人我關係之界定－－「折衷自我」的現身

Defining the Self-other Relation: The Emergence of Composite Self

傳統上，中國人的自我並非一個獨立的實體，而是寓居在人我關係之中；並非跨情境穩定的特質，而是隨關係性質變化呈現；並非行為的指針，而是「道德人」在行為考量中應盡力克服的「我執」。中國人當然不是自我與他人界線不清或疆域模糊，但「互依包容的自我」確是傳統中國文化所型塑的「自我」內涵的核心。然則，西風東漸之後，面對現代化與社會變遷的挑戰，現代華人社會中的中國人已發展出一套兼容並蓄中國傳統「互依包容的自我」及西方文化「獨立自足的自我」的「折衷自我」，而靈活彈性的「人我關係」的界定正是此「折衷自我」現身的前提。本研究以焦點團體與個別訪談的質性研究方法，藉團體動力與深度訪談來刺探「自我」內涵與「人我關係」這樣抽象的概念，讓受訪者用豐富的生活體驗來詮釋「人我界限」如何劃定，並從中窺見「折衷自我」的現身，即現代華人兼顧「獨特性」與「互依性」需求的生活實踐。

The traditional Chinese self is not an independent entity; it dwells in the self-other relation. It is not considered to have traits that are constant across situations, but to manifest according to the nature of the relationship. It is not a guiding force for behavior. Instead, it is to be suppressed and overcome. For traditional Chinese people, the 'self-in-relation' is the core of selfhood. However, with Western influence and the challenges of modernization and social change, contemporary Chinese people have developed a system of 'composite self' that combines the traditional 'self-in-relation' and the Western 'independent and contained self'. The flexible operation of self-other relation is prerequisite to the emergence of this composite self. Analysis of 3 individual interviews and 5 focus group discussions with # Taiwanese participants was used to explore the meanings of abstract concepts such as 'self content' and 'self-other relations, and how the 'self-other boundary' is set in order to understand the emergence of the composite self as a way of expressing both the 'independence' and 'interdependence' needs of contemporary Taiwanese people. Results generally supported the theoretical construct of composite self.