Nstp module 1 lesson 2

1. Literacy Training Service

2. Self-Awareness and
Values Development

3. Learning Objectives:
At the end of this module, learners
would be able to:
1. Describe the different aspects of
self to fully understand
individual’s human behavior.

4. 2. Evaluate one’s self using self-
awareness theory.
3. Express commitment to uphold
the Filipino core values in
supporting NSTP activities and
in performing their roles as
individuals.

5. Self-Awareness

6. What is the Self?
What does it actually mean to talk
about the self? what the self is
composed of? Is it physical,
social or spiritual or is it all of
these? These questions have
long occupied philosophers and
psychologists.

7. It can be seen that the notion of
the self is very complex. It is not a
thing as such but an abstraction –
a way of talking – a shorthand for
the part of us that deals with
thinking, feeling, valuing and so
forth. One common way of
dealing with the self is to consider
its aspects.

8. Whilst it should be
remembered that the self is
more than the sum of its parts it
is easier to discuss its sections
rather than to discuss it as a
whole. Burnard (1992)
provides the following aspects:

9. •Physical self
•Spiritual self
•Darker self
•Social self
•Private self

10. Self and its Aspects
•The Physical Self – This is the
felt sense of the self and
includes our physical body. It
covers our perceptions of our
body; the images we have our
body – how fat, thin, muscular
and so forth.

11. •The Spiritual Self – This is the
aspect involved in the investment
of meaning into what we do as
humans. This meaning may be
framed in religious terms or it
may be found in philosophy,
psychology, politics and so forth.
The meaning systems that people
may vary.

12. •The Darker Self – The
notions of self-actualization
(that were made popular by
the works of Maslow, 1972)
suggest a growing into the
full potential of ourselves.

13. A part of understanding and
growing into the full potential
of the self, however, in the
darker side are those aspects to
ourselves that are not generally
allowed full consciousness

14. •The Social Self – This
is the part that is openly
shared with others in
various social situations
such as work, home,
with friends and so forth.

15. •The Private Self –
This is an aspect that
we are aware of but do
not show to others.

16. Four Aspects of Self:
The Quadrinity

18. To help understand the great
complexity of the self, its
development and the problems
resulting from the adoption of
Negative Love, we use three distinct
combinations of aspects of the self:
the Duality, the Trinity, and the
Quadrinity.

19. The Duality consists of the
two negatively programmed
mental aspects of self: the
emotional self and the
intellectual self are combined as
one entity, yet they can also be
visualized separately.

20. It refers to the three aspects
of our minds as the Trinity: the
emotional self, the intellectual
self, and the spiritual self. They
can be visualized as one entity
although each aspect can be
visualized separately

21. The Quadrinity is a
framework, a model for
understanding ourselves and
our behavior that includes all
four aspects of self: body,
emotions, intellect and
spiritual self.

22. The Quadrinity is our whole,
integrated, balanced self,
embodying all four aspects.
These four aspects are
interrelated and form a
complex interactive system.

23. Physical Self

24. The body is a biological system.
The body, including the brain is the
physical dwelling place for the three
other aspects of the self. Through
the body, we act out and manifest
the feelings of the emotional self,
the thoughts of the intellect, and the
presence of the spiritual self.

25. The following are the
characteristics of the
PHYSICAL SELF:

26. •Composed of the elements of
the physical universe and subject
to its physical laws and
conditions
• Carrier of genetic information
• Interconnected with the mind
through neurological and
biochemical feedback

27. •Functions in the domains of
sensing, action, and
communication
•Behaviorally expresses thoughts
and feelings
•Manifests physical symptoms of
unresolved conflict between
intellect and emotions

28. Emotional Self

29. The EMOTIONAL SELF expresses the
full range of feelings and emotions
through the physical body. It is where
Negative Love patterns first show up
developmentally and, along with the
Intellect and Physical Body, where
these patterns exist. The NEGATIVE
EMOTIONAL SELF is defined as
“childish”. It has no sense of time or
space. It regresses readily.

31. Intellectual Self

32. The INTELLECTUAL SELF is our
logical and problem solving
thought-processor. It includes what
and how we think, our world-views,
values, and beliefs. Along with the
Emotional Self and Physical Body,
the Intellectual Self is where
negative love patterns exist.

33. Shoulds, shouldn’ts, do’s, dont’s,
can’ts exist in the Intellect and
can be either positive or
negative. They are negative
when they are compulsive. The
following are some qualities of
the Intellectual Self:

35. Spiritual Self

36. The SPIRITUAL SELF is the
pure non-programmed, non-
mediated aspect of self that is
positive, pure, open presence,
yearning to embody our larger,
true nature in this world. Our
SPIRITUAL SELF is resonating
in harmony with the Universe.

37. •Wise, ever unfolding and
growing, moving towards
wholeness
•Intuitive, responsive and
unconditioned, connected
• Intentional, courageous
•Creative
•All-loving, compassionate, and
forgiving

38. •Peaceful, grounded and
centered
• Aspires to goodness, truth and
justice
•Mediator, Integrator
•Integrity, completely ethical
(knows right from what wrong)
•Source of strength

39. The Self-Concept in
Psychology

40. The self-concept is
how we think about and
evaluate ourselves. To be
aware of oneself is to have
a concept of oneself.

41. The term self-concept is a
general term used to refer
how someone thinks about or
perceives himself. It is an
important term for both
social psychology and
humanism.

42. (1) The Existential Self

43. This is the most basic part of
the self-scheme or self-
concept – “the sense of
being separate and distinct
from others and the
awareness of the constancy
of the self” (Bee 1992).

44. The child realizes that he exists as a
separate entity from others and
that he continues to exist over time
and space. According to Lewis,
awareness of the existential self
begins in as a young as two to three
months old and arises in part due
to the relation the child has with
the world.

45. For example, then child
smiles and the someone
smiles back, or the child
touches a mobile and sees it
move.

46. (2) The Categorical Self

47. Having realized the he or she exists as a
separate experiencing being, the child
next becomes aware that he or she is
also an object in the world. Just as other
objects including people have
properties that can be experienced (big,
small, red, smooth and so on) so the
child is becoming aware of him or
herself as an object which can be
experienced and has properties.

48. The self too can be put into
categories such as age, gender,
size, or skill. Two of the first
categories to be applied as age
(“I am 3”) and gender (“I am a
girl.”)

49. In early childhood, the categories
children apply to themselves are
very concrete (e.g. hair color,
height, and favorite things). Later,
self-description also begins to
include reference to internal
psychological traits, comparative
evaluations and how to others see
them.

50. Carl Rogers (1959) believed that
self-concept has three different
components:
•The view you have yourself (Self-
Image)
•How much value you place on
yourself (Self-esteem or self-worth)
•What you wish you were really like
(Ideal Self)

51. Self-Image (What you
see in yourself)

52. This does not necessarily have to
reflect reality. Indeed, a person
with anorexia who is thin may
have a self-image in which the
person believes she is fat. A
person’s self-image is affected is
affected by many factors, such as
parental influences, friends, the
media etc.

53. Kuhn (1960) investigated self-
image by using the Twenty
Statements Test. He asked
people to answer the question
“Who Am I?” in 20 different
ways. He found that the
responses must be divided into
two major groups.

54. These were social roles
(external or affective aspects
of oneself such as son,
teacher, friend) and
personality traits (internal or
affective aspects of oneself
such as gregarious, impatient,
humorous).

55. The list of answers to the
question “Who Am I?”
probably includes examples
of each of the following four
types of responses:
(1) Physical Description: I’m
tall, have blue eyes…etc.

56. (2) Social roles: We are social
beings whose behavior is shaped to
some extent by the roles we play.
Such roles as students, or member
of the football team not only help
others to recognize us but also help
us to know what is expected of us
in various situations.

57. (3) Personal Traits: These are
a third dimension of our self-
descriptions. “I’m a child of
the universe” to “I’m a
human being” to “I’m a
spiritual being …etc.

58. (4) Existential Statements
(abstract ones): These can
range from “I’m a child of
the universe” to “I’m a
spiritual being” …etc.

59. Typically, young people
describe themselves more in
terms of such personal traits,
whereas older people feel
defined to a greater extent by
their social roles.

60. Self-Esteem and Self-
Worth (The extent to
which you value yourself)

61. Self-esteem refers to the extent
to which we like, accept or
approve of ourselves or how
much we value ourselves. Self-
esteem always involves a degree
of evaluation and we may have
either a positive or a negative
view of ourselves.

62. HIGH SELF-ESTEEM i.e. we
have a positive view of
ourselves. This tends to lead to:
•Confidence in our own abilities
•Self-acceptance
•Not worrying about what others
think
•Optimism

63. LOW SELF-ESTEEM i.e. we
have a negative view of ourselves.
This tends to lead to:
Lack of confidence
Want to be/look like someone else
Always worrying what others
might think
Pessimism

64. Argyle believes that following are four
major factors that influence self-esteem:
1. THE REACTION OF OTHERS. If
people admire us, flatter us, seek out our
company, listen attentively and agree
with us, we tend to develop a positive
self-image. If they avoid us, neglect us,
tell us things about ourselves that we
don’t want to hear, we develop a
negative self-image.

65. 2. COMPARISON WITH
OTHERS. If the people we compare
ourselves with (our reference group)
appear to be more successful,
happier, richer, better looking than
ourselves, we tend to develop a
negative self-image BUT if they are
less successful than us, our image
will be positive.

66. 3. SOCIAL ROLES. Some social
roles carry prestige e.g. doctor,
airline pilot, TV presenter,
premiership footballer, promotes
self-esteem. Other roles carry
stigma e.g. prisoner, mental
hospital patient, refuse collector
or unemployed person.

67. 4. IDENTIFICATION. Roles
aren’t just “out there”. They
also become part of our
personality i.e. we identify
with the positions we occupy,
the roles we play and the
groups we belong to.

68. Ideal Self (What you’d
like to be)

69. If there is a mismatch between
how you see yourself (e.g.
your self-image) and what
you’d like to be (e.g. your
ideal self), then this is likely to
affect how much you value
yourself.

70. Therefore, there is an
intimate relationship
between self-image, ego-
ideal and self-esteem.
Humanistic psychologists
study this using the Q-Sort
Method.

71. A person’s ideal self may not be
consistent with what actually
happens in life and experiences
of the person. Hence, a
difference may exist between a
person’s ideal self and actual
experience. This is called
incongruence.

72. When a person’s ideal self and actual
experience are consistent or very
similar, a state of congruence exist; all
people experience a certain amount of
incongruence. The development of
congruence is dependent on
unconditional positive regard. Rogers
believed that for a person to achieve
selfactualization, he must be in a state
of congruence.

73. According to Michael
Argyle (2008), there are
four major factors which
influence its
development. These are
the following:

74. •The ways in which others
(particularly significant others)
react to us
•How we think we compare to
others
•Our social roles
•The extent to which we identify
with other people

75. Self-Awareness

76. Self-awareness is having a clear
perception of our personality
including strengths, weaknesses,
thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and
emotions. Self-awareness allows
you to understand other people, how
they perceive you, your attitude and
your responses to them in the
moment.

77. We might quickly assume that we
are self-aware, but it is helpful to
have a relative scale for awareness.
If you have ever been in an auto
accident, you may have experienced
everything happening in slow
motion and noticing details of your
thought process and the event.

78. This is a state of heightened
awareness. With practice, we can
learn to engage these types of
heightened states and see new
opportunities for interpretation in
our thoughts, emotions, and
conversations.

79. Self-Awareness Theory

80. Self-Awareness Theory states that
when we focus our attention to
ourselves, we evaluate and compare
our current behavior to our internal
standards and values. We become
self-conscious as objective
evaluators of ourselves. However,
self-awareness is not to be confused
with selfconsciousness.

81. Various emotional states are
intensified by self-awareness.
However, some people may seek to
increase their self-awareness
through these outlets. People are
more likely to align their behavior
with their standards when made
self-aware.

82. People will be negatively affected if
they don’t live up to their personal
standards. Various environmental
cues and situations induce
awareness of the self, such as a
mirrors, audience, or being
videotaped or recorded. these cues
also increase accuracy of personal
memory.

83. Why develop Self-
awareness?

84. As you develop self-awareness, you
are able to make changes in the
thoughts and interpretations you make
in your mind. Changing the
interpretations in your mind allows
you to change your emotions. Self-
awareness is one of the attributes of
emotional intelligence and an
important factor in achieving success.

85. Self-awareness is the first step in
creating what you want and
mastering your abilities. When
you focus your attention, your
emotions, reactions, personality
and behavior determine where
you go in life.

86. Having self-awareness allows
you to see where your thoughts
and emotions are taking you. It
also allows you to see the
controls of your emotions,
behavior, and personality so you
can make the changes you want.

87. Until you are aware in the
moment of the controls to
your thoughts, emotions,
words, and behavior, you will
have difficulty making
changes in the direction of
your life.

88. Self-Awareness in
Relationships

89. Relationships are easy until there
is emotional turmoil. This is the
same whether you are at work or
in your personal life. When you
can change the interpretation in
your mind, can change your
emotions and shift the emotional
quality of your relationships.

90. When you can change
the emotions in your
relationships you open
up entirely new
possibilities in your life.

91. Having a clear understanding
of your thought and behavior
patterns helps you understand
other people. This ability to
empathize facilitates better
personal and professional
relationships.

92. How Self-Awareness
Makes You More
Effective?

93. Self-awareness helps managers
identify gaps in their management
skills which promotes skill
development. But self-awareness
also helps managers find situations
in which they will be most effective,
assists with intuitive decision-
making, and aids stress management
and motivation of oneself and others.

94. Skill development
Improvement projects
should normally begin with
an assessment of the gap
between the current situation
and the desired future
situation.

95. Knowing your strength and
weaknesses
Self-awareness helps you exploit
your strengths and cope with your
weaknesses. If you are someone who is
good at decisions, but not as good at
focusing on the details, you might want
to consult colleagues and subordinates
that are more detail-oriented when
making major decisions.

96. Developing intuitive decision-
making skills
Leaders with well-developed
emotional selfawareness are more
effective intuitive decision-makers.
People who are highly emotionally
self-aware are better able to read
their “gut feelings” and use it to
guide decisions.

97. Stress
Jobs that doesn’t suit your
personality tend to give you more
stress than jobs that are more
compatible. Be aware that you
need to work extra hard to develop
the skills for that job, and there are
jobs that would be less stressful for
you.

98. Motivation
It’s very difficult to cope with
poor results when you don’t
understand what causes them. Self-
awareness is empowering because
it can reveal where the
performance problems are and
indicate what can be done to
improve performance.

99. Leadership
When we understand “what
makes us tick” – what gets you
excited, why we behave the way we
do, etc. – we also have insight into
what makes others tick. Knowing
how to motivate yourself is
tantamount to knowing how to
motivate others.

100. Key Areas for Self-
Awareness

101. Human beings are complex and
diverse. To become more self-
aware, we should develop an
understanding of ourselves in many
areas. Key areas for self-awareness
include our personality traits,
personal values, habits, emotions,
and the psychological needs that
drive our behaviors.

102. Personality
We don’t normally change our
personalities, values and needs based
on the what we learn about ourselves
but an understanding of our
personalities can help us find
situations in which we will thrive, and
help us avoid situations in which we
will experience too much stress

103. Values
It’s important that we know
each other and focus on our
personal values. When we
focus on our values, we are
more likely to accomplish what
we consider most important.

104. Habits
Our habits are the behaviors
that we repeat routinely and often
automatically. Although we would
like possess the habits that help us
interact effectively with and manage
others, we can probably all identify
at least one of our habits that
decrease our effectiveness.

105. Emotions
Emotional self-awareness has
become a hot topic for topic for
discussion recently because it’s one of
the five facets of emotional
intelligence. Understanding your own
feelings, what causes them, and how
they impact your thoughts and actions
is emotional selfawareness.

106. Needs
Maslow and other scholars have
identified a variety of psychological needs
that drive our behaviors such as needs for
esteem, affection, belongingness,
achievement, selfactualization, power and
control. One of the advantages of knowing
which needs exert the strongest influence on
our own behaviors is the ability to
understand how they affect our
interpersonal relationships.

107. The Seven
Dimensions of
Wellness

108. What is “wellness” per se? There are many
definitions, and twenty years ago, wellness
didn’t exist. But today, the industry is growing
fast, and the term “wellness” is being overused,
abused and it is not being used in its appropriate
context. Wellness is achieving one’s full
potential; it is self-directed and an ever-evolving
process. Wellness has seven dimensions: social,
occupational, spiritual, intellectual, emotional,
environmental and physical. When all these
dimensions are met, then we are considered
whole or complete. Wellness is more than just
products to make us feel good or be physically
fit.

109. 1. Social Wellness
This is how a person
contributes to his/her
environment and community and
how he or she builds better living
spaces and social networks. The
social dimension encourages
contributing to one’s
environment and community.

110. 2. Occupational Wellness
Occupational development is related
to one’s attitude about one’s work and
recognizes personal satisfaction and
enrichment in one’s life through work. The
choice of profession, job satisfaction,
career ambitions and personal performance
are all important components of this
dimension. To be occupationally-well, a
person is ultimately doing exactly what
they want to do in life and are comfortable
with their future plans.

111. 3. Spiritual Wellness
The spiritual dimension recognizes
our search for meaning and purpose in
human existence. It doesn’t mean one is
religious, but that it is better to ponder on
the meaning of life and be tolerant of the
beliefs of others than to close our minds
and become intolerant. Spiritually-well
people take time of their day for spiritual
growth and learning. They have a clear
sense of right and wrong, and they act
accordingly.

112. 4. Intellectual Wellness
This dimension recognizes one’s
creative and stimulating mental activities
as well as expands knowledge and skills
while sharing his or her gifts with others.
The intellectually-well person is open to
new ideas, thinks critically and seeks out
new challenges. These people will stretch
and challenge their minds with
intellectual and creative pursuits instead
of becoming self-satisfied and
unproductive.

113. 5. Emotional Wellness
This dimension includes the
capacity to manage one’s feelings and
related behaviors, including the realistic
assessment of one’s limitations,
development of autonomy and the ability
to cope effectively with stress.
Emotionally-well people have the ability
to express feelings freely and manages
feelings effectively. They are also aware
of and accept a wide range of feelings in
themselves and others.

114. 6. Environmental Wellness
This includes the ability to promote
health measures that improve the standard
of living and the quality of life in the
community, including laws and agencies
that safeguard the physical environment.
The environmentally-well person is aware
of the earth’s natural resources, conserves
energy, buys organic foods and products,
and enjoys and appreciates spending time
in natural settings.

115. 7. Physical Wellness
This is what we all do well in our health
clubs. It is met through the combination of good
exercise and eating habits, taking precautions for
self-care and receiving appropriate health screenings
throughout our lives. It also means taking personal
responsibility and care for minor illnesses and
knowing when professional medical attention is
needed. Physically-well people understand and
appreciate the relationship between sound nutrition
and how their body performs. The physical benefits
of looking good and feeling terrific most often lead
to the psychological benefits of enhanced self-
esteem, self-control, determination and a sense of
direction.

116. Values
Development

117. Values are deeply held beliefs that path our
daily decisions. They are found within
the subconscious and are tightly woven
into the fabric of everyday life. We make
decisions and choose our behaviors,
close friends, professional employment,
and entertainment based on our values.
We follow this code to live our lives and
we raise our children with these values
hoping that they will follow in our
footsteps.

118. “Your personal codes of values are what are
important to you; not something you want
or would like to have, but something you
literally need in your life to be happy. A
value is a principle or quality intrinsically
valuable or desirable to you. Values are
personal. They are your convictions, your
beliefs, and your ethics rolled into one.
Your personal code of values may be
identical to your family’s values. Or they
may be dramatically different.” (Lopper,
2007).

119. The Basic Values of
the Filipinos

120. NSTP as a citizenship training
scheme focuses on translating
the good citizenship values as
reflected in the Preamble of the
Constitution into concrete action
in building a better Philippines.
There are sixteen (16) basic
Filipino values based on the
1987 Philippine Constitution.

121. Preamble
We, the sovereign Filipino people,
imploring the aid of Almighty God,
in order to build a just and humane society
and establish a Government
that shall embody our ideals and aspirations,
promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and
secure to ourselves our posterity the blessings of independence
and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth,
justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace,
do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.

122. Meaning of
Preamble

123. The term preamble is derived from
the Latin word “preambulare”
which means “to walk before”.
It is the prologue of the
Constitution. Clustered below
are the good citizenship values
that are reflected in the
Preamble of the 1987
Philippine Constitution:

125. The Filipino Value
System

126. The Filipino value system refers to the set of
values or the value system that majority of
people have historically held important in
their lives. This Philippine value system
includes their own unique assemblage of
consistent ideologies, moral codes, ethical
practice, etiquette, and cultural and personal
values that are promoted by their society.
As with any society though, the values that
an individual holds sacred can differ on the
basis of religion, upbringing and other
factors.

127. As a general description, the
distinct value system of
Filipinos is rooted primarily in
personal alliance systems,
especially those based in
kinship, obligation, friendship,
religion (particularly
Christianity), and commercial
relationships.

128. Filipino values are, for the most part, centered at
maintaining social harmony, motivated
primarily by the desire to be accepted
within a group. The main sanction against
diverging from these values are the
concepts of “hiya”, roughly translated as ‘a
sense of shame’, and “” amor propio”” or
‘self-esteem’. Social approval, acceptance
by a group, and belonging to a group are
major concerns. Caring about what others
will think, say or do, are strong influences
on social behavior among Filipinos.

129. According to the anthropologist Leonardo
Mercado, the Filipino worldview is
basically ‘non-dualistic’. Based on
linguistic analyses of Filipino value
terms like “loob” (Cebuano “buot”),
he concludes that Filipino desire
harmony, not only interpersonal
relationships, but also with nature and
religion, while still remaining non-
dichotomous.

130. “The Filipino wants to
harmonize the object and the
subject, while at the same
time holding both as
distinct.” (Elements of
Filipino Philosophy (1974),
Leonardo Mercado, SVD

131. Models of the
Filipino Values

132. F. Landa Jocano identified two models of the Filipino
value system. The first is the exogenous model
or foreign model, while the second is the
indigenous model or the traditional model. The
foreign model is described to be a “legal and
formal” model, while the indigenous model is
described as a “traditional and non-formal”
model or guide but is deeply embedded in the
subconscious of the Filipinos. The foreign model
was inherited by Filipinos from Western
cultures, particularly from the Spaniards and the
Americans. An example of a foreign or
exogenous influences is bureaucracy exhibited
in the government of the Philippines.

133. Elements and
Composition

134. Based on studies, surveys, opinions, anecdotes, and other
literatures made by experts and researchers in relation
to Filipino social values of Filipino core values, along
with the Filipino character of Filipino identity of a
person or an individual known as the Filipino, the
Filipino value system is found to possess inherent key
elements. Among them are optimism about the future,
pessimism with regards to present situations and
events, the concern and care for other people, the
existence of friendship and friendliness, the habit of
being hospitable, religious nature, respectfulness to
self and others, respect for the female members of the
society, the fear of God, and abhorrence of acts of
cheating and thievery.

135. The core values of Filipinos specifically uphold the
following items: solidarity of the family unit,
security of the Philippine economy, orientation to
small-groups, personalism, the concepts of “loob”
or “kalooban” (meaning “what is inside the self”,
“the inner-self, or the “actual personal feelings of
the self”), existence and maintenance of smooth
interpersonal relationships, and the sensing of the
feelings or needs of others (known as
pakikiramdam). In a larger picture, these values
are grouped into into general clusters or
“macroclusters” namely the relationship cluster,
the social cluster, the livelihood cluster, the
inwardness cluster, and the optimism cluster.

136. Philippine Core
Values

137. Philippine Values is defined by the way
people live their lives as an influence of
one’s culture. The Philippines being an
archipelago – has not become a
hindrance towards having a single
values system throughout the country.
In whatever part of the country may be,
one will find the same hospitality that
the Filipinos are known for as well as
many other values that have originated
from the Filipino forefathers.

138. The values of Filipinos have been looked
upon by foreigners as a weakness
instead of strength due to the nature of
how they may be abused and
manipulated due to these values. But
values are what make up a certain
nation both in growth and unity. Some
may see that Filipino values as a
hindrance to the growth of the country
and yet other may say that these are
what make our country powerful.

139. In order to understand these
concepts, let us look into the
different values of the
Filipinos and how they may
be of influence to a person’s
growth.

140. Family

141. The Philippines is known to be a family-
centered nation. The Filipinos recognize
their family as an important social
structure that one must take care of. They
give importance to the safety and unity
of one’s family. The Filipino family is so
intact that it is common for members of
the same family to work for the same
company. It is also common to find the
whole clan living in the same area as
Filipinos are afraid to be too far from
their own family.

142. People get strength from their family, thus a child
may have several godparents to ensure his
future in case his parents will not be there for
him. They also do not let their elders live too
far away from them. The Filipinos take care of
their elders by taking them into their homes.
Unlike the Westerners, the Filipinos do not
send their elders to nursing homes to be taken
care of. They believe that when their elders are
unable to live alone, the time has come for
them to pay respects and to be able to serve
their parents just as they were cared for when
they were younger.

143. Politeness

144. Filipinos are taught to become
respectful individuals. This is
mainly due to the influence of
Christianity that tell us to honor
both our parents and our elders.
The use of “po” and “opo” when in
conversation with an elder or
someone who is older is a
manifestation of how Filipinos
respect their elders.

145. Hospitality

146. The Filipinos are very hospitable when it comes
to their fellowmen. They will invite their
visitors to come into their homes and offer
them treats such as snacks and drinks after a
long journey. There are also instances when
the Filipinos will serve only the best to their
visitors even if at times they may not be
able to afford it. They also go to the
extreme as to give up the comfort of their
own bedrooms for their guests and to the
point of sleeping on the floor just to ensure
that their guests are comfortable.

147. Gratitude

148. Gratitude or “utang na loob” is a very
popular Filipino characteristic. One
does not forget the good deeds that
others may have done to him or her
especially at times of great need. This
sense of gratitude is sometimes abused
by those who have done well to others
as they may ask favors or things that
may either be unreasonable or beyond
the means of the one in debt.

149. Shame

150. Shame or “hiya” is a very common Filipino value.
It is said that Filipinos would go to great
lengths in order for one not to be ashamed.
Hiya has a great influence on one’s behavior
for one will do everything, if it is beyond his
means just to save his reputation as well as the
reputation of his family. When it comes to
economic standing, Filipinos feel pressured to
meet the status quo of the society. One
indication of this might be a willingness to
spend more than they can afford on a party
rather than be shamed by their economic
circumstances.

151. Flexibility,
Adaptability, and
Creativity

152. Filipinos’ sense of joy and humor is evident in their
optimistic approach to life and its travails. The ability
to laugh at themselves and their predicament is an
important coping mechanism that contributes to
emotional balance and a capacity to survive. These are
manifested in the ability to adjust to often difficult
circumstances and prevailing physical and social
environments. Filipinos have a high tolerance for
ambiguity that enables them to respond calmly to
uncertainty or lack of information. Filipinos often
improvise and make productive and innovative use
whatever is available. These qualities have been
repeatedly demonstrated in their capacity to adapt to
living in any part of the world and in their ability to
accept change.

153. Loyalty

154. Loyalty or “pakikisama” is another Filipino value.
Filipinos are said to be loyal to their friends
and fellowmen in order to ensure the peace in
the group. This is manifested in their basic
sense of justice and fairness and concern for
other’s well-being. Filipinos recognize the
essential humanity of all people and regard
others with respect and empathy. With this
orientation, Filipinos develop a sensitivity to
the nature and quality of interpersonal
relationships which are their principal source
of security and happiness.

155. Hard Work and
Industry

156. The related capacity for hard work and industry
among the Filipinos is widely recognized.
Filipinos are universally regarded as
excellent workers who perform well whether
the job involves physical labor and tasks or
highly sophisticated technical functions. This
propensity for hard work, which often
includes a highly competitive spirit is driven
by the desire for economic security and
advancement for oneself and one’s family.
This achievement orientation is further
accompanied by typically high aspirations
and great personal sacrifices.

157. Resignation

158. Trust in God or the concept of “Bahala
na” has been over-used time and
again. This ideal is used when a
person does not know what to do or
too last to do anything at all. This
belief to put fate in God’s hands may
be a sign of how religious Filipinos
may be and, at the same time, may
show that the Filipinos are free-
spirited and that they put their life in
fate’s hands.

159. Significance of
Studying Filipino
Values

160. The shaping of the Philippine society into
a successful and progressive nation
would depend on understanding and
appreciating the positive side of
Filipino values and how they are
applied to attain such goal. Thus, it is
imperative that a full understanding
and appreciation of the positive side of
our very own principles be made and
used for our personal and national
success.