SELF by John Hite Self is a very popular subject with Americans. Go into a Barnes and Noble book store or any major chain and look at all the books concerning self help, self enhancement, self esteem, self motivation, self image and so on.
Self is the focus of our attention.
Many people become interested in Buddhism because they think that it is a form of self enhancement or self betterment. They feel that meditation and other Buddhist practices will make them a better person. It is like Buddhist practice is a form of self improvement. As a matter of fact I have had several people ask me to teach them various Buddhist practices, they wanted to reduce stress in their life etc., but they were not interested in Buddhism as such, just the practice. I find this self improvement approach amusing.