The private self and literacy, a synopsis Hans Straub traces the development of silent reading and the ' inner voice'

In the English language there are many expressions and words that indicate our high valuation of the individual. Any dictionary will give you several pages of words that have ‘self' as a component. Philosophically, self is synonymous with the ego,but encompasses one's nature, one's uniqueness, in short,one's individuality, which has come to be positively valued in Western culture. In fact, the idea of self and being has become interwoven in Western culture. What accounts for therelatively high valuation placed on the self in the West as compared, a lesser valuation of the same in other, more collectivistic cultures?