“Selflessness” in the Service of the Ego: Contributions, Limitations and Dangers of Buddhist Psychology for Western Psychotherapy

Buddhist psychology has now gained some credence in the West and is starting to exert a growing influence both on various areas of medicine and well-established Western psychotherapies. We reviewed key texts of both the Eastern and Western Buddhist literature, with particular emphasis on recent well-established Western authors. The Buddhist concept of "selflessness" is often perceived by Westerners as a recommendation for the dissolution of their ego and its propelling forces in their competitive societies, instead of an invitation to dispel the artificial compactness of their "I." With the notions of "Self" and "No self" placed at the interface of Buddhist psychology and Western psychotherapies, this article: (i) attempts a description of the pros and cons of the two approaches and (ii) points at a probably greater therapeutic potential when the two work hand in hand rather than as antagonists. Some of the limitations resulting from such a joint approach will also be highlighted.