Essay

1. CULTURE IN
MORAL BEHAVIOR

2. What is culture?
It is commonly said that culture is all around us. Practically, culture
appears to be an actual part of our social life as well as our personality. For some,
culture is a quality that some people have more than others: how 'cultured'
somebody is depends on some factors like status, class, education, and taste in
music or film, and speech habits. By attending symphonies, plays, operas, and
poetry readings, some show that they appreciate culture more than others.
The term culture is so complex that it is not easy to define. In one sense,
culture is used to denote that which is related to the arts and humanities. But in a
broader sense, culture denotes the practices, beliefs, and perceptions of a given
society. It is in this sense that culture is often opposed with „savagery that is,
being 'cultured' is seen as a product of a certain evolvement from a natural state.

3. The following are other definitions of the term culture ('Culture Detinition, n.d.):
● Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs,
values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial
relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions
acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual
and group striving.
● Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired
and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human
groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture
consists of traditional ideas and especially their attached values; culture
systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the
other hand, as conditioning influences upon further action.

4. ● Culture is the sum total of the learned behavior of a group of people that are generally
considered to be the tradition of that people and are transmitted from generation to generation
● Culture in its broadest sense is cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a person's learned,
accumulated experience which is socially transmitted, or more briefly, behavior through social
learning.
● Culture is symbolic communication. Some of its symbols include a groups skills, knowledge,
attitudes, values, and motives. The meanings of the symbols are learned and deliberately
perpetuated in a society through its institutions.
Defined broadly therefore, culture includes all the things individuals learn while growing up
among particular group: attitudes, standards of morality, rules of etiquette, perceptions of reality,
language, notions about the proper way to live, beliefs about how females and males should
interact, ideas about how the world works and so forth. We call this cultural knowledge.

5. Culture's Role in Moral Behavior
Based on the definitions of culture above, it is not hard to pinpoint the role of
the culture in one's moral behavior. A culture is a 'way of life' of a group of
people, and this so-called 'way of life' actually includes moral values and
behaviors, along with knowledge, beliefs, symbols that they accept, generally
without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and
imitation from one generation to the next" ('Culture Definition, n.d.).
Culture is learned as children grow up in society and discover how their
parents and others around them interpret the world. In our society, we learn to
distinguish objects such as cars, windows, houses, children, and food; recognize
attributes like sharp, hot, beautiful, and humid; classify and perform different
kinds of acts; and even "evaluate what is [morally) good and bad and to judge
when an unusual action is appropriate or inappropriate" (Mañebog & Peña,
2016).

6. Many aspects of morality are taught. People learn moral and aspects of right
or wrong from transmitters of culture: respective parents, teachers, novels, films,
and television. Observing or watching them, people develop a set idea of what is
right and wrong, and what is acceptable and what is not.
Even experientially, it is improbable, if not impossible, to live in a society
without being affected by its culture. It follows too that it is hard to grow up in a
particular culture without being impacted by how it views morality or what is
ethically right or wrong. Anthropologically speaking, culture-including moral
values, beliefs, and behavior-is learned from other people while growing up in a
particular society or group; is widely shared by the members of that society or
group; and so profoundly affects the thoughts, actions, and feelings of people in
that group that individuals are a product of their culture" and "learning a culture is
an essential part of human development" (De Guzman & Peña, 2016).

7. How does culture define Moral Behavior?
One of the revered founders of Western philosophy - Plato in his famous
philosophical work, The Republic cited three critical elements that jointly influence the
human persons moral development. These elements are native traits (or what we
might call genetic characteristics); early childhood experience; and one's cultural
surroundings (Pekarsky, 1998).
Plato implied that if a person's cultural surroundings reward conformity to
agreeable norms it would lead the person to behave much better and quell
undesirable conduct He also expressed that the power of culture over an individual is
more potent in children because they do not have any pre-existing values. The child's
cultural surroundings create these values and dispositions. Thus, Plato insisted that a
child's cultural surrounding should "express the image of a noble character"; that role
models should display the conduct of a proper human being because the behavior of
the adults serves as the child‟s moral foundation as he or she grows and develops
(Cornford, 1966; Pekarsky, 1998).

8. The Filipino Way
The Filipino culture is a mix of both Eastern and Western cultures. The
beliefs and traditions of pre-colonial Philippines was mainly indigenous Malay
heritage (Baringer 2006). Then the Spanish colonized the islands and the
Hispanic culture influenced the natives. In turn, the Americans shaped the
modern Filipino culture and this is primarily manifested by the wide use of the
English language in the Philippines today. It was from these influences that
formed the Filipino character. The brief occupation of the British (1762-1764) and
the Japanese (1942-1945) however had no cultural influence in the Philippines at
all.
Filipino cultural morality especially that which concerns social ethics, centers
on ideally is having a smooth interpersonal relationship with others. The
definition of “smooth interpersonal relationship” (SIR) in Philippine culture is
principally supported by and anchored on at least six (6) basic Filipino values.

9. Pakikisama
- Pakikisama is having and maintaining good public relations.
● This is usually being practiced avoiding clash with other people or a certain group.
● It characterizes both a value and a goal that invokes keeping good feelings in all
personal interactions and getting along with others, oftentimes, at all costs.
● Pakikisama can work either positively or destructively. To elude open displays of
conflicts, clashes and confrontations. Filipinos, because of pakikisama, may submit to
group opinion, overgenerous praise negative feelings or unhappy spirits underneath a
pleasant demeanor, smiling even when things go wrong, avoiding to say „no,‟ and
refraining from venting anger or losing temper.
● In its most basic sense, „pakikisama‟ means going along with others. Its basic
etymological source is „sama‟ (to go with). A derived term is „kasama‟ (companion;
together with). In the social interaction context, „pakikisama‟ means „getting along
with others‟, and ideally getting along „well‟ with others. The first part of the term „paki-
‟ is also significant, since it also happens to be the Tagalog affix for „please‟. It‟s as if
the individual is being requested to „please‟ get along well one‟s fellow human beings.

10. ● Among friends and even relatives, it is considered obnoxious and
unacceptable to give a direct command. To minimize the directness or
“impact” of the command, Filipinos use paki nga or maki- so as not to
offend. Even a boss in the office would use „paki-‟ the equivalent of “please”
in English, in giving a request to a subordinate.
● To be polite is to use paki- or maki-. Filipinos go to great lengths to avoid
offending another‟s feelings which is why they have this linguistic social
convention. It is also part of this whole system of pakikisama and
pakikipagkapwa-tao.
Pakikisama is the opposite of individualism. In Filipino culture, a person who
has no pakikisama is a loner, an individualist disdained by others who seek his
company. He does not know how to “go with the crowd.” A related word is
makibagay, “to conform” with the group in order to maintain a Smooth
Interpersonal Relationship.

11. Hiya
- Hiya is describe as feeling of lowliness, shame or embarrassment and inhibition or
shyness which is experienced as somewhat distressing. Integrally, „hiya‟ is related to the
concept of „face‟ and a concern with how one appears in the eyes of others.
● This unique Filipino concept of „hiya‟ or „fear of losing face‟ encompasses
being afraid to do bad things as it may damage one‟s reputation in the sight of
other people.
● A person‟s capacity for people behaviour with authority figures is a reflection
of his or her family upbringing and this fear of losing face.
● Too much „hiya‟, nonetheless, may lead to having inferiority complex and
losing self-confidence.
● “Hiya” is one value that regulates the Filipinos social behavior. Just as one is
very careful not to be subjected to embarrassment or “mapahiya” one must
also make it a point NOT to cause another person‟s embarrassment.

12. Public ridicule, or to be censured openly, or to fail to do what is expected of one,
is to suffer hiya, a loss of esteem. Inversely, if one has not acted improperly, or
continued to behave in a manner disapproved of by the community, it's to be
without hiya (“walang hiya” - an ultimate insult). This label automatically
results in the withdrawal of acceptance within one‟s group, if not the entire
community.
Hiya is a controlling element in the Filipino society. A person’s behavior is
socially restricted by his sense of “hiya” while public behavior is censured, or
approved of, by hiya.

13. Amor Propio
- Like „hiya,‟ the Filipino value of “amor propio” is derived from the concept of „face.‟ Although
commonly translated as “self-respect” or “self-esteem”, „amor propio‟ has been “characterized as the
high degree of sensitivity that makes a person intolerant concerning to criticism and causes him to have
an easily wounded pride” Concerning this Filipino value, some observe that “Filipinos learn to withstand a
„loss of face‟ in devastating to be publicly criticized, insulted, belittled, or humiliated, or to lose one‟s self-
respect.
● “amor propio” comes from the person’s tendency to protect his or her dignity and honor. Because
of pride or amor propio, for instance, a person may refuse offers even if he she really wants to
accept them. “Amor propio” in short means ego defensiveness, dignity or one‟s personal
pride akin to the traditional oriental attitude of having “face”.
Now if you are wondering why a Filipino hesitates to bring up a problem, or point out that “your slip
is showing”, or call your attention to an anomalous situation, remember that it is hiya in operation.
Filipinos feel uneasy if they are instrumental in making waves, rocking the boat and exposing someone‟s
volatile amor-propio to injury.

14. Utang na Loob
-Obligation and responsibility are often viewed in terms of reciprocity (utang na
loob), comprised of debts (utang), and inner-self-free will (na-loob). The process
begins with an unsolicited gift and continues going often into to the next generation.
● Utang na loob is considered an important "accommodative surface value,"
along with hiya (shame) and pakikisama (togetherness). That is to say, it is one of
the values by which the Filipino accommodates the demands of the world around
him, as opposed to confrontative values like "lakas ng loob" and "pakikibaka".
● There are Filipinos who are able to look at “utang na loob” as a social concept
without having to be blind to the limits of loyalty. They appreciate the meaning of
“utang na loob” as a moral concept, but it does not mean that they will give up
the higher set of principles that they value for the sake of family, friendships, and
community loyalty.

15. ● “Utang na loob” may be invoked by some people to demand favors from
someone, for the right or wrong reasons. One is free to return the favor or
not, but must take the risk of “burning his bridges”. Utang na loob is likewise
a fundamental aspect of upholding group harmony and relationships that
demand the balancing of obligations and debts.
● The inability to repay the „utang na loob‟ usually makes a person „walang
utang na loob‟ or „walang hiya.‟
● To avoid being dubbed as „walang utang na loob,‟ some Filipino
sometimes do things that may be bad just to return a received favor.

16. Filipino Hospitality
- Filipino Hospitality refers to the innate ability and trait of Filipinos to be
courteous and entertaining to their guests. Generally speaking, Filipinos are
hospitable as they are internationally known to be warm, welcoming and
accommodating. This trait, however, makes Filipinos prone to being abused or
maltreated.
● Receiving guests with Hospitality and Respect. This is best exemplified by
welcoming and letting them in their homes as soon as guest/s arrive. “Tuloy
kayo” is a Filipino warm welcoming expression that shows kind accommodations
to their visitors. “Tuloy” means “to go on” or “to enter.” For this context, the
expressions “tuloy kayo” can be defined as “You may come in” or “Please come
in.” Normally, Filipinos will have salutations and small conversations before
welcoming the visitors to their home. Guests are received with “kumustà” or
“magandang umaga.” The thoughtfulness of Filipinos can be observed in how
they treat their guests too.

17. ● To Accommodate their Guests. Filipinos welcome them and ask them to take a seat as a
thoughtful gesture. “Umupo ka muna,” as Filipinos would say. That means “Take a seat
first.” Guests are asked to sit down, while the host prepares food and drinks for them. Giving
food and drinks is a traditional way of Filipinos to make their visitors feel at home and
appreciated for stopping by. “Kumain ka muna” is an expression of hospitality of Filipino
towards their guests, offering or inviting them to eat. This simply means “Eat first.” When a
guest visits the host‟s house during the time they are eating, it's just courteous to invite the
guest to join them to eat. “Kain tayo!” as Filipinos would say to offer their guests to eat with
them.
● As the Host. Filipinos would feel glad to have served and welcomed you to their homes. Due
to their hospitable nature, it's a pleasure for them to see their guests feel at home and well
accommodated. This is why visitors should acknowledge this warmth and generosity of the
host too, by accepting their invitation and the food that they have specially prepared. Unless
you ate already and feeling full, you may respectfully decline by saying, “Salamat! Katatapos
lang.” or “Salamat! Busog pa naman.”
Filipinos are generous and hospitable people especially to their visitors. They would even go
out of their way just to accommodate their guests

18. Respect to Elders
Concerning „respect to elders‟ we, Filipinos, are not only respectful to elders,
but also have unique ways of expressing this respect to elders. This includes the
use of „po‟ and „opo‟ when talking to elders and „pagmamano‟ or the putting of
the elder‟s hand to one's forehead. Respect to elders makes one dependent or
irrationally obedient to parents or elders.
Failure to do so will lead you to a foolishness act.
These Filipino social values are important to maintain harmony in Filipino
relationships in social institutions such as family, school and community. The
„smooth interpersonal relationship‟ together with Filipino “pakikipagkapwa-tao‟
has been deemed as central core essential cultural traits that form and define an
almost stereotypic Filipino character and moral behavior.

19. How does moral character develop?
First let us take the most basic definition of the terms moral, character, and
moral character. Moral is "concerned with the principles of right and wrong
behavior or the goodness and badness of the human character" (Merriam-
Webster 2017). Character is defined as "the mental and moral qualities distinct to
an individual" (Merriam-Webster 2017). But in Philosophy, the term character
usually denotes to the moral dimension of a person (Timpe, 2007). Moral
character refers to the "existence (or lack of) virtues such as integrity, courage,
fortitude, honest, and loyalty" (Merriam-Webster 2017)
Moral Character as Disposition
Moral characters are those dispositions or the tendency to act or think in a
particular way for which a person can be held morally responsible. Thus, moral
character traits are rational, informed, stable and reliable dispositions (Internet
Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2017).

20. Philosophical Views on Moral Character
What do the great ancient minds think about moral character Let us look at the
viewpoints of Eastern and Western thinkers.
Confucian Traditions - The philosophy of moral development is rooted in ancient
views. For Confucian traditions moral development was attributed to four beginnings
of the human personality (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ©2017). These four
beginnings were considered as seeds of human personality that will naturally unfold
to become human activities. Take note though, that contrary to Western
understanding of personality as a given human condition; personality in Confucian
perception meant- an achieved state of moral excellence" (Ammes, 1997; Klemme,
WEB).Thus, in this concept, every person is born with four beginnings. However,
each of these do not yet capture the concept of self. However, when the four
beginnings are put together, it may then be perceived in Western understanding as
the "pre-selfor "potential self "(Klemme, WEB).

21. The four beginnings in Confucian traditions are:
● The heart of compassion, which leads to Jen.
● The heart of righteousness, which leads to Yi.
● The heart of propriety, which leads to Li.
● The heart of wisdom, which leads to Zhi.
Jen means goodwill, sympathy towards others, and generosity. Yi means
righteousness and the respect or duty, that is, respect your position as guardian
towards nature and humanity. Lu deals with outward behavior such as etiquette,
customs, and rituals. Zhi means wisdom, and this wisdom is a product of
practicing Jen, Yi, and Li in one's life (Liu, 2002).

22. Stages of Moral Development
Lawrence Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development adapted from General
Psychology with Drug Education book by Virgie S. Otig, M.A. and Winston B.
Galinero, M.A.
Lawrence Kohlberg was a 20th century developmental psychologist and
moral philosopher. When he was the director of Harvard's center for Moral
Education, Kohlberge‟s research focused on the moral development of children
particularly on how they develop a sense of what is right or wrong, as well as
children move through what he believed as definite stages of moral
development.

23. Kohlberg's Theory
Lawrence Kohlberg studied morality using a very interesting (if controversial)
technique. In his research, Kohlberg would ask children and adults to try solve moral
dilemmas in short stories and asked the participants to think out loud so he could
reasoning. The reason for this was that Kohlberg was not interested with the specific
answers to the dilemmas - he wanted to know how the person got to his or her
answer.
His theory holds that moral reasoning, which is the basis for ethical behavior,
has identifiable developmental stages and each become more adequate at
responding to moral dilemmas as the person progresses from one stage to the next.
Kohlberg asserted that the process of moral development was principally concerned
with justice, and that the process goes on throughout the individual's lifetime.
After looking at hundreds of interviews using several stories, Kohlberg outlined
three broad levels and six specific stages of moral development.

24. Level l: Pre-conventional morality
Judgment at this level is solely focused on the self. This line of moral
reasoning is common among children although some adults would also exhibit
such behavior. The child, having no concept about society's conventions on what
is right or wrong would base its judgment mainly on the external consequences
of its actions.

25. Stage 1: Punishment-Obedience Orientation
This is also called the pre-moral stage where decisions and actions are
determined by immediate physical consequence and net the true moral value.
The overall goal at this stage is to avoid punishment. For example, "I am going to
study my lessons because mom will get mad at me if I do not pass this test.
Stage 2: Reward Orientation
As children grow older, they begin to see that there is actually, room for
negotiation because other people have their own goals to meet and wants that
must be satisfied too. Children learn to have in a manner based on the principle
"What's in it for me? For example, an older child might reason: “if I get good
grades mom and dad will buy me a new smart phone. So, I‟m going to do my
homework”.

26. Level II: Conventional Morality
This level of moral reasoning is typical of adolescents and adults.
Conventional morality is to reason in a conventional (something that is generally
accepted manner. lt is accepting the rules and standards of one's group. This
means decisions and the morality of his/her actions are based on society‟s views
and expectations. The focus on this level is the "'significant others" or what is
also called "tyranny of the They (They say this.... They say that.. They say I
should...)

27. Stage 3: Good Boy/Good Girl Orientation
At this stage, the child tries to seek approval from other people by living up to
their expectations. He / She also now understands the concept of loyalty, trust,
and gratitude as well as become interested in motives and intentions behind a
particular decision or action. For example, children understand and live by the
Golden Rule.
Stage 4: Authority Orientation
By this time, individuals have reached adulthood and they usually consider
society as a whole when making judgments. The focus at this stage is following
the rules, maintaining law and order, doing one's duty, and respecting authority.
For example when someone violates the law, it is morally wrong: culpability is
therefore a significant factor in this stage because it separates what is bad from
what is good.

28. Level III: Post conventional
This is also known as the 'principled level. It is marked by a growing
realization that people are unique and are an independent part of the society.
Therefore, the individual's own perspective is more significant over what the
rest of the society thinks and that this would sometimes lead to disobeying the
law to follow personal principles.
At this level, a person does not see rules and laws as absolute or beyond
question, but a changeable mechanism. Kohlberg asserted that post conventional
individuals view rules and laws to be important in maintaining peace and order
but it only serves as a guide that needs to be weighed against personal principles
and beliefs to uphold one's human rights.

29. Stage 5: Social contract orientation
This stage means the individual is aware that much of what is considered to
be moral or good is mainly based on personal beliefs as well as on the social
group they belong to and that only a very few of the known fundamental values
are actually universal.
The person at this level understands that the world holds different opinions
rights, and values; thus different views should be mutually respected. Laws are
also regarded as a matter a social contract with one's fellow human beings in
order to promote universal values and that decisions are made for the greater
good for the most number of people. The best example for this level is the
Democratic form of government.

30. Stage 6: Ethical - Principle Orientation
At this point, social contract takes a clear back seat and the person makes a
personal commitment to uphold universal principles of equal rights and respect.
At this stage, an individual already has a principled conscience; and will follow
universal, ethical principles regardless of what the laws or the rules say.
Judgment here is based on abstract reasoning such as being able to put oneself
in other peoples shoes.(Garz, Detlef, 2009; Munsey, B., 1980; Otig & Gallinero,
2015).