Sentence:  [A]nd that one great and all-important occasion and provocative of these beliefs was actually the "rise of self-consciousness" — that is, the coming of the mind to a more or less distinct awareness of itself and of its own operation, and the consequent development and growth of Individualism, and of the <WSD>Self-centred</WSD> attitude in human thought and action. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Concerned with the self, as opposed to the greater good of one's group, community, tribe, etc.; individualistic.