prelim lesson 1 Flashcards
Filipinos are open to others and feel one with others. We regard others
with dignity and respect, and deal with them as fellow human beings.
is manifested in a
basic sense of justice and fairness, and in concern for others.
It is demonstrated in the Filipino’s ability to
empathize with others, in helpfulness and generosity in times of need (pakikiramay), in the practice of bayanihan
or mutual assistance, and in the famous Filipino hospitality.
pakikipagkapwa-tao
Filipinos possess a genuine and deep love for the family, which includes not simply the
spouses and children, parents, and siblings, but also grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, godparents, and other
ceremonial relatives.
To the Filipino, one’s family is the source of personal identity, the source of emotional and
material support, and the person’s main commitment and responsibility.
Family Orientation
Filipinos have a great capacity to adjust, and to adapt to circumstances
and to the surrounding environment, both physical and social.
Unplanned or unanticipated events are never
overly disturbing or disorienting as the flexible Filipino adjusts to whatever happens.
We possess a tolerance for
ambiguity that enables us to remain unfazed by uncertainty or lack of information.
We are creative, resourceful,
adept at learning, and able to improvise and make use of whatever is at hand in order to create and produce.
Flexibility, Adaptability and Creativity
Filipinos have the capacity for hard work, given proper conditions.
The desire to raise
one’s standard of living and to possess the essentials of a decent life for one’s family, combined with the right
opportunities and incentives, stimulate the Filipino to work very hard.
This is manifested most noticeably in a
willingness to take risks with jobs abroad, and to work there at two or three jobs. The result is productivity and
entrepreneurship for some, and survival despite poverty for others.
Hard work and Industry
Innate religiosity enables us to comprehend and
genuinely accept reality in the context of God’s will and plan. Thus, tragedy and bad fortune are accepted and
some optimism characterizes even the poorest lives. Filipinos live very intimately with religion; this is tangible-
a part of everyday life. We ascribe human traits to a supernatural God whom we alternately threaten and thank,
call upon for mercy or forgiveness, and appease by pledges. Prayer is an important part of our lives.
Faith and Religiosity
Filipinos view the world in terms of personal relationships and the extent to which one is
able personally to relate to things and people determines our recognition of their existence and the value.
There
is no separation between an objective task and emotional involvement.
This personalism is manifested in the
tendency to give personal interpretations to actions, i.e., to “take things personally.”
Extreme Personalism
While concern for the family is one of the Filipino’s greatest strengths, in the
extreme it becomes a serious flaw. Excessive concern for the family creates an in-group to which the Filipino is
fiercely loyal, to the detriment of concern for the larger community or the common good.
extreme family-centeredness
One waits to be told what
has to be done. There is a strong reliance on others, e.g., leaders and government, to do things for us. This is
related to the attitude towards authority. Filipinos have a need for a strong authority figure and feel safer and
more secure in the presence of such an authority. One is generally submissive to those in authority, and is not
likely to raise issues or to question decisions. Filipinos tend to be complacent and there rarely is a sense of
urgency about any problem. There is a high tolerance for inefficiency, poor service, and even violations of one’s
basic rights. In many ways, it can be said that the Filipino is too patient and long-suffering (matiisin), too easily
resigned to one’s fate. Filipinos are thus easily oppressed and exploited.
Passivity and Lack of Initiative
made up of two dimensions: the first is a lack of
patriotism or an active awareness, appreciation, and love of the Philippines; the second is an actual preference
for things foreign. Filipino culture is characterized by an openness to the outside–adapting and incorporating
the foreign elements into our image of ourselves. Yet this image is not built around a deep core of Philippine
history and language. The result is a cultural vagueness or weakness that makes Filipinos extraordinarily
susceptible to the wholesome acceptance of modern mass culture which is often Western. Thus, there is
preference for foreign fashion, entertainment, lifestyles, technology, consumer items, etc.
Colonial Mentality
Filipinos have a selfish, self-serving attitude that generates a feeling of envy and
competitiveness towards others, particularly one’s peers, who seem to have gained some status or prestige.
Towards them, the Filipino demonstrated the so-called “crab mentality”, using the levelling instruments of
tsismis, intriga and unconstructive criticism to bring others down. There seems to be a basic assumption that
another’s gain is our loss. Filipino culture is characterized by an openness to the outside–adapting and
incorporating the foreign elements into our image of ourselves. Yet this image is not built around a deep core
of Philippine history and language.
kanya-kanya syndrome
Joking
about the most serious matters prevents us from looking deeply into the problem. There is no felt need to
validate our hypotheses or explanations of things. Thus we are satisfied with superficial explanations for, and
superficial solutions to, problems. Related to this is the Filipino emphasis on form (maporma) rather than upon
substance. There is a tendency to be satisfied with rhetoric and to substitute this for reality. Empty rhetoric and
endless words are very much part of public life. As long as the right things are said, as long as the proper
documents and reports exist, and as long as the proper committees, task forces, or offices are formed, Filipinos
are deluded into believing that what ought to be actually exists.
Lack of Self-Analysis and Self-Reflection
