Filipino Thought Patterns

Filipino Mental Frames

• Florentino Timbreza used Metalinguistic Analysis to study Filipino mental frames.
• Language, thought, culture, and society are interconnected.
• People's thought patterns and habits are evident in their language use, idioms, and sayings.

Hugis-pag iisip

• The Filipino's thought patterns include:
• The "Kaisipang Kasi" or "It's your fault" mentality involves blaming others as an escape mechanism.
• The "Kaisipang Ganyan-lang-ang-buhay" expresses acceptance of life's true nature.
• The "Kaisipang Tayo'y-Tao-Lamang" acknowledges human frailty and imperfection.
• The "Kaisipang Okey-Lang" reflects a lighthearted attitude towards life.
• The "Kaisipang Pasensiya-ka-na" involves accepting everyone's truths, weaknesses, shortcomings, and mistakes, leading to forgiveness, repentance, and patience.
• The "Kaisipang Makakaraos-Din" expresses the belief that life’s circumstances are only temporary.

Pilosopiyang Pilipino

• According to Armando Bonifacio's Filipino Philosophy, everyone develops their own unique philosophy.
• Personal philosophies affect how individuals interact with their environment.
• Personal philosophy are not exclusive to intellectuals.
• Fundamental values are internalized, influencing decisions, beliefs, and actions.

Notions of Personal Philosophy

• Ethical notions involve fundamental values determining good or bad, as influenced by family, teachers, peers, books, or movies.
• Metaphysical notions involve beliefs in a higher reality, such as anitos, ancestral spirits, and religious worship.
• Epistemological notions concern the nature and sources of knowledge, originating from schools and society.

Reflection & Belief

• Reflection involves evaluating one's personal philosophy through continuous learning, relearning, and unlearning, while objectifying and analyzing the foundation of values.
• Belief reconstruction can involve retaining, changing, or modifying aspects of one's personal philosophy.

Kaalaman at Karunungan

• Emerita S. Quito stated philosophers seek after knowledge.
• Philosophers often ask, "Why am I here on Earth?"
• Philosophy relies on intellect or reason to discover answers whereas religion uses the Word of God.
• Philosophy uses an intelligence based approach
• Religion uses a faith-based approach.
• Philosophy's approach involves a constantly questioning mind.
• Religion's approach involves faith accepting the truth revealed.

Ethics

• For Quito, ethics are the standard of goodness.
• Understanding one's role in society is vital for goodness to be expressed.

Moral Law

• Moral law encompasses principles that apply to individuals.
• Understanding human nature in relation to universal law to is important for discerning what is moral.

Essence of Man

• The essence of humankind includes:
• Body
• Life
• Feelings
• Thought
• Freedom to violate universal laws

Conscience

• Conscience enables us to discern good from bad actions and reminds us of principles.

Pagkilos

• Katamtamang Pagkilos is associated with Aristotle's Doctrine of the Mean.
• Perfection is found in the middle ground; too much or too little is imperfection.

Pandiwa

• Pagtitimping Pandiwa refers to instances of mental reservation when lying is considered good.

Goodness

• The Guide to Goodness and Badness is determined by objective (layunin), means (paraan), and situation (katayuan kalagayan).

Philosophy as Practice

• Roque J. Ferriols, S.J., philosophy as practice is important.
• Philosophy should be applied in practical situations to effectively learn and understand theories.
• Living philosophy is necessary for it to make sense.
• A father asked kids to draw a gumamela, but the kids all draw a circle with semicircles. The father got upset because the kids were limited to only what they learned from school.
• Our sense of wonder shouldn't be trapped in school, but implemented in their lives.

Sikolohiyang Pilipino

• Virgilio Enriquez states Sikolohiya sa Pilipinas is psychology imported to and conducted in the Philippines.
• It is a general form of psychology in the Philippine context.
• Sikolohiya ng mga Pilipino involves theorizing about the psychological nature of Filipinos from local or foreign perspectives.
• Sikolohiyang Pilipino is rooted in the experiences and thoughts of Filipinos, utilizing Filipino culture and language by assessing historical and socio-cultural aspects, understanding Filipino characteristics through the eyes of native Filipinos.

Sikolohiyang Pilipino Outcomes

• Sikolohiyang Pilipino outcomes include a body of knowledge with indigenous concepts.
• Indigenous research methods and personality testing development.
• New teaching directions in psychology.
• Active participation in organizations among Filipino psychologists and social scientists in the Philippines and overseas.

Sikolohiyang Pilipino Opposition

• Sikolohiyang Pilipino opposes psychology that perpetuates the colonial status of the Filipino mind.
• It is against the imposition of Third World psychologies developed in industrialized countries.
• It opposes psychology used for mass exploitation.

Filipino Values

• Bahala na is a Filipino value.
• Common interpretation: Filipino attitude that accepts sufferings and problems, leaving everything to God.
• Sikolohiyang Pilipino perspective: determination and risk-taking, facing difficulty with one's best effort.
• Hiya is another Filipino value.
  • Common interpretation: Shame, the uncomfortable feeling of being in a socially unacceptable position, or performing a socially unacceptable action.
  • Sikolohiyang Pilipino perspective:
    • nakakahiya → embarrassing
    • Napahiya → placed in an awkward position
    • Ikinahiya → be embarrassed with someone
    • Mahiyain → shy
    • Kahihiyan → sense of propriety or embarrassment
• Utang na Loob is a Filipino value.
  • Common interpretation: “debt of gratitude"; the principle of reciprocity when someone helps another. The receiver feels obligated to repay the debt in the future when the helper needs assistance, or by sending gifts.
  • Sikolohiyang Pilipino perspective: a social glue that binds a person to his or her home community, not necessarily repaid in the near future.
• Pakikisama at Pakikipagkapwa is a Filipino value.
  • Common interpretation: pakikisama is close to conformity—maintaining smooth interpersonal relations by going along with the group or majority decision.
  • Sikolohiyang Pilipino perspective: at the heart of Filipino values, treating the other person as “kapwa' or fellow human being.

Istruktura ng Pagkataong Pilipino

• The structure of the Filipino person is like a jar with labas (outside), loob (inside), and lalim (depth).

Tambalang-Lapit

• Mukha at isipan pertains to face and mind.
  • Each facial part has a unique nature (forehead, eyebrows, eyelashes, eyes, nose, mouth, lips, tongue, snout, chin, cheeks).
  • The mind is the source of spirit, consciousness, awareness, reason, talent, kindness, and understanding.
  • Example combinations:
    • Broad forehead: intelligent mind.
    • Frowning eyebrows: brave, angry, or sulky mind.
    • Sparkling gaze: loving mind.

Other structures

• Dibdib at Puso refers to chest and heart, relating to feelings, desires and pleasures.
• Examples of combinations: - Relaxed chest: heart without secrets, happy feelings. - Low chest: humble heart, shyness. - Tight chest: heart full of sorrow, heavy feelings.
• Tiyan at Bituka refers to stomach and intestines.
  • Examples of combinations:
    • Large stomach: gluttonous intestines, full.
    • Small or empty stomach: hungry intestines, poor, underfed.
    • Worms in the stomach: greedy intestines, selfish, materialistic.
• Sikmura at Atay refers to stomach and liver.
  • It is used to assess emotions (well-being), mind, actions, and the deeds of others.
  • The liver was used to discern fate or make decisions.
  • Examples of combinations:
    • Bad stomach: liver with bad feelings.
    • Strong stomach: liver accepting everything.
• Kaluluwa at Budhi refers to soul and conscience:
  • The soul is a source of life and comfort.
  • The soul establishes life, while conscience judges completed life.
  • Conscience persecutes and molds.
  • The location of conscience, lies everywhere in the whole being, the soul is at the base and core.
    • Examples:
    • Beautiful or ugly soul: kind or evil conscience.
    • Righteous or wicked soul: kind or mischievous conscience.
    • Pure or tainted soul: pious or sinful conscience.

Pantayong Pananaw

• Zeus Salazar's Pantayong Pananaw has four perspectives on understanding Filipinos.
• The foreign perspective used to dominate understanding Filipinos.
• Salazar emphasized focusing on fellow Filipinos' perspectives to understand one another.

Pananaw

• Pangkaming Pananaw: Insiders explain to outsiders, stating "We Filipinos are like this."
• Pansilang Pananaw: Outsiders describe another group of outsiders, stating "They Filipinos are like this."
• Pangkayong Pananaw: Outsiders address insiders, stating "You Filipinos are like this."
• Pantayong Pananaw: Values the insider's POV through lived experience, emphasizing language for comprehending reality, stating "We Filipinos are like this."
• It embodies interconnected traits, values, knowledge, wisdom, desires, customs, behavior, and experiences within a culture.
  • The meaning and characteristics of Pantayong Pananaw are rooted in the internal interconnectedness.
• It is expressed through a language within a self-contained cultural discourse.