The Nature of the Self, Self-regulation and Moral Action: Implications from the Confucian Relational Self and Buddhist Non-self

Abstract

The concept of the self and its relation to moral action is complex and subject to varying interpretations, not only between different academic disciplines but also across time and space. This paper presents empirical evidence from a cross-cultural study on the Buddhist and Confucian notions of self in SMEs in Vietnam and Taiwan. The study employs Hwang’s Mandala Model of the Self, and its extension into Shiah’s non-self-model, to interpret how these two Eastern philosophical representations of the self, the Confucian relational self and Buddhist non-self, can lead to moral action. By demonstrating the strengths of the model, emphasizing how social and cultural influences constrain the individual self and promote the social person leading to moral action, the paper extends understanding of the self with empirical evidence of the mechanisms involved in organizational contexts.

Faculty evaluation in higher education: a theory-of-action case study in Vietnam

“…Buddhism movements, such as Engaged Buddhism, have significantly promoted the ethical and egoless approaches to leadership and management in Vietnamese organisations (Chu & Vu, 2021). Buddhist managerial practices, which are characterised by context-specific, nonextreme and sustainable approaches, help leaders respond to the problems of morality and social-trust issues (Vu & Tran, 2021).…”

“…7-9). The Buddhist emphasis on reflexivity and contextuality, together with its sustainable approaches to management (Chu & Vu, 2021;Thich Nhat Hanh, 1987), arguably has a positive influence on Vietnamese approaches to individual faculty members' learning and improvement in various practices, including faculty evaluation in higher education.…”

“…However, there were a few participants who acted on their own values rather than being confined by political and cultural constraints. In spite of its scarcity, these participants' self-reliant approach suggests a potential influence of Buddhist principles of self-transformation, contextuality and reflexivity on improving practices (Chu & Vu, 2021; Thich Nhat Hanh, 1987).1 In this study, faculty refers to a group of teachers or departments in a university whereas faculty members emphasises individual teachers. Faculty and faculty members are also referred to as higher education teachers, instructors, lecturers or teaching staff in other studies.…”

“…However, there were a few participants who acted on their own values rather than being confined by political and cultural constraints. In spite of its scarcity, these participants' self-reliant approach suggests a potential influence of Buddhist principles of self-transformation, contextuality and reflexivity on improving practices (Chu & Vu, 2021; Thich Nhat Hanh, 1987).…”

Bring Your Non-self to Work? The Interaction Between Self-decentralization and Moral Reasoning

“…However, unlike its economic reforms, reforms to the legal and regulatory systems have not generated well-functioning markets (Trubek & Santos, 2006), leading to ineffective law enforcement resulting in institutionalized corruption (Cuadra et al, 2010;Vu, 2021a) and a reduced level of trust in institutions and society (Vu & Tran, 2021;Vu, 2020). Within this context, self-identity construction and the practice of non-self is inevitably surrounded by tensions around moral responsibility and moral actions (Chu & Vu, 2021), which is worth examining. We recruited fifty-three participants from across twenty-eight organizations across a number of different industries.…”