Why does the East and West have different thinking?

A few decades ago, scientists were inclined to reject differences in the thinking of East and West. However, the overwhelming number of studies revealed a characteristic skew. Most of the subjects in the psychological tests were white well-to-do and educated citizens who preached the principles of democracy. Almost 70 percent of them were American students who do not spare their personal time for the sake of science and are hoping to get a reward for it.

Studies with a western bias

But on the basis of one group of people it is impossible to form an idea of the universal truths of human nature. No one will deny that people living in Japan and Western Europe are used to thinking differently. Each ethnic group has its own traditions and customs. It seems that the research work of scientists is a propaganda of the Western way of thinking. After all, if a select group of volunteers personified an average earthling, it would not be necessary to emphasize once again that this earthman lives in the western regions of the planet.

Collectivism or individualism?

And only now scientists began to consider the representatives of the East and West as completely different subjects. They identified the main difference between them: the relation to the concepts of "collectivism" and "individualism". Oriental citizens are used to put above all the collective and the interests of surrounding people. Westerners are considered to be outlandish individualists, self-sufficient and independent.

Differences are too great

The social orientation of the inhabitants of the East and West also shapes further differences between the representatives of these regions. When Europeans and Americans answer the questions of standard sociological surveys, they show excessive self-confidence, overestimating the bar of their abilities. It can be said that the "cult of personal growth" is thriving in the West, which teaches people to be successful and to place their needs above the social ones. Each inhabitant of the left hemisphere is fixated on his own happiness, each action of man is made through the prism of self-affirmation. For example, 94 percent of respondents from among American professors classified their intellectual abilities as "above average".

Mentality of a resident of East Asia

As for the sociological surveys conducted in East Asia, a completely opposite picture was revealed. For example, the Japanese tend to underestimate their abilities. These people will never come to mind excessively feeding their ego and vanity. They do not treat scrupulously questions of rights and personal freedom and regard their existence as an integral part of society as a whole. The culture and thinking of the inhabitants of the East are holistic, or focused on the integrity of the picture, while the western priorities are based on individualism, that is, on individual elements of the overall picture.

Case in point

Differences in worldview can be traced to the example of a simple test. When people are offered to break inanimate objects into categories, they do it differently. What do you say if you are asked to indicate two interrelated concepts in the list "bus, train, way"? As long as you choose the answer, let's say that the inhabitants of an individualistic Western society unite in one category two vehicles. Which, in general, is logical. But representatives of the holistic eastern mentality unite the concepts of "train" and "path". Thus, they notice the functional connection between these two words, which constitute a complete picture of the journey.

conclusions

Experts say that residents of East and West, looking at the same situation, interpret it in different ways. But if these people focus on different things, it means that they live in completely different worlds. And although there is no evidence that social orientation can have a genetic component, it is clear that people adopt the behavior of others. So, for example, Japanese emigrants in America reconfigure their thinking into an individualistic channel.