In Philippine Culture

Culture of the Philippines

Philippine culture is related to Micronesian, Bornean, Mexican and Spanish cultures. The people today are mostly of Malayo-Polynesian origin, although there are people with Spanish, Mexican, Austro-Melanesian and Chinese blood. Geographically, the Philippines is considered part of Southeast Asia...

, Loob or Kalooban refers to one's inner self, or, more specifically, to the internal dimension of a person's identity

Identity (social science)

Identity is a term used to describe a person's conception and expression of their individuality or group affiliations . The term is used more specifically in psychology and sociology, and is given a great deal of attention in social psychology...

. It's external counterpart is labas - the physical, outward appearance. Loob is a core concept in Filipino Psychology, a field which is unthinkable without both the internal and external dimensions, "loob"/"labas".

Loob or kalooban has been compared to similar concepts in other Southeast Asian

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

 and Oceanian

Oceania

Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...

 cultures, such as the Indonesian

Culture of Indonesia

Indonesian culture has been shaped by long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is central along ancient trading routes between the Far East and the Middle East, resulting in many cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of...

 concept of batin or kebatinan.

Concepts whose expression involves "loob"

The word Loob, simply taken as 'inside' and not a construct, is also used for "looban," which means an interior compound, or community; and for the term "manloloob", which means 'robber', literally 'someone who enters'.

As a core concept of value, Loob and its variants are a critical aspect of numerous Filipino value constructs, of which the following are examples:

Concept	Definition	Literal Meaning
Utang na loob Utang na loob Utang-na-loob is a Filipino cultural trait which academics sometimes refer to as "reciprocity," and which transliterates as "a debt of one's inner self ." It is also sometimes translated as a "debt of gratitude." In the study of Filipino psychology, utang na loob is considered an important...	Debt of gratitude	'Borrowed inner self'
May utang na loob	A good person, a person who understands what it means to owe a debt of gratitude	'With an inner debt'
Nakikingutang ng loob	To seek a favor from someone	'To borrow one's inner self'
Ipagkaloob	To entrust	'To put inside someone's inner self'
Lagay ng loob	Mood, one's state of mind or feeling	'State of the inner self'
Lakas-loob	Courage	'Inner force'
Tibay ng loob	Inner strength, resilience	'Durability/strength of the inner self'
Tining ng loob	Clarity of thinking, feeling, volition	'Calm of the inner self'
Kababaang loob	Humility	'Lowness of the inner self'
Kabutihang-loob	Good naturedness	'Inner goodness/kindness'
Kagandahang loob	Generosity, noblemindedness	'Inner beauty'
May kusang-loob	One who does his work without prodding	'With inner direction/volition'
Payapang loob	A calm person, to be at peace, to accept	'Inner peace'
Mapagkaloob	A generous person	'One who shares his inner self'
Mahina ang loob	A coward	'Weak inner self'
Malakas ang loob	A daring person, can be positive (to be courageous) or negative (the phrase Ang lakas ng loob mo! is often synonymous with the English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... rebuke 'How dare you!')	'Strong inner self'
Malamig ang loob	An indifferent person	'Coldness of the inner self'
Pikit ang loob	One who is blind to injustice	'Closed inner self', 'Shut from the inside'
Mabigat ang loob	The state of being sad, heavy-hearted	'Heaviness of the inner self'
Maluwag sa loob	A state of being willing, cheerfully ready	'Loose from the inside', 'Inner openness'
Wala sa loob	A state of being unwilling	'Not to have it in oneself'
Tapat na kalooban	Sincerity, loyalty, trustworthiness	'Truth of the inner self'
Masasamang-loob	Criminals	'Those with bad inner beings'
Kapalagayang loob	Confidante, intimate	'One you would entrust your inner self with'
Pampalubag-loob	Consolation	'Salve for the inner self'
Kagaanang-loob	Grace, something to pacify intense emotion such as anger	'Lightness/Lifting of the inner self'
Saloobin	One's inner thought or inner feelings, attitude	'The entirety of the inner self'
Masama ang loob	To hold a grudge, to be angry with	'Feel bad inside', 'Sickness of the inner self'