Jim, your reply is instructive. I come at this from studying culture through an archeological, anthropological and historical lens.
From that perspective psychology is a purely western practice that seeks to understand how the western mind copes with western culture. However, western psychology cannot explain how people cope in other cultures.
Western philosophy is not universal anymore than western religion is universal. In fact, religion is not universal. Some cultures have philosophy and no religion at all.
Self-centered-ness is a western cultural construction. Since individualism is not found in collaborative societies, it is not universal (human nature).
That said, I do agree that people resist change until they have a good reason to change.
Hypocrisy is the violation of social agreements. Yes, I am sure people in every society break social rules from time to time. However, western culture revolves around competition for individual rights that encourages people to break rules, agreements and promises — hence people in western cultures value hypocrisy. Cultures that revolve around collaboration encourage people to abide by their agreements, fulfill their responsibilities and keep their promises to each other — hence people live peacefully together.
In my mind, universal — or human nature — is limited to biological characteristics, like genes, hunger, thirst, the need for shelter and companionship, sexual desire, taking care of children, play and storytelling (and other means of passing on accumulated knowledge like writing and religion). Other than biology, culture decides everything else.
Western culture most certainly is white culture. White skin was paramount to the formation of western culture. If you did not have white skin, brains, intelligence, intellect, talent, skill and knowledge were completely worthless. It was so incredibly stupid we can barely accept it now. Nonetheless, it is true.
White people created a white society, a white culture, a white only world for themselves. The idea that white people are examples of human nature is a myth used to terrify white people into obedience. After all, if everyone is like white people — if that is what it means to be human — then every human being is a danger to every other human being.
Your idea of human nature is not universal — not even close. That said, it you constrain your observations to white westerners, I would probably agree with most everything you say.
