?

c) What may the self be given?

d) How are the qualities of the “self” concept in American life reflected?

2 Give a short summary of the main American values, using the following words and phrases.

form of activity, form of relation to others, perception of the world and perception of the self, decision-making, responsibility, the separation of work and play, temporal orientation, time, effort-optimism, friendliness, informality, equality, cooperation and fair play, the concept self

3 Discuss with your group mates.

a) In your opinion, what aspects of the American / English educational system are the most difficult for foreign students? Base your answer on your experience or the experience of people you know.

b) What are the expectations of professors and instructors? Should they be more than teachers? For example, should they also be counselors, friends, or advisers?

c) In your culture, is “peer-teaching” common? That is, do students ever teach other?

d) In other schools that you have attended, what happened when a student was caught cheating? In your opinion, should students be punished strictly if they share answers on tests or on schoolwork?

e) In what countries is there “beating the system”? Do you approve or disapprove of such a system?

Pre-reading vocabulary

honor system – demand that a student be honest in all areas of schoolwork; no cheating of any kind is allowed;

beat the system – use dishonest ways to succeed.

4 Read the text and do the tasks given below.