关键词: 互依自我 差序格局 道德自我 三重自我 文化会聚自我

Abstract: Hazel Markus and Shinobu Kitayama first proposed that there could be two views of self-construals, namely independent construal and interdependent construal. Many scholars recognize that the Chinese are prominently interdependent self-construal to their western counterparts. Besides theoretical disputations, there are mainly two approaches in studying Chinese interdependent self-construal. One is Chinese indigenous approach, the other is cross-cultural approach. The Chinese indigenous approach advocates that researchers should base on the principle of "indigenous compatibility" to study self. They construct three typical theories: the theory of differential mode of association(DMA), the four-part theory of the Chinese self (FPT), the theory of moral self(TMS). DMA treats individual as the center of the world and gives different values to other people associated with the individual. Some studies discover that the contemporary Chinese attach not only to blood ties, but also to other forms, for instance, classmates, friends, colleagues, etc. Ideas related to FPT first appeared in 1960s. Hsu argued that the Chinese self is situational or social centered. Inspired by Hsu, Ho regarded the Chinese self as the relational self. At nearly the same time Yang believed that the social oriented Chinese interdependent self contained three subtypes, that is, relational orientation, family orientation and others orientation. Some scholars who supported TMS have different viewpoints. They advocated that individuals who have the ultimate meaning consciousness under the enlightenment of the Confucian culture could make a new psychological identity of the unity of heaven and man. However, studies supported TMS have mainly stayed on the speculation level or phenomenological description level. Cross-cultural approach recognizes the tripartite model of self-construal(TMS) and the polycultural self theory(PST). According to TMS, self can be divided into individual self, relational self and collective self based on different level of representation. Some studies discovered significant differences between the Chinese and the Westerners in representing themselves at those three levels. For the Chinese, in the early stage of processing, relationship self and collective self are more dominant; In the late processing stage, the individual occupies the advantage of processing. But the Westerners have always been the dominant individual self. The differences between the three levels of self in Han, Tibetan and Hui Nationalities were compared also. Chiu and Yang create the polycultural self theory(PST), and argue that some people have a new type of self-construct, the polycultural self, to adapt to the complex multicultural environment. Possessing a dynamic structure, the polycultural self characterized by its hybrid cultural identities, manages multiple cultural identities at the same time. Those theories concerning with interdependent self-construal can be systematically grasped from the Meaning Maintenance Model. From different views to understand the essence of Chinese selves, DMA is suitable for explaining the individual centered interdependent self-construal; FPT is suitable for social oriented interdependent self-construal; TMS is suitable for explaining the ultimate meaning self in Confucian culture; PST is suitable for explaining the new kind of self identity emerged in the globalization era. In sum, the Meaning Maintenance Model offered a dynamic multiple perspective to explicate the Chinese interdependent selves.

Key words: interdependent self, differential mode of association, moral self, the tripartite model of self-construal, polycultural self