Filipino psychology

Filipino psychology

WHAT IS FILIPINO PSYCHOLOGY?

Filipino psychology

It is an Indigenous Psychology The scientific

study of the ethnicity, society and culture of a
people and the application to psychological
practice of indigenous knowledge rooted in the
people’s ethnic heritage and consciousness.
Virgilio G. Enriquez (1994).
Filipino psychology

Pagbabangong-Dangal: Indigenous Psychology

& Cultural Empowerment. Akademya ng Kultura
at Sikolohiyang Pilipino: Lungsod ng Quezon.
The Psychology of,
about, and for the
Filipinos
Psychology as an academic discipline in the Philippines
started in the early 1900s when the U.S. colonized the
country. Scientifically, it was generally viewed as a
continuation of the development of psychology in the
West.
In the early 1970s, however, there came a turning
point in the lives of Filipinos. It was a period marked by
a high degree of nationalism, brought about by the
declaration of the Martial Law. It was ironic that the
father of Philippine Psychology was, at that time, a
recent Ph.D. graduate of Northwestern University in
the U.S.
It was precisely his Western education that made Sikolohiyang
Pilipino founder Virgilio Enriquez realize the need to have a
psychology based on the experience, ideas, and orientation of
the Filipinos. Together with three other colleagues—Prospero
Covar (anthropologist), and Zeus Salazar (historian), and
Alfredo Lagmay (psychologist)—they helped establish the
foundation for a psychology of and for the Filipinos.
Enriquez had been a professor of Psychology in the
University of the Philippines in Diliman in 1963, but left
in 1966 for the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. in Social
Psychology. From there, he watched the
disenchantment of young student activists in the
Philippines over the deteriorating political and social
conditions of the country.
When Enriquez returned to the Philippines in 1971, he
embarked on a research study with Lagmay into the historical
and cultural roots of Philippine Psychology, which included
identifying indigenous concepts and approaches.
Four years later, he chaired the first national conference on
Filipino Psychology. In this conference, the ideas, concepts, and
formulations of Sikolohiyang Pilipino were formally articulated.
Sikolohiya sa Pilipinas Psychology in the Philippines
refers to a series of events related to the field of
psychology in the Philippines. (e.g. number of degree
programs and journals, the amount of research
conducted) ang pinakamalaki o kabuuang anyo ng
sikolohiya sa kontekstong Pilipino.
 Sikolohiya ng mga Pilipino(Psychology of
Filipinos) refers to any theories or knowledge of
Filipino nature regardless of source, Western or
local palasak na anyo sapagkat
pinakakaraniwan o madaling makita.
Sikolohiyang Pilipino(Filipino Psychology) refers to a
psychology based on the Filipino’s true thoughts,
feelings, behaviors and must derive from indigenous
Filipino sources, language, and methods. nilalayong
anyo, sikolohiyang bunga ng karanasan, kaisipan at
oryentasyong Pilipino
Basic Tenets
 Core value or Kapwa (togetherness)

Kapwa, meaning 'togetherness', is the core construct

of Filipino Psychology. Kapwa refers to community; not
doing things alone. Kapwa has two categories, Ibang
Tao (other people) and Hindi Ibang Tao (not other
people). Filipinos value conformity because unlike non-
Asian countries, its culture is predominantly Christian.
This runs into conflict with individualism (kanya-kanya)
which was brought about by Western colonialism.
Ibang Tao ("outsider") There are five domains in this construct:
– Pakikitungo: civility - In Confucian ethics, right behavior meant
right demeanor towards authorities (Parents, Elders, etc.).
– Pakikisalamuha: act of mixing - This is a social value that is
primarily communitarian and Confucian. It espouses the ability
to adapt.
– Pakikilahok: act of joining - This translates to participation of
the entire community to help a person.
– Pakikibagay: conformity - This runs into conflict with
individuality which many Filipinos in fact willingly throw away
in favor of conformity with demands of those who are in
charge.
– Pakikisama: being united with the group.
Hindi Ibang Tao ("one-of-us") There are three
domains in this construct:
– Pakikipagpalagayang-loob: act of mutual trust
– Pakikisangkot: act of joining others
– Pakikipagkaisa: being one with others
 Pivotal interpersonal value

Pakiramdam: Shared inner perceptions. Filipinos

use damdam, or the inner perception of others'
emotions, as a basic tool to guide his dealings
with other people.
 Linking socio-personal value

Kagandahang-Loob: Shared humanity. This

refers to being able to help other people in dire
need due to a perception of being together as a
part of one Filipino humanity.
 Accommodative surface values

Hiya: Loosely translated as 'shyness'Utang na loob:

Norm of reciprocity. Filipinos are expected by their
neighbors to return favors—whether these were asked
for or not—when it is needed or wanted.
Pakikisama and Pakikipagkapwa: Smooth
Interpersonal Relationship, or SIR, as coined by Lynch
(1961 and 1973). This attitude is primarily guided by
conformity with the majority.
 Confrontative surface values
Bahala Na: Bahala Na translates literally as "leave it up
to God (Bathala)" and it is used as an expression, almost
universally, in Filipino culture. Filipinos engage in the
bahala na attitude as a culture-influenced adaptive
coping strategy when faced with challenging situations.
Lakas ng Loob: This attitude is characterized by being
courageous in the midst of problems and uncertainties.
Pakikibaka: Literally in English, it means concurrent
clashes. It refers to the ability of the Filipino to
undertake revolutions and uprisings against a common
enemy.
Societal values
Karangalan: Loosely translated to dignity, this actually refers to
what other people see in a person and how they use that
information to make a stand or judge about his/her worth.
– Puri: the external aspect of dignity. May refer to how other people
judge a person of his/her worth. This compels a common Filipino
to conform to social norms, regardless how obsolete they are.
– Dangal: the internal aspect of dignity. May refer to how a person
judges his own worth.
Katarungan: Loosely translated to justice, this actually refers to
equity in giving rewards to a person.
Kalayaan: Freedom and mobility. Ironically, this may clash with the
less important value of pakikisama or pakikibagay (conformity).
 Approaches and methods
Approaches, and methods,in Filipino Psychology are different
from that of Western Psychology. In Filipino Psychology, the
subjects, or participants, called kalahok, are considered as
equal in status to the researcher.
The participants are included in the research as a group, and
not as individuals - hence, an umpukan, or natural cluster, is
required to serve as the participants, per se. The researcher is
introduced to a natural cluster by a tulay (bridge), who is a part
of the umpukan and is a well-respected man in the community.
Some of the approaches and methods used in Filipino
Psychology are:
Pakikipagkuwentuhan: In this method, the researcher engages
in a story-telling with an umpukan. The researcher merely
serves as the facilitator, while the kalahok or participants are
the one who are to talk. The term kwento, from the Spanish
word cuento, literally means 'to tell a story'.
Panunuluyan: In this method, the researcher stays in
the home of his kalahok or participant while he
conducts the research with consent by the host family,
whose head serves as the tulay to an umpukan. The
term tuloy, which is the root word of the
term panunuluyan, literally means 'to go in'.
Pagdadalaw-dalaw: In this method, the researcher
occasionally visits the house of his host as opposed to
staying in the house.
Pagtatanung-tanong: In this method, the researcher
undergoes a kind of questioning session with
his kalahok or participants. In this method, however,
'lead questions' (those questions which directly refer
to the topic being studied) are not supposed to be
asked, instead the questions to be asked are supposed
to have been derived from the kalahok's answers
themselves. The word tanong literally means
'question'.
Pakikiramdam: In this approach, the researcher
uses entirely his/her own feelings or emotions
to justify if his participants or kalahok are ready
to be part of his research or not. The
term damdam literally means 'inner perception
of emotions'.
Psychopathology

Filipino psychopathology, or sikopatolohiya in Filipino,

from Spanish psicopatologia, is the study of abnormal
psychology in the Filipino context. Several mental
disorders have been identified that 
culture-bound syndromes, and can therefore be found
only in the Philippines or in other societies with which
Filipinos share cultural connections.
Examples of such are:
Amok: Malayan mood disorder, more aptly called "Austronesian Mood Disorder", in
which a person suddenly loses control of himself and goes into a killing frenzy, after
which he/she hallucinates and falls into a trance. After he/she wakes up, he has
absolutely no memory of the event.
Bangungot: A relatively common occurrence in which a person suddenly loses control
of his respiration and digestion, and falls into a coma and ultimately to death. The
person is believed to dream of falling into a deep abyss at the onset of his death.
This syndrome has been repeatedly linked to Thailand's Brugada syndrome and to
the ingestion of rice. However, no such medical ties have been proven.
Manifestation of universal mental disorders

Filipino psychopathology also refers to the

different manifestations of mental disorders in
Filipino people. One example of such is the
manifestation of depression and schizophrenia
in Filipinos, which are for the most part, less
violent.
Psycho-medicine and faith healers

Filipino psychomedicine, or sikomedikal na sikolohiya in Filipino,

is the application of basic psychology to native healing
practices loosely considered as 'medicine'. These practices are
closely tied to the faith healers, as well as to the native pagan
priestesses like the babaylan or katalonan, who were
suppressed by the Spaniards during their colonization of the
Philippines.
Examples of such practices include:
Hilot: The use of massage to aid a pregnant mother in the delivery of her child.
Kulam: Hex or bewitchment.
Lihi: An intense craving for something or someone during pregnancy. Faith healers
or manghihilot testify that if the craving is not satisfied, abnormality of the child may
result.
Pasma: A concept that explains how init (heat) and lamig (cold) together can result in
illness, especially rheumatism.
Susto: Soul-flight. Derived from Latin American traditions.
Pagtatawas: A method of diagnosing illness wherein alum (called tawas) is
ritualistically used by the albularyo or medicine man for diagnosis of a variety of
health conditions. Thetawas is used to 'cross' (sign of the cross) the forehead and
other suspicious or ailing parts of the body as prayers are being whispered
(bulong or oracion). It is then placed on glowing embers, removed when it starts to
crack, then transferred to a small receptacle of water. As it cools, its softened form
spreads on the water surface and assumes a shape that may suggest the cause of
the illness, often one of several indigenous forces: dwarfs, devils or other evil spirits
(na-nuno, na-kulam, na-demonyo). The water in the vehicle is then used to anoint
the ailing part or parts of the body to counteract the evil forces or illness.
The tawas is then discarded and thrown westward, preferably into the setting sun.
Usog: A concept that explains how a baby who
has been greeted by a stranger acquires a
mysterious illness. Apparently derived from the
Spanish tradition of Mal de Ojo.
Gabâ or gabaa: The Visayan concept of
negative Karma
 The Status
of Sikolohiyang
Pilipino Now
Sikolohiyang Pilipino continues to thrive,
despite the death of Enriquez in the early 90s.
Its proponents continue to advocate for a
psychology that is truly responsive and
reflective to the needs and the unique situation
of the Filipino people.