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The Political Self and Being Filipino

The document discusses the political self and Filipino values and traits. It defines the political self as organizing one's beliefs and affiliations to aid in processing politically relevant information. Citizenship is the most basic identification with a nation. The document then outlines several key Filipino values and traits, including hospitality towards guests, respect for elders, close family ties, a cheerful personality, self-sacrifice, and the "Bahala Na" attitude of leaving things to God. It also discusses some problematic traits like colonial mentality, "Ningas Kugon" of losing enthusiasm, and crab mentality. The document concludes with recommendations on how to be a good Filipino citizen.

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jerish estrada
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230 views3 pages

The Political Self and Being Filipino

The document discusses the political self and Filipino values and traits. It defines the political self as organizing one's beliefs and affiliations to aid in processing politically relevant information. Citizenship is the most basic identification with a nation. The document then outlines several key Filipino values and traits, including hospitality towards guests, respect for elders, close family ties, a cheerful personality, self-sacrifice, and the "Bahala Na" attitude of leaving things to God. It also discusses some problematic traits like colonial mentality, "Ningas Kugon" of losing enthusiasm, and crab mentality. The document concludes with recommendations on how to be a good Filipino citizen.

Uploaded by

jerish estrada
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE POLITICAL SELF AND BEING FILIPINO

INTRODUCTION

Stevens, et.al (2015) cited that in some people, politics is a central component of their identity. For
others, politics may be a more peripheral concern but temporarily becomes a central one in certain
situations. The political community where people belong offers an opportunity for them to define
themselves and provide opportunities to satisfy their needs for affiliation.

VALUES AND TRAITS

Values and traits are also important indicators that set apart one nationality from the other. These
values and traits may not always be a positive thing, but being able to identify one’s self apart from
other nationalities and point out weaknesses and mistakes, paired with unity and commitment, make
progress a possibility. Through common goals, principles and values of its people, a nation empowers
itself. Vecchione, et. Al (2018) discussed explanations for the primacy of values and implications for the
social cognitive view of personality.

For Go-Molina (2018), Citizenship becomes a salient basis for political self and is the most basic
identification with the nation. It denotes the membership of a citizen in political society. As a citizen, a
person enjoys full civil and political rights, including protection inside and outside the territory of the
state.

Political Self organizes one’s beliefs, attitudes and affiliations and aids in the processing of politically
relevant information. People use their political values and belief systems to define themselves as unique
individuals of society (Go-Molina (2018).

FILIPINO VALUES AND TRAITS

The Filipino Hospitality

According to Imamura, et. al (2010), a Filipino trait that is known everywhere, Filipinos welcome their
guests and tourist as if they are their own brothers and sisters. They always make their guests feel at
home, offering them something to eat, or even a place to stay.

Respect for Elders

Filipinos greet their elders by kissing their hand while saying “Mano po!” and constantly using “po” and
“opo” in conversation. Forgetting to address older people properly will regard them as rude and
impolite.
Close Family Ties

Filipinos maintain a tight relationship with their families regardless if the children are old enough and
already have families in their own. They are also fond of family reunions during birthdays, holidays, or
fiestas year-round.

Cheerful Personality

Filipinos have a habit of smiling and laughing a lot. They smile when they are happy, or sometimes even
when they are sad or angry. Smiling has been a coping strategy for many Filipino especially during trying
times and calamities.

Self Scarifies

Filipinos go out their way to extend help to other friends, families, and loved ones. They wish comfort
and better lives for their loved ones and would even go to the extent of working abroad hundreds of
miles away to earn more money and save up for them.

Bayanihan

Bayanihan is the spirit of communal unity and cooperation of Filipinos. It is also about giving without
expecting something in return.

“Bahala Na” Attitude

“Bahala Na” is the Filipino version of the famous line “Hakuna, Matata” meaning no worries. The phrase
is said to have originated from “Bathala na” where Bathala means God, and the phrase meaning leaving
everything into God’s hands.

Colonial Mentality

Colonial mentality is regarded as the lack of patriotism and the attitude where Filipinos favor foreign
products more than their own.

Mañana Habit

This Is a Filipino term for procrastination. It is a poor habit of laziness that results in heavier work load.

“Ningas Kugon”

“Ningas” is a Filipino term for flame and “kugon” is a Filipino term for Cogon grass that easily burns out
after it put into flames. It refers to the attitude of eagerly starting things but quickly losing eagerness
soon after experiencing difficulty.
Pride

Most Filipinos hold on to their pride as if they are more precious than keeping a good relationship with
family and loved ones.

Crab Mentality

This is a toxic trait among Filipinos where one resents the achievement of another, instead of feeling
happy for that person. Filipinos should change this troublesome attitude and focus more on their own
inadequacies to improve one’s self.

Filipino Time

Filipinos have this common attitude of arriving late at commitments, dinner or parties especially if they
are meeting someone close to them.

How to be a good Filipino (Imamura, 2010):

1. Be an active Filipino Citizen


2. Study Philippine History
3. Support Local Products
4. Speak the Filipino Language
5. Do not spread fake news and be democratic in engaging with dissent

References:

Stevens, S., Anglin, S., & Jussim, L., (2015). The Political Self. Information Age Publishing. Charlotte, NC

Go-Molina, M., and Ramirez, N., (2018). Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City,
Philippines

Vecchione, M., Alessandri, G., Roccas, S., and Caprara, GV. A look into the relationship between
personality traits and basic values. A longitudinal investigation, Journal of Personality, 87, 2, (413-
427), (2018). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2006.00447.x

Saito, I., Imamura, T., and Miyagi, M. (2010). Filipino Personality Traits and Values for Social Support.
(Master’s Thesis). Institute of Psychology Rissho University, Tokyo, Japan

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