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FeedAre Asian and Western Realities Distinct?
Thursday, September 15, 2005 → by Danieru
"Chinese and American people see the world differently - literally. While Americans focus on the central objects of photographs, Chinese individuals pay more attention to the image as a whole, according to psychologists at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, US." - linkThis seemingly new conclusion about Western and Asian thought patterns has been around for a while now*, but this is the first time I have seen it mentioned in the press. It would seem that a typical Chinese or Japanese person will look at the context or relations of an object before determining its identity whereas a typical American or European will focus on the details of an object, its particular features, to draw conclusions.
"Psychologists watching American and Japanese families playing with toys have also noted this difference. "An American mother will say: 'Look Billy, a truck. It’s shiny and has wheels.' The focus is on the object," explains Nisbett. By contrast, Japanese mothers stress context saying things like, "I push the truck to you and you push it to me. When you throw it at the wall, the wall says 'ouch'."Are our brains wired up differently? It would seem so, and as a consequence we really could be living in different worlds. Comparing the holistic Confucian Philosophies of the East with the Greek Socratic Rationality of the West outlines differences in our cultures centuries in the making and yet, as Nisbett suggests, recognition of these distinctions in our base realities is a relatively recent phenomenon.
Nisbett also cites language development in the cultures. "To Westerners it seems obvious that babies learn nouns more easily. But while this is the case in the West, studies show that Korean and Chinese children pick up verbs – which relate objects to each other - more easily." - link
In the modern, globalised world of today the Individual is key, indeed Western capitalism wouldn't work without this pilarstone of personhood driving its self centered economies. Could China's supposed holistic communism be a true system born of Eastern thought? And is it the contrast between Eastern spirit and Western practice that has brought Japan such animosity from its Asian neighbours?
There are no pure answers to these questions, but as the relationship between the East and West becomes ever more crucial in our drive towards a globalised World this newly acknowledged awareness of each other's realities could be the key to balancing our truly conflicted Global Civilisation.
* (check out the book 'The Geography of Thought' for a detailed overview, containing more detailed psychological evidence collated and written by Richard Nisbett)
Categories: Japan, China, History, News, Politics, Psychology, Asia, Philosophy, Socrates, Confucious, Books Brain, Science
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I've been following some of Nisbett's work for a few months now. I didn't want coutter up your comments section with what ended up being a relatively lengthy post about the article you linked to. But if you have an inclination, please feel free to read what I said.
Your post about the animosity towards Japan was interesting. Not something I had really thought about. Are thre any "official polls" that exist? Are the Japanese actually consciously aware of the animosity (if it exists)? Has there been any actual violence do to racial tensions? I'm aware of some of the animosity tht China has towards Japan--and undoubtedly that will stay until the generation from WWII are gone, but is it really that bad in other Asian countries?
September 16, 2005 1:14 PM
From teaching in Japan and general interest in the development of its culture i would say that Japan is stuck somewhere between its traditions and its desire to become Westernised. Rebellious teenagers, high suicide rates, a faltering (almost illusionary) economic stability. i don't know, its a subjective opinion, but i feel many people would agree with me
and as for Nisbett - have you read this book? I found incredibly interesting and having carried out a few of the referenced psychology tests on both Western and Eastern friends I can vouch for its authenticity. We ALL have different realities anyway, East, West, Purple, Green - it don't make no difference
September 16, 2005 2:57 PM
Modern Japanese women have a strength that is often hard to pin down.
And this above--seems so true in many ways.
i would say that Japan is stuck somewhere between its traditions and its desire to become Westernised.
But hasn't it been that way since the Meiji Reformation? I guess we could look at it as just a long struggle to mediate between the two--with the situation in contemporary times just being an excacerbation of a long stalemate(?)
But yeah--I would probably agree with you too.
No, I have yet to read Nisbett's book--but that will be very close to the top of my list!
having carried out a few of the referenced psychology tests on both Western and Eastern friends I can vouch for its authenticity.
Interesting. I'll look forward to seeing his methodology. Alot of the articles online are just media interpretatinos of his research which I have to take with a little bit of grain of salt. But what I've read of his work-his actual papers--some of the ideas a very compelling. And it is something that very much interests me as the subject is likely to become the topic of my Master's thesis.
We ALL have different realities anyway, East, West, Purple, Green - it don't make no difference
Too true--too true. But finding similarities due to regional proximity or cultural practices at least lets us put some of those differences in perspective by giving them some context.
September 18, 2005 8:49 AM
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