SIKOLOHIYAN

G PILIPINO

Development of Indigenous
Personality Measures

1950 Tests in educational psychology

1960 Personality testing in projective
type
1970 Developed tests in creativity, selfperception, personality, vocational
testing
1975 Panukat ng Ugali at Pagkatao
(PUP)
1980 Increased interest in personality
testing
1990 Developed tests to measure a

Indigenous
research
methods

Loopholes of Philippine social research

Lack of relevance of research topics to the needs
of the people being studied
Inappropriateness of Western methods to the
ways of the people
Definitions based on Western theories
Overemphasis on data rather than on the process

Approaches &
Techniques
Pakapa-kapa

an approach
characterized by groping,
searching, probing into
an unsystematized mass
of social and cultural
data to be able to obtain
order, meaning, and
directions for research.

Panunuluyan
interaction
techniques, levels of
relationship mula
paninimbang
hanggang malalimang
pakikipagpalagayangloob.

Pagtatanong-tanong
Filipino word for asking
questions, the
repetition of tanong to
tanong- tanong
indicates seriousness of
purpose, one is truly
determined to get
answers to ones
questions.

Pakikipagkwentuhan
Kuwentuhan is an
occasion for exchange of
information, ideas,
insights, and opinions
also itis a sharing of
beliefs, thoughts,
andexperiences.

Ginabayang Talakayan Method - collective

discussion technique sama-sama orientation
Nakiugaling pagmamasid - participant
observation
Pakikisama - getting along with
Pakikiramdam - shared sensitivities
Pakikialam - concerned interference
Pakikilahok - participation
Pakikisangkot - integral involvement
Pagdalaw-dalaw - casual but repeated visits

Impact on the teaching of psychology

1970

UP Psychology
dept

Prof.
David

Prof.
Torres

Virgilio
Enriquez

- SP as a
subject
was
instituted
(1978)
- UP was
the first
universit
y to offer

Rogelia Pe Jose Ma.

Bartolo
Pua
me

Sikolohiyang Pilipinas Isyu, Pananw at Kaalaman

(1985)
edited by Allen Aganon and Ma. Assumpta David
Indigenous Psychology: A Book of Readings
(1992)
by Enriquez
First M.A. Pscyhology thesis in Filipino was written
in 1972 by Amelia Alfonso
First dissertation were done by Danila Tuazon
(brain lateralization) and Grace Aguiling-Dalisay
(concept of peace among children)

Areas of application of Sikolohiyang

Pilipino
Use the local language in teaching,
research, in the conduct of various
conferences in Psychology, radio
programs, talk shows and other official
events
Invited Filipino
psychologists to talk
shows

Formulation of appropriate
techniques in therapy suited to the
Filipino personality

Providing psychological help to

children
Needs of the individual child
Roots of the problem and their
consequences on the childs rights
and welfare

Feminist
psychology
Industrial
psychology
Community
education

Debates with
Sikolohiyang Pilipino

Salazar criticized Enriquez for including the study of

Filipino-Americans in the discourse of Sikolohiyang
Pilipino.

Filipino-Americans are not Filipinos since they are not

legitimate culture bearers.

SP should focus on the lived experiences of people

immersed in Philippine life and culture.

He maintained that Filipino-Americans are Filipinos

because some aspects of their identity and cultural
experiences are still Filipino.

Protacio-Marcellino stressed that FilipinoAmericans are not Filipino they are both Filipino
and American.

They may be outsiders to everyday Philippine

experience but they still possess some of critical
elements of Philippine life and culture as
transmitted by their parents and reinforced by
their regular visits to the Philippines. This makes
them insiders to a significant extent.

Salazar explains that the discipline of Psychology is

foreign in origin and therefore, should be given a new
meaning and re-interpreted in a context relevant to
Philippine life and culture.
Enriquez held that culture is derived from the process
of discovering individual psychological elements and
themes. To him, SP exists as long as there are Filipinos.
He elaborates that psychology in the Philippines is
both foreign and indigenous to the culture.
For him, what is important is the immediate
application of psychology in the understanding and
helping solve the problems in Philippine society.

For Salazar, the history and

traditions of a particular
culture is sufficient to
contribute to universal
psychology.

For Enriquez, it is necessary

to understand the
experiences of many cultures
and traditions before one can
contribute to universal
knowledge in psychology.

Roberto Tangco questioned SPs position on the

issue of universality and asserts that SP ,
although it claims to contribute to universal
knowledge, has not shown sufficient proof of its
contribution or even proof that such knowledge
exists in any given culture.
He also questions SPs methodology and practice
and traces the problem to SPs underlying
philosophy.
SP tends to be phenomenological in orientation, it
has mechanisms in place to ensure that the
tenets of scientific endeavor are upheld.

Sylvia Estrada-Claudio explained that there

seems to be a tendency for SP to gloss over
negative aspects of Philippine culture and ignore
the power dynamics at play in given cultural
contexts.

SP is alive and well and continues to interest and

inspire scholars from different persuasions to
give new meaning and direction to the
development not only of Philippine psychology
but of the larger discourse of the social sciences.