So that, if you wake up and understand that, you find that the two are one and the same identity … one and the same Self … one and the same life.

Human beings have a Self, in the sense that they are able to look back on themselves as both subjects and objects in the universe.

This brings questions about who we are and the nature of our own importance.

Traditions such as Buddhism see the attachment to Self is an illusion that serves as the main cause of suffering and unhappiness.

Christianity makes a distinction between the true Self and the false Self, and sees the false Self negatively, distorted through sin.

The Self is constantly evolving due to the complexities of cultures and societies. Researchers have shown that the Self is dependent on the culture that the Self has been situated in.

The Self is shaped by our social interactions and our physical environments.

An individual’s social interactions occurs when they are in a specific Society or culture.

If these individuals grow up in a certain culture they are going to conform to societal norms and pressures to follow a specific standard that their culture believes in.