CHAPTER-4.docx

**CHAPTER 4** **FILIPINO GENERAL CHARACTER TRAITS** **The Deferent Filipino General Character Traits** - **Filipino as an individual** ***Personalistic.*** Filipinos give to interpersonal relations or face-to-face encounters. Successful leadership or being a good manager necessitates a persona...

**CHAPTER 4** **FILIPINO GENERAL CHARACTER TRAITS** **The Deferent Filipino General Character Traits** - **Filipino as an individual** ***Personalistic.*** Filipinos give to interpersonal relations or face-to-face encounters. Successful leadership or being a good manager necessitates a personal touch, and problem -solving is effective if handled though good personal relations. - **Filipino as a Social Being** ***Familialistic**.* The Welfare of the family is the basis of group actions and interest of the family over those of the community. Almost all community activity centres on the family. The family, and ont the individual, decides on the important matters, and these are decided on the basis of family, not individual interest. The family honor, and not that of the individual, is at stake when a family member makes a mistake. - **Filipino as a Moral Being** ***Particularistic*** (*conformis*t). It results from the strong family influence on individual and group behaviour. Individuals strive to promote their own and their family\'s interest over community interests. Being Popular among peer groups is highly desirable, hence Filipinos make special efforts to entertain friends and relatives. Knowing how to entertain people (marunong umasikaso ng kapwa) is important. Conformity is proper codes of conduct reaps the rewards of cooperation and assistance; non-conformity is punished by withdrawal of support. **Dr. Emerita Quito**, a well-known philosophy professor in the Philippines, wrote an article \"The Ambivalence of Filipino Traits and Values\". In her article, she proposes to take a second look at these so - called negative values and traits in the Filipino psyche. She said that Filipino Values and Traits show ambivalence of positive and negative in aspect. The following are as follows: **The POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE Ambivalence of Filipino Values and Traits.** +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | HIYA (*SHAME*) | | +===================================+===================================+ | - Describes as morality of | Positive: | | slaves | | | | | | - This trait reduces on to the | | | smallest | | | | | | - Making the person timid, | | | meek, and weak. | | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | NINGAS-COGON (*PROCRATSTINATION*) | | +===================================+===================================+ | | Positive: | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | PAKIKISAMA (*GROUP LOYALTY)* | | +===================================+===================================+ | | Positive: | | | | | | - It contributes to peace of | | | mind - lack of stress | | | | | | - Disagreements are often | | | avoided | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | PATIGASAN (*TEST OF STRENGTH*) | | +===================================+===================================+ | - Hardheaded | Positive: | | | | | - Resist all efforts for | | | reconciliation | | | | | | - Childish, Vindictive, | | | Irresponsible, Irrational | | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | BAHALA NA (*RESIGNATION*) | | +===================================+===================================+ | | Positive: | | | | | | - Relies on superior power | | | | | | - Conductive to Humility, | | | Modesty, and Lack of | | | Arrogance | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | | KASI (*SCAPEGOAT)* | | +=======================+=======================+=======================+ | - Alibi for failure | | - Can see both | | | | sides of the | | - Disowns | | picture and knows | | responsibility | | exactly where a | | | | project failed | | | | | | | | - Will never suffer | | | | guilt of self - | | | | recrimination | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | SAVING FACE | | +===================================+===================================+ | - It enables a person to shirk | Positive: | | responsibility | | | | - It makes a person make a | | - One is never accountable for | graceful exit from guilt | | anything | | | | - Person\'s psyche is saved | | | from undue embarrassment | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | SAKOP (*INCLUSION*) | | +===================================+===================================+ | - Stunts growth and prevents a | Positive: | | person from growing on one\'s | | | own | - Cares for the family and clan | | | | | - Generating a life of | - Shown concern for the family | | parasitism | | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | MAÑANA HABIT (*PROCRATSTINATION*) | | +===================================+===================================+ | - Constantly postpones actions | Positive: | | | | | - Accomplishes nothing | - Not stress and tension | | | | | | - Learn to take what comes | | | naturally | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | UTANG NA LOOB (*INDEBTNESS*) | | +===================================+===================================+ | - Overlook moral principle when | Positive: | | one is indebted to a person | | | |  Recognitions of one\'s | | - Condones what the other | indebt-ness | | person does and will never | | | censure him for | | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ KANYA - KANYA (*SELF - CENTERDNESS*) -- -------------------------------------- -- **Filipino values** [are ambivalent in the sense that they are potential for good or evil, help or hindrance to personal and national development, depending on how they are understood, practiced or lived.] They can be used in a good or evil context for every value has a counter value. Considering the ambivalent nature of Filipino values and traits, there is a need to reflect much of our values and channel our intentions and motivations towards the positive side of our values. Human nature is naturally good. At least it leans decidedly towards an awareness of the good, and a preference for it, over evil and injustice. Despite appearances, human nature is inherently self0relaizing and self-perfecting in moral understanding and aspiration more than practice. Morality grows in human beings spontaneously alongside physical limbs, basic mental and social capacities. Both individually and in social interaction the human species evolves mature more conscience and charter despite the many psychological and social impediments that slow or derail the process for a time. **Striving for excellence** is [the activity of the soul]. One needs to understand the very structure of a person\'s soul which must be directed by his or her rational activity in an excellent way. Developing a practical wisdom involves learning from experiences. Knowing that right thing to do when one is confronted by a choice is not easy. One needs to develop this knowledge by exercising the faculty of practical reason in his or her daily life. A person may initially make mistakes, but though these mistakes, a person will be able to attain practical wisdom through one\'s ability to know morally right choices and actions. One also seek the advice of elders in the community those who gained right life experiences and practical wisdom. What is moral character? **Moral character** refers to the existence of virtues such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honest, and loyalty. Moral character is also a disposition or the tendency to act or thing in a particular way for which a person can be held morally responsible. Thus moral character traits are rational, informed, stable, and reliable dispositions. How do moral characters develop? Moral development is the gradual development of an individual\'s concept of right and wrong, religious values, social attitudes and certain behaviour. **Moral development** is [rooted in the ancient views For the *Confucian traditions*]*,* [moral development was attributed to the ***\"four beginnings***]***\"*** of the human personality. These were considered as the seeds of human personality that will naturally unfold to become human activities. In this concept, every person is born with the four beginnings. **The four beginnings** are as follows: \(1) Heart of Compassion which leads to JEN, *(2) Heart of Righteousness* which leads to *YI*, *(3) Heart of Propriety* which leads to *LI*, (*4) Heart of Wisdom* which leads to *ZHI*. **Jen** means goodwill, sympathy towards others, and generosity. **Yi** means righteousness and the respect of duty towards humanity and nature. **Li** deals with outward behaviour such as etiquette, customs, and rituals. **Zhi** means wisdom and this is the result or product of practicing Jen, Yi, and Li. Each of these beginnings does not capture the concept of self. It is only they are put together that the potential self is revealed. **Lawrence Kohlberg**, a development psychologist and moral philosopher, studied morality using a very controversial technique. In his research, he asked children, teenagers, and adults from various walks of life to try and solve moral dilemmas in short stories and asked the participants to thing out loud so he could follow their reasoning. **Kohlberg** was not interested to the specific answer to every dilemma and he just wanted to know how a person derived or got his or her answer, as a result, he was able to form a moral theory which was developmental in nature. **Moral reasoning** has six developmental stages which he clusters it to three levels. **Level 1: *Pre-convention Morality 0 - 9 years*** **Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment** Especially common in young children, but adult are capable of expressing this type of reasoning. At this stage, children see rules as fixed and absolute. - Obey rules in order to avoid punishment - Determines a sense of right and wrong by thaw is punished and what is not punished - Obeys superior authority and allows that authority to make the rules, especially is that authority has the power to inflict pain - Is responsible to rules that will affect his/her physical well-being **Stage 2: Naively Egotistical** At this stage of moral development, children account for individual points of view and judge actions based on how they serve individual needs. Reciprocity is possible, but only if it serves one\'s own interests. - Is possibly motivated by vengeance or \"an eye for an eye\" philosophy - Is self-absorbed while assuming that he/she is generous  Believes in equal sharing in that everyone gets the same, regardless of need - Believes that the end justifies the means - Will do a favour only to get a favour - Expects to be rewarded for every non-selfish deed he/she does **Level 2: *Conventional Morality 10 - 15 years*** **Stage 3: \"Good Boy - Good Girl\" Orientation** This stage of moral development is focuses on living up to social expectations and roles. There is an emphasis on conformity, being \"nice\", and consideration of how choices influence relationships. - Finds peer approval very important - Feels that intentions are as important as deeds and expects others to accept intentions or promises in place of deeds - Begins to put himself/herself in another\'s shoes and think from another perspective **Stage 4: Law and Social Order** At this stage of moral development, people begin to consider society as a whole when making judgments. The focus is on maintaining law and order by following the rules, doing one\'s duty, and respecting authority. - A duty doer who believes in rigid rules that should not be change - Respects authority and obeys it without question - Supports the rights of the majority without concern for those in the minority - Is part of about 80% of the population that does not progress past stage4 **Level 3: Post-conventional Morality - 16+ years** **Stage 5: Legalistic Social Contract** - Is motivated by the belief in the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people - Believes in consensus (everyone agrees), rather than in majority rules - Respects the rights if the minority especially the rights of the individual - Believes that change in the law is possible but only through the system **Stage 6: Universal ethical Principles** Kohlberg\'s final level of moral reasoning is based upon universal ethical principles and abstract reasoning. At this stage, people follow these internalized principles of justice, even if they conflict with laws and rules. - Believes that there are high morals principles that those represented by social rules and customs - Is willing to accept the consequences for disobedience of the social rule he/she has rejected - Believes that the dignity of humanity is sacred and that all humans have value This theory is a stage theory in which everyone goes through the stages sequentially without skipping any stage. However, movement through these stages are not natural, that is people do not automatically move from one stage to the next as the mature. In stage development, movement only occurs when a person notice inadequacy in his or her present way of coping with a given moral dilemma. People cannot understand moral reasoning more than one stage ahead of their own. For example a person in Stage 1 can only understand Stage 2 reasoning but nothing beyond that. This theory, however, is not an ethical theory but rather a psychological theory. This theory attempt to describe the stages of a person\'s growth in moral thinking. Actually, one does not have to agree completely to this theory to see its over-all value. This theory helps to pint out the difference in moral reasoning. To summarize the points, the **pre-conventional level**, the moral reasoning process is focused more on the consequences of the action in terms of pain which is a punishment and pleasure which is a reward. This is egotistic and a lesser type of moral thinking wherein only one\'s own personal comfort is considered instead of a greater one which is the society\'s convention of what is right or wrong. In the **conventional level**, the reasoning process is focused more on merely following the convention such as the established rule and regulations of the institutions, laws of the land, and social etiquettes of different social contexts including families and religions. This level is simply called the \"**good boy- good girl**\" image. Many people see this type of moral reasoning as sensible and valid approach to morality specially that most if not all of the present conventions such as the rules and policies and also the laws of the land are truly right rules, policies, and laws. Most of the people are into this level; however, a truly morally mature individual must outgrow these two levels. This is where the third level comes into play. In the **post-conventional level**, the person already recognizes that what is good or bad is not reducible to merely following the rules of one\'s group or society. The moral reasoning in this level is focused more on discerning on what is right and wrong in a universal sense in a particular situational context. The universal essence of what is right and in contrast to what is wrong is embedded in every rule, policy, and laws of the land if indeed these were truly right rules, policies, and laws. In the fifth stage under this level, the person already sees the value of \"social contract\" wherein the agreements arrived is for the common good. In other words, the social conventions such as laws, rules, and policies serve for the common good. Furthermore, if these rules, policies, and laws of the land did not serve the common good, a discerned person in this stage will voice out the concern for rectification of these rules. The discerned person will still follow the social norm in a form of respect recognizing the value of what it serves as a social contract. In sixth, and final, stage under this level, the discerned individual goes beyond mere valuing of a social contract. The discerned individual only performs an action or chooses to perform an action when it is grounded on universal ethical principles. One realizes that all the conventions, such as rules, policies, and laws of the land, of the society are only correct if they are based on the universal principles. Rules and laws are important in maintaining peace and order but they only serve as guides that need to be weighed down against personal principles and beliefs to uphold one\'s human rights. At this stage, an individual already has a principled conscience, and will follow universal ethical principled regardless of what the laws or the rules say. One must make free use of his or her own power of reasoning in cases of moral choice and not remain a creature of blind obedience to either pain or pleasure or to the demand of the group or society, if one aspires to moral maturity.