Filipino Psychology

The University of Mindanao

Roxas Extension, Digos City

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Filipino Psychology

Semi Final Examination

In partial fulfillment of the course requirements in

Filipino Psychology

Submitted by:

Jomar C. Librea

Submitted to:

Prof. Jonathan Arendain

March 28, 2017

1. In community Relations, What is pakikipagkapwa means?

        According to Perla (2006).You can't fight feelings of inferiority (whether from stereotypes, colonial mentality or low self-esteem) with feelings of superiority. Because inferiority and superiority come from the same place. And actually colonizer's mentality and colonized mentality come from the same place too. They all come from the illusion of hierarchy of the belief that racial, political, military, educational, cultural, religious aspects of human life make one person, one community, one nation more privileged or better than or over another.

        Furthermore, she stated that Pagbabalikloob and pakikipagkapwa are intertwined. Deeper understanding and feelings of pakikipagkapwa manifest as one comes home to their Loob. Pakikipagkapwa is the realization that another is not the other. Pakikipagkapwa is more than just seeing someone else as your fellow, chum or buddy (like pakikisama). Therefore, it is a realization that others are the same as you that "you and I are both trying to figure things out this game called life and as I do I'll share with you what I found out and you don't have to be the same color nor race.

        On the other hand, Pakikipagkapwa is the centrality of social interaction to Filipinos is well represented in the vocabulary of the languages in the society. In kinship principles, for example are represented by specific terms such as tiya (aunt) or lob (grandfather) to denote generational differences, or kuya and diko (eldest and second brother, respectively) to refer to seniority.

         Similarly, one finds that levels and differing modes of interaction find lexical representation (Enriquez, 1976). Further, these concepts, quite interestingly, correspond in each level to interactions which apparently become more intimate, and. seem to conform to a contingency principle. The outcome of interaction at the first level, for instance, would determine whether or not the actors will decide to deepen the relationship or to keep it at the same level. Presumably, each person's assessment of how well the other behaves according to cultural expectations determines the decisions taken.

        At the same time, the existence of interaction levels point to the other fact that even an outsider may eventually be treated as "one of the family", provided the individual finds his behaviour to be socially acceptable. Again, this points to the relative flexibility of social relations in Philippine society. Kinship and kindred (angkan) do not shut off any' person from interaction with others, regardless of socioeconomic standing, provided that reciprocal obligations are known to both parties, and are used as the bases of behaviour’s. Such developments in social relation usually terminate in ritual kinship ties (as compadres, for example), by which mechanism the "outsider" formally becomes "one-of-us". (Jocano, 1969).

        The value commitment which emerges from the interpersonal context of the kinship structure is that of KAPWA. Pakikipag-kapwa incorporates these prescribed rules of reciprocal privileges and obligations between kindred members. 'Kapwa is the cognitive image of these relationships, and becomes generalized in experience to include all acceptable forms of social relationships (Enriquez, 1981).

1. Concept of Pakikipagkapwa (Shared Identity)

        The core of Filipino personhood is kapwa. This notion of a “shared self” extends the I to include the other. It bridges the deepest individual recesses of a person with anyone outside him or herself, even total strangers. “People are just people in spite of their age, clothes, diplomas, color or affiliations” says the Visayan artist Perry Argel.

        Furthermore, Kapwa is the “unity of the one-of-us-and-the-other,” according to the late Virgilio Enriquez, who declared the concept as a Filipino core value. He upheld that kapwa implied moral and normative aspects that obliged a person to treat one another as fellow human being and therefore as equal position “definitely inconsistent with exploitative human interactions.” But he also foresaw that this Filipino core value was threatened by spreading Western influences, when he wrote: “…once AKO starts thinking of himself as separate from KAPWA, the Filipino ‘self’ gets to be individuated as in the Western sense and, in effect, denies the status of KAPWA to the other.” (Enriquez 1989)

        Another idea of de Guia’s book titled Kapwa: The Self in the Other, also seems to be a succinct definition the concept. But what does “self in the other” mean, Is it a mere sentiment or Is it figurative imagination. As I have said, it translates to action within the relationship. To say that one is your kapwa means to interact with him or her in a particular way. There is loób to be sure, but loób as we have already pointed out is a relational will. The starting point of kapwa is “together.” In fact if we could use only the word “together” as the translation that would be better, was there no need to indicate its specifically human context. It comes first before you break it apart into separate “selves.” The animist tradition hangs in the background, which is why De Guia is able to say that kapwa endorses “the deeper experiences of mankind, akin to an ancient animist connectedness of feeling one with all creation” (De Guia, 2005, p. 173). On the other hand the Christian tradition moves it towards a communion personarum, a communion of persons, which Filipinos call oneness or pagkakaisa—“the highest level of interpersonal interaction possible” and “the full realization” of a relationship with the kapwa (Enriquez, 1992, p. 64).

1. Pakikipagkapwa is “togetherness and pivotal value” Why togetherness? Why pivotal value?

        One of the core values of Filipino is Pakikipagkapwa. A Core Value or both refer to both means 'togetherness', the leader of the main study psychology. Refers both to the community; you are not alone in doing. Others there are two kinds. The first is Other (other people). Other ( "outsider") consists of five areas: Dealing: Interacting civility: the act of mixing Participation: act of joining Adaptability: Social conformity: being united with the group. No Other ( "one-of-us") consists of three spheres: Pakikipagpalagayang kindness act of mutual trust Involvement: Solidarity act of joining others: being one with others.

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