Filipino psychology, or Sikolohiyang Pilipino, in Filipino, is defined as the psychology rooted

on the experience, ideas, and cultural orientation of the Filipinos. It is formalized in 1975 by
the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (National Association for Sikolohiyang
Pilipino) under the leadership of Virgilio Enriquez who is regarded by many as the Father of
Filipino Psychology.
History

Filipino Psychology emerged and grew as part of the nationalist indigenization movement in the
Philippines that was formalized in 1975.
The roots of Filipino Psychology can be traced back to the introduction of the American
education system in the Philippines. Agustin Alonzo was among the first Filipino psychologist to
return from his education in America 1925 to teach at the College of Education in the University
of the Philippines. Arriving with them psychological knowledge rooted in the American tradition
of psychology. Western psychology is taught in schools as universal and scientific despite being
insensitive and inappropriate to Philippine culture. This hegemony of Western American
Psychology is referred to as Colonial Psychology.
During the 1960s, many Filipino intellectuals and scholars were already aware of the limitations
and inapplicability of Western Psychology. Western-oriented approaches in research in
particular, had led scholars to paint the Filipino through the “judgmental and impressionistic
views of the colonizers.”[1] It is with the use of American categories and standards that “the
native Filipino invariably suffers from the comparison in not too subtle attempts to put forward
Western behavior patterns as models for the Filipino.”[2] Early efforts to correct the traditional
way of teaching and studying psychology in the 1960s include the translation of foreign
materials and the use of the Filipino language as a mode of instruction, however, these efforts
fails to address the problems brought about by colonial psychology as these efforts were sparse
and not collaborated upon by psychologists.
It was only in the 1970s when a concerted effort to address colonial psychology in the form of
Filipino Psychology. It was during the turbulent time of Ferdinand Marcos' dictatorship when
nationalist and radical sentiment among scholars had allowed Filipino Psychology to emerge.
Filipino Psychology, along with advances in Filipinology and similarly History’s Pantayong
Pananaw, was led by Virgilio Enriquez, Prospero Covar, and Zeus A. Salazar in the
indigenization movement of their respective fields.

Enriquez returned from his studies to the Philippines in 1971 and established the Philippine
Psychology Research House (now Philippine Psychology Research and Training House,
PPRTH). In 1975, the very first annual national conference on Filipino Psychology was held by
the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (PSSP) marking the formalization of Filipino
Psychology.
Basic orientation and context
Filipino Psychology is described as largely postcolonial and as a liberation psychology. There
are even some had even argued that it is a local variant of Critical Psychology since it served as
an emancipatory social science since it aims to decolonize academic neocolonialism.

Filipino psychology is usually thought of as a branch of Asian psychology, 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 Eastern psychology.
Historical Threads of Philippine Psychological Thought

In 1985, historian Zeus A.Salazar identified four different traditions upon which Philippine
psychology can be traced:

 Academic Scientific Psychology or Akademiko-siyentipikal na Sikolohiya: This follows the

American-oriented psychological tradition that can be traced back to Wilhelm Wundt in
1876. It was introduced in the Philippines through formal American education system in
universities.
 Academic Philosophic Psychology or Akademiko-pilosopiya na Sikolohiya: This was started
by priest-professors at the University of Santo Tomas during the 17th century Spanish era.
This tradition originally came from the writings of the preachers and monks in philosophy
and "pre-scientific" Spanish elites and would later join with the American-oriented scientific
psychology.
 Ethnic Psychology or Taal na Sikolohiya: this is the Philippine indigenous psychology in the
sense that this includes the frame of psychological reasoning, enculturation practices,
beliefs, and proto-clinical practices that can be culled from language, literature, myths,
legends, etc. This also includes psychological systems worked out by Filipinos with Filipino
indigenous elements as basis (eg. Hermano Pule, Rizal, Isabelo de los Reyes, Kalaw, etc.)
and Sikolohiya ng mga Pilipino (Psychology of the Filipino) as formulated by Virgilio
Enriquez.
 Psycho-medical Systems or Siko-medikal na mga Sistema: A psychological tradition that is
closely related to ethnic psychology. The psycho-medical tradition that has religion as the
basis and explanation. This includes the faith healing practices of the babaylan and the
katalonan. According to Salazar, he believes that “no real healing could take place if there
were no common ideology or frame of reference… understood and accepted by both healer
and patient.”[3]

Basic tenets
Core value or Kapwa (shared inner self)

Kapwa is the core construct of Filipino Psychology. Kapwa has two categories, Ibang Tao and
Hindi Ibang Tao.

 Ibang Tao ("outsider") There are five interaction levels under this category:
 o Pakikitungo: civility - right behavior meant right demeanor towards authorities (Parents,
Elders, etc.).
o Pakikisalamuha: act of mixing - This is a social value that is primarily communitarian. It
espouses the ability to adapt.
o Pakikilahok: act of joining - This translates to participation of the entire community to
help a person.
o 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.
o Pakikisama: being united with the group.
 Hindi Ibang Tao ("one-of-us") There are three interaction levels under this category:
o Pakikipagpalagayang-loob: act of mutual trust
o Pakikisangkot: act of joining others
o 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 their 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' 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: 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.
o 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.
o 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 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 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.
Organizations

 Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (National Society for Filipino Psychology)

 Bukluran sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Union of Filipino Psychology)
 TATSULOK - Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (TATSULOK - Alliance of
Students of Filipino Psychology)

See also

 Asian psychology
 Indigenous psychology
 Filipino values
 Men in the Philippines
 Women in the Philippines
 Loob
 Tampo
 Mental health care in the Philippines

References

1. Enriquez, V.G. (1992). From Colonial to Liberation Psychology. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press.
p.57
2. Enriquez, V.G. (1992). From Colonial to Liberation Psychology. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press.
p.57
3. Salazar, Z. (2018). Four Filiations in Philippine Psychological Thought. Handbook of Filipino Psychology, p. 38.

 Casuga, S., Rhodius, A., & Vogel, E. (2011). The experience of the bahala na attitude among Filipino athletes in
international sporting competition (Doctoral dissertation). John F. Kennedy University, Pleasant Hill,
California. ISBN 978-126-745-839-1
 Enriquez, V. (2004) "Indigenous Psychology and National Consciousness" Chapters 1, 2, 3 & 6 in From Colonial
To Liberation Psychology: The Philippine Experience. De La Salle University Books, Dasmariñas,
Cavite. ISBN 971-542-002-8
 Enriquez, V. (1976) "Sikolohiyang Pilipino: Perspektibo at Direksiyon" pp 5–21. Sikolohiyang Pilipino: Teorya,
Metodo, at Gamit. Inedit ni R. Pe-Pua. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1995.
 Guanzon, M.A. (1985) "Paggamit ng Panukat na Sikolohikal sa Pilipinas: Kalagayan at mg Isyu" pp 341–362
nasa New Directions in Indigenous Psychology: Sikolohiyang Pilipino, Isyu, Pananaw at Kaalaman. Inedit nina
A. Aganon at M.A. David. Manila: National Bookstore.
 Mendoza, S. L. (2007). Theoretical Advances in the Discourse of Indigenization. Mga Babasahin Sa Agham
Panlipunang Pilipino: Sikolohiyang Pilipino, Pilipinolohiya, at Pantayong Pananaw., 241-297.
 Orteza, G. (1997) "Pakikipagkuwentuhan: Isang Pamamaraaan ng Sama-samahang Pananaliksik,
Pagpapatotoo at Pagtulong sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino" nasa PPRTH Occasional Papers Series 1997, No.
 Orteza, G. at D. Tuazon "Ang Pagmamasid Bilang Katutubong Pamamaraan ng Pananaliksik sa Sikolohiya" pp
74–90 nasa Mga Piling Babasahin sa Panlarangang Pananaliksik. Tinipon ni R. Pe-Pua. Lungsod Quezon:
Unibersidad ng Pilipinas.
 Paredes-Canilao, N., & Babaran-Diaz, M. (2013). Sikolohiyang Pilipino: 50 Years of Critical-Emancipatory Social
Science in the Philippines. Critical Psychology in Changing the World, 265-283. Retrieved
from https://thediscourseunit.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/philippines-i-765-783.pdf.
 Pe-Pua, R. at E. Protacio-Marcelino (1998) "Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino Psychology): A legacy of Virgilio G.
Enriquez. Papel na binasa sa International Association on Cross-Cultural Psychology Conference sa Bellingham,
Washington State, US, 3–8 August 1998. Fulltext at: Blackwell-Synergy and IngentaConnect
 Pe-Pua, R. (1985) "Pagtatanong-tanong: Katutubong Metodo ng Pananaliksik" pp 416–430 nasa New Directions
in Indigenous Psychology: Sikolohiyang Pilipino, Isyu, Pananaw at Kaalaman. Inedit nina A. Aganon at M.A.
David. Manila: National Bookstore.
 Pe-Pua, R. (2006). From Decolonizing Psychology to the Development of a Cross-Indigenous Perspective in
Methodology; The Philippine Experience. Indigenous and Cultural Psychology; Understanding People in
Context. (pp. 109 - 137). Retrieved October 2, 2016,
from http://indigenouspsych.org/Resources/Indigenous%20and%20Cultural%20Psychology%20-
%20Understanding%20People%20in%20Context.pdf
 Salazar, Z. (1985) "Hiya: Panlapi at Salita" pp 288–296 nasa New Directions in Indigenous Psychology:
Sikolohiyang Pilipino, Isyu, Pananaw at Kaalaman. Inedit nina A. Aganon at M. A. David. Manila: National
Bookstore.
 Salazar, Z. A. (1980). Faith Healing in the Philippines. Asian Studies Journal. Retrieved September 21, 2018,
from http://www.asj.upd.edu.ph/mediabox/archive/ASJ-18-1980/salazar.pdf
 Salazar, Z. (2018). Four Filiations in Philippine Psychological Thought. Handbook of Filipino Psychology, The
University of the Philippines Press. 32-42.
 Sta. Maria, Madelene and Carlo Magno. Dimensions of Filipino Negative Social Emotions, 7th Conference of the
Asian Association of Social Psychology, July 25–28, 2007, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, scribd.com
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Retrieved 18 August 2016, from http://www.journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/djwf/article/viewFile/3808/3492

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