The Relation Between the Self and Others: A Transcultural Neuroimaging Approach

Cultural differences in the relationship between self and others induce different self-concepts. Chinese define the self in terms of connectedness with in-group members in an interdependent manner whereas Westerners view the self as a unique and autonomous entity that is separated from others in an independent manner. This chapter reviews recent neuroimaging studies that investigated the neural basis of representations of the self and close others by comparing brain imaging results obtained from Chinese and Westerners. We suggest that cultural specific neural representations of the self constitute the basis for Chinese–Western cultural differences in most cognitive processes.