Philippine psychology - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Filipino psychology, or Sikolohiyang Pilipino, in Filipino

Filipino language

This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...

, is defined as the psychology rooted on the experience, ideas, and cultural orientation of the Filipinos

Filipino people

The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....

. It is regulated by the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino, (National Organization of Filipino Psychology), in English, which was established in 1975 by Virgilio Enriquez

Virgilio Enriquez

Virgilio G. Enriquez is known as the Father of Filipino Psychology "Ama ng Sikolohiyang Pilipino", Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino, a field he established in 1975....

, regarded by many as the Father of Filipino Psychology.

Basic orientation and context

Filipino psychology is usually thought of as a branch of Asian psychology

Asian psychology

Asian psychology is a branch of ethnic psychology that studies psychological concepts as they relate to Asian culture. This includes psychologists studying in the cross-cultural prespective.-Asian Psychology Movement:...

, the placement, determined primarily on culture. However, there is an ongoing debate on the make-up of Philippine culture, because this will generally determine whether Philippine Psychology is to be placed under the realms of either Asian psychology or Western psychology. The vast majority of Philippine psychologists seem to prefer to classify this field as Asian, but there is a steadily growing body that attempts to place the field as Eurasian.

Four traditions

Zeus Salazar (1985), a historian, identified four traditions upon which Philippine psychology is rooted:

Academic Scientific Psychology or Akademiko-siyentipikal na Sikolohiya: Western Tradition: This follows the tradition of Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt was a German physician, psychologist, physiologist, philosopher, and professor, known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology. He is widely regarded as the "father of experimental psychology"...

in 1876 and is essentially the American-oriented Western psychology being studied in the Philippines.
Academic Philosophic Psychology or Akademiko-pilosopiya na Sikolohiya: Western Tradition: This was started by priest-professors at the University of Santo Tomas
University of Santo Tomas
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines , is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the...

. This tradition is mainly focused on what is called 'Rational psychology'.
Ethnic Psychology or Taal na Sikolohiya: This is the tradition on which Philippine psychology is primarily based. This refers to the indigenous concepts that are studied using indigenous psychological orientation and methodologies.
Psycho-medical Religious Psychology or Sikolohiyang Siko-medikal: The tradition that fuses native healing techniques and explains it in an indigenous religious context.By Noeco C. Marquiño,BS. Psychology UNO-R.

Core value or Kapwa

Kapwa, meaning 'togetherness', is the core construct of Filipino Psychology. Kapwa has two categories, Ibang Tao (other people) and Hindi Ibang Tao (not other people).

Ibang Tao ("outsider") There are five domains in this construct:
- Pakikitungo: civility
- Pakikisalamuha: act of mixing
- Pakikilahok: act of joining
- Pakikibagay: conformity
- 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 'shame' by most Western psychologists, Hiya is actually 'sense of propriety'.
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: This attitude, loosely translated into English as 'fatalistic passiveness', actually describes the Filipino way of life, in which, he is determined to do his best, hence the term bahala na, which actually came from the phrase bathalan na, meaning 'I will do all my best, let God take care of the rest'.
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.
- 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, or lapit, and methods, or pamamaraan, 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 many 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 or tulay, as opposed to staying in the house. The term dalaw literally means 'visit'.
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 kalahoks 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'.
Pakapa-kapa: In this approach, the researcher uses 'groping', or a mixture of feelings as well as circumstances, to justify his intrusion into the life of his/her participants or kalahok. The term kapa literally means 'to grope in the dark'.

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 can be found only in the Philippines or in other nations with which Filipinos share racial 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
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...

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
Brugada syndrome
The Brugada syndrome is a genetic disease that is characterised by abnormal electrocardiogram findings and an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. It is named by the Spanish cardiologists Pedro Brugada and Josep Brugada...

and to the ingestion of rice. However, no such medical ties have been proven.

Filipino psychopathology also refers to the different manifestations of mental disorders in Filipino people. One example of such is the manifestation of depression

Clinical depression

Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...

and schizophrenia

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...

in Filipinos, which are for the most part, less violent.

Psycho-medicine

Organizations

Pambansang Samahan Sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino
Tatsulok
Bukluran sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino

External links

Washington, Brad D. Understanding Nonverbal Communication of Filipinos: A Traditional Form of Literacy, Journal of Filipino Studies, California State University East Bay, journaloffilipinostudies.com

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