Psy 2103

Unit 4. Kapwa Psychology and the Filipinization of Personality Theories

Topic 1. The Filipino Personality: The Shared Inner Self

HISTORY OF KAPWA

● The kapwa ideology existed in our country long before the time of our colonizers.
● The basic structure of our ancestral social groups made kapwa not just a virtue, but a
law, a set of unspoken rules which dictated the hierarchy of a barangay (village),
maintained social order, and ensured all families’ needs were met and provided for.
● When the Spanish, and then the Americans, landed in our country, kapwa was a way for
Filipinos to stand in solidarity against Western influence.
● Kapwa = Filipinos
● Them/Others = Colonizers

KAPWA: A CORE CONCEPT IN FILIPINO PSYCHOLOGY

● Sikolohiyang Pilipino or Indigenous Filipino Psychology is also known as Kapwa

Psychology.
● The core of Filipino personhood is kapwa. This notion of a “shared self” extends the I to
include the other.
● Enriquez (1978) defined kapwa as “the unity of the self and others, a recognition of
shared identity, an inner self shared with others.”
● Enriquez proposed a new rendition of the word kapwa that bears its profound and
powerful meaning: shared inner self.
● The ako (ego) and the iba-sa-akin (others) are one and the same in kapwa psychology.
● ” Once ako starts thinking of himself as different from kapwa, the self, in effect, denies
the status of kapwa to the other (Enriquez, 1978).

SOCIO-PERSONAL VALUES

● Kagandahang-loob (shared humanity)

● karangalan (dignity),
● katarungan (justice),
● kalayaan (freedom).
●

PAKIKIPAGKAPWA

● shared identity and a shared inner self.

● “accepting and dealing with the other person as an equal.”
● “a regard for the dignity and being of others”
TAGALOG WORDS THAT CARRY WITH SENTIMENTS AND FEELINGS THAT RESONATE
AT A SUBLIMINAL LEVEL:

● Kababayan means my fellow-countryman

● Kaakbay means to support.
● Kaibigan means friend
● Kasama means someone I am with
● Kaanak means one’s kin
● The word “kapwa” originated from two words: Ka– a - union and Puwang– space.
● Union - any kind of relationship
● Space - something that we share with others as fellow-Filipinos and fellow-human
beings

PAKIKIRAMDAM: THE PIVOTAL ASPECT OF KAPWA

● Pakikiramdam refers to heightened awareness or sensitivity.

● Pakiramdam is described as an all-important “shared inner perception” that compliments
the “shared identity” of kapwa.
● Pakiramdam operates behind all Filipino values.
● Because of kapwa, Filipino feeling, or pakiramdam, is a participatory process, where
emotions are experienced mutually.
● Pakikiramdam is necessarily tied to the operation of all Filipino surface values:
pakikisama, hiya, utang na loob.
● Utang na loob or the debt of gratitude - we owe to others, particularly those who are
superior to us.
● The improvisatory character of pakikiramdam is operative in bahala na, lakas ng loob,
pakikibaka
● The centrality of pakikiramdam in behavioral and interpersonal domains:
biro-lambing-tampo.

BAHALA NA (TACIT TRUST)

● The way Filipinos use the expression, “Bahala Na” had long been misinterpreted by
foreigners as demonstrating the fatalism of happy-go-lucky people.
● Sikolohiyang Filipino salvaged “Bahala Na!” from this fatalistic reputation into a value.
● “determination in the face of uncertainty”
● Lagmay attributed the dynamics of courage and determination to this notion of
“Bahala-na!” which calls for risk-taking in the face of possible failure.
● resourcefulness and creativity in order to survive.
● “Bahala-na!” then, signifies an improvisatory skill.
THE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS IN THE THEORY OF KAPWA

● ACCOMMODATIVE SURFACE VALUE

Hiya “propriety / dignity”

- is shame, shyness, losing face, and embarrassment. It is the Filipino reaction to

anything which is an affront to his honor, dignity, or pride.

UTANG NA LOOB “gratitude”

- a Filipino cultural trait that means debt of gratitude or reciprocity

PAKIKISAMA “companionship”

- ability of a person to get along with others to maintain good and harmonious
relationships.

● ACCOMMODATIVE SURFACE VALUE

BIRO “joke”

- famous Filipino trait to find humor or joy in everything

TAMPO “affective disappointment”

- refer to that feeling of not being angry and not being happy either after being
ignored or insulted by somebody.

LAMBING “sweetness”

- a way of affection and tenderness

● CONFRONTATIVE SURFACE VALUE

BAHALA NA “determination”

- courage and faith in God; derived from the word “bathala na”

LAKAS NG LOOB “guts”

- being courageous in the midst of problems and uncertainties

PAKIKIBAKA “resistance”

- ability of Filipinos to undertake revolutions & uprisings against the common

enemy
FILIPINO CONCEPTS IN UNDERSTANDING PERSONALITY

● In defining the concept of Filipino personality, Enriquez (1994) notes that we have
actually a long tradition of theorizing.

THREE REFLECTIONS ON THE FILIPINO PERSONALITY

1. Ma’aram’s concept of pagkatawo (personhood)

5 ELEMENTS:

❖ Ginhawa (vital principle)

❖ Buot (perception)
❖ Isip (mind)
❖ Dungan (sleep spirit)
❖ Kalag (life spirit)
2. Baltazar’s bait (sanity), muni (reflection), and hatol (judgment)
3. Covar’s concept of Filipino personhood is based on:

4 ELEMENTS:

❖ Kaluluwa (spirit) - life’s source

❖ Budhi (conscience) - guides a person in his actions and judges the life he
leads
❖ Katauhang Panlabas (external appearance) - refers to the physical
characteristics associated with body parts and its related meanings
❖ Katauhang Panloob / Loob (innermost being) - refers to the innermost
feeling of an individual

OTHER FILIPINO CONCEPTS OF LOOB

CONCEPT DEFINITION

IPAGKALOOB TO ENTRUST

LAGAY NG LOOB MOOD, STATE OF MIND / FEELING

TINING NG LOOB CLARITY OF THINKING & FEELING

KABABAANG LOOB HUMILITY

KUSANG LOOB INITIATIVE

KAPALAGAYANG LOOB CONFIDANT

MASAMA ANG LOOB ANGRY, HOLDING A GRUDGE

MASAMANG LOOB CROOK

MAHINA ANG LOOB COWARD

 LABAG SA KALOOBAN UNWILLING

MALUWAG SA KALOOBAN WILLING

KABUTIHANG LOOB GOOD NATUREDNESS

Topic 2. Indigenous Identity vs. the Colonial Image of the Filipino

THE COLONIAL IMAGE OF THE FILIPINO

● Colonial Period
- It began in 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan arrived and claimed it as a Spanish
colonial empire.
- It ended in 1898 but was also the beginning of American occupation.
- In 1941 was the start of the Japanese occupation.
- 1946 is when the Philippines finally gained independence.

● Indio - A Spanish colonial racial term used on the native people of the Philippines during
the 16th and 19th centuries.
- It referred to as “poor people of our country who could be slaves and peasants
only.”
● Filipino Identity and Self-image
- Due to colonialism, racial superiority and inferiority have become evident and
have resulted in uneven power relations. colonization has hindered Filipinos from
developing a genuine cultural identity by institutionalizing whiteness in the Filipino
culture.
- Whiteness, a discursive practice that reinforces the symbolical association of a
white skin tone with superiority.
● Rizal’s Annotation of Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
- Rizal had definite views about the problems of what we would call today
"Orientalist" images of Filipino society held by colonial-era scholars.
- This comes across very clearly in his annotation and republication of Antonio de
Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Historical Events of the Philippine
Islands), a work that first appeared in 1609 and created by De Morga.
- Rizal's objective in annotating and republishing this work was to correct what he
understood to be erroneous reports and slanderous statements that could be
found in most Spanish works on the Philippines.
- He also wanted to recover the pre-colonial past that was erased from the
memory of Filipinos by colonization.
Topic 3. The Compliant Filipino

COMPLIANT

- Ready or disposed to comply.

- Conforming to requirements.

Synonyms: OBEDIENT and SUBMISSIVE (Merriam-Webster, n.d.)

WHY ARE FILIPINOS COMPLIANT?

1. Hiya

● Shame
● Controls the social behaviors and interactions of a Filipino.
● Causes Filipinos to obey and show respect to their parents, older siblings, and
other adults in authority.
● An essential component of family loyalty. (Geminiano, 2022)

2. Utang na Loob

● Debt of gratitude and reciprocity. (Menguin, n.d.)

3. Learned to be compliant to power

● Carrying out the commands of colonizers, dynastic monarchs, or tribe elders.

● Want to maintain good relationships and avoid punishment. (JoeAm, 2019)
OBEDIENT VS. SUBMISSIVE
(DifferenceBetween.com, 2014)
Obedient Submissive

● Following orders or commands. ● Yielding to power or authority.

● The act is not the genuine desire of ● Willful and out of respect for the
the individual. person in power or authority.
● A mere response to an order, ● As an individual submits to authority
command, or instruction. or power, there exists a particular
● When a person obeys a rule, it is not bond between the one who submits
because the individual wills it but and the one in power.
because they have little choice to do
otherwise.

Example: Example:

A worker who has been ordered to work When we speak of God, we submit to God
extra hours during the festive season would and do not obey God. This is because there
complete the work and obey the orders of is love and respect for the greater power and
their superiors. Why is it an act of authority.
obedience? Because it results in a situation
where if the worker does not comply with the
instructions, he may risk his position.

ARE FILIPINOS OBEDIENT?

YES… but

● “When they are obedient, there were reasons for doing so."
● “People remain obedient, but they are still fearful and, perhaps, even more confused.”
● The obedience came from fear and the hope of finding a base for security and
confidence. (Montelibano, 2021)

NO… because of the following factors:

1. Common sense, not too common

● If you look at the rules that most Filipinos ignore or disregard, these are rules that
don’t take much common sense to figure out.

2. The “Diskarte” culture

● As a means to circumvent rules, no matter the consequences or no matter what
kind of inconvenience it may bring to other people. It doesn’t matter, as long as
the outcome is favorable to them.
 3. Following rules is corny
● Since breaking them is cool.

4. Herd Mentality
● “Everyone is doing it, so why shouldn’t I?” (The Weekend Warrior, 2021)

DEPENDS

● "I have observed that Filipino discipline is situational. If the enforcement of laws is proper
and fair, Filipinos follow accordingly. However, if we know that leaders don’t follow the
order themselves, we easily do the same! Since many of our leaders are corrupt, it’s no
wonder that many of our government services are corrupt, too! Discipline indeed starts in
the family; children normally follow what their parents do. If parents are disciplined,
children will likely grow disciplined, too." (Anacta, n.d.)

FILIPINOS BEING SUBMISSIVE

1. Colonial Mentality

● The perception of ethnic and cultural inferiority.

● A form of internalized racial oppression.
● A direct consequence of the Philippines' long history of colonialism. (Decena,
2014)

“The Philippines’ history of colonization created uncertainty about what really defines our
culture, to the point that many Filipinos now have feelings or otherness and shame about
our Filipino culture and ourselves,” (Heins, 2022)

How can we can slowly change our mindset?

By remembering:

“You are not what the colonizer perceives you as. You are not inferior. You are not less
than. You determine your own identity, your own worth, and your own self-perception.
You have the power to be whom you want to be, and no one has the right to diminish
that.”
Topic 4. The Confrontative Filipino

CONFRONTATIVE

from the word confront

tending toward or ready for confrontation
To meet face-to-face, especially defiantly

CONFRONTATIVE SURFACE VALUE

-the ability of the Filipino to undertake revolutions and uprisings against a common enemy.

For example,
the EDSA revolution does not guarantee freedom but with the mentality of bahala na, lakas ng
loob, and pakikibaka the Philippines was freed from dictatorship.

What makes Filipino Confrontative?

Bahala Na
Lakas Ng Loob
Pakikibaka

BAHALA NA

● "whatever happens, happens,"

● is a Filipino attitude that expresses courage and faith in God.
● The word bahala is actually a derivative of the word Bathala
● bahala na is the attitude of a risk-taker, of the unreasonable man

Bahala Na as Positive or Negative Trait

Positive Negative

● having courage and faith to God ● Filipino become lazy

● encouraging their selves ● a fatalistic submission or a form of
● having determination avoidance of responsibility.
Is Bahala Na attitude helpful?

The bahala na phenomenon becomes a coping mechanism in the face of risky undertakings.
This hope keeps people going. Without hope, we would live a life of despair, desperation and
fatalism.

LAKAS NG LOOB

● "courage or fortitude"
● inner strength
● having a strength or courage to do something despite of problems

PAKIKIBAKA

● struggle , conflict, war or to fight

● means concurrent clashes
● "NOT just activism but a desire to change the world".