The Dialogical Self: Converging East–West Constructions

Abstract

Prompted by the work of Hermans, we attempt to construct the dialogical self informed by Eastern traditions. To describe dialogical phenomenology, we turn to three resources: (a) Chinese intellectual traditions, (b) dreams and (c) daily life. Dialogical attributes are described: the dialogical self is capable of polyvocality, but also of achieving unity with diversity; metacognition is vital to its development. We attempt to clarify the relation between dialogics and dialectics: The dialogical self is capable of taking an active part in the interaction between inner and outer dialectics, and hence of participating in its own creation and transformation. Finally, we illustrate how the study of dialogical movements may be operationalized.