Dialogues of the Self

Abstract

The investigation of selfhood and the various ramifications thereof have acquired a special ‘position’ in recent writings. Hermans’ theory of the dialogical self has provided the discipline with a useful model to work with. Yet again, as psychologists from a ‘non-Western’ community, we find ourselves having to adjust in the process of ‘acculturating’ with the theoretical proposals and corresponding methods. The idea of a dialogically created and socially sustained dynamic self, which supposedly transcends cultures, is more comforting to the Asian mindset. However, there are several assumptions that need to be addressed. This commentary enunciates some of the implications of the theory from the standpoint of a distant culture.