Title: Philosophical Presuppositions of Theoretical Approaches to Counseling
1Philosophical Presuppositions of Theoretical
Approaches to Counseling
2- Psychoanalytic deterministic, topographic,
dynamic, genetic, analytic, developmental,
historical, insightful, unconscious,
motivational - Adlerian holistic, phenomenological,
socially-oriented, teleological,
field-theoretical, functionalistic - Person-centered humanistic, experiential,
existential, organismic, self-theoretical,
phenomenological, person-centered,
here-and-now-oriented
3- Gestalt existential, experiential, humanistic,
organismic, awareness-evocative,
here-and-now-oriented, client-centered,
confrontative - Transactional Analysis cognitive, analytic,
redecisional, contractual, interpretational,
confrontational, action-oriented,
awareness-evocative, social-interactive - Behavioral behavioristic, pragmatic, scientific,
learning-theoretical, cognitive, action-oriented,
experimental, goal-oriented, contractual - Rational-emotive therapy rational, cognitive,
scientific, philosophic, action-oriented,
relativistic, didactic, here-and-now-oriented,
decisional, contractual, humanistic
4- Reality therapy reality-based, rational,
antideterministic, cognitive, action-oriented,
scientific, directive, didactic, contractual,
supportive, nonpunitive, positivistic,
here-and-now-oriented - Trait and factor scientific, empirical,
decisional, informational, educational,
vocational, evaluative, data-based,
past/present/future-oriented, action-oriented,
technological, person/environment-interactive,
problem-solving, objective, systematic, didactic,
interpretive and - Eclectic integrative, systematic, scientific,
comprehensive, organismic/environmental,
cognitive, past/present/future-oriented,
behavioral, educational, developmental,
humanistic, analytical, decisional.
5Psychophilosophical Foundations of Guidance and
Counseling in the Philippines
6- The Philippines, although young as a republic,
has a long history. - Its culture is laden with several layers of
Eastern and Western influences. - Although located in Asia, home to the worlds
greatest religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism,
Mohammedanism, Shintoism and Confucianism, it has
become and remained Asias only Christian
country. This is partly because of its
geographical location and of its core religion
which is animism.
7- Rediscovered by its colonizers not as a nation
but as composed of different groups of people
tracing their roots from the barangay, in essence
small independent family units. - The people bowed to the cultural and other
influences of those who visited its shores and of
those who stayed to dominate it and yet
preserved its own indigenous cultural artifacts.
8Bases for Philosophical Assumptions in the
Philippines (Axel, 1993, as cited by Wehrly,
1994)
- Key Beliefs or Ethical Life
Philosophy
Buddhism
- Gods love for all creatures is a basic belief.
Salvation (saving from sin or resurrection from
death) is gained by those who have faith and show
humility towards God. Brotherly love is
emphasized in acts of charity, kindness, and
forgiveness. Jesus teachings insist on justice
and mercy toward all people.
- Buddhism attempts to deal with problems of human
existence such as suffering and death. - Life is misery, unhappiness, and suffering with
no ultimate reality in the world or behind it. An
endless cycle of existence (birth and rebirth)
continues because of personal desires and
attachments to the unreal self. - Understanding the cause of all human suffering
and misery as due to desire, and the ultimate
transcendence of all desires, leads to
nirvana(blowing out), a state of happiness,
peace and love. - The middle path of life avoids the personal
extremes of self-denial and self-indulgence. - Visions can be gained through personal meditation
and contemplation good deeds and compassion also
facilitate the process toward nirvana, or
enlightenment. - The end of suffering is in the extinction of
desire and emotion, and ultimately the unreal
self. Present behavior is a result of past deeds
overcoming attachment to personal desires and
worldly things leads to nirvana.
9Bases for Philosophical Assumptions in the
Philippines (Axel, 1993, as cited by Wehrly,
1994)
- Key Beliefs or Ethical Life
Philosophy
Islam
- All living things are related. Respect for powers
of nature and pleasing the spirits are
fundamental beliefs in order to meet basic and
practical needs for food, fertility, health, and
interpersonal relationships and individual
development. Harmonious living is comprehension
and respect of natural forces.
- God is just and merciful humans are limited and
sinful. God rewards the good and punishes the
sinful. Mohammed, through the Koran, guides and
teaches people truth. Peace is gained through
submission to Allah. The sinless go to Paradise
and the evil go to Hell.
10- The Filipino counselor may or may not be
conscious of it but it is possible that his or
her philosophical presuppositions are anchored in
his or her religion or belief system, hence, the
incongruity of what guidance counselors claim to
be their philosophy (rooted in the West) and
their identified focal points and goals in
counseling. - Western philosophy emphasizes the individual
while Filipino philosophy emphasizes the communal.
11Filipino Philosophy(Mercado, 1974)
- The Filipino looks at himself as a self, as one
who feels, as one who wills, as one who thinks,
as one who acts as a total whole as a
person, conscious of his freedom, proud of his
human dignity, and sensitive to the violation of
these two. (p. 71). - The Filipinos holistic view of himself,
his concrete way of thinking, his non-dualistic
worldview indicates that he thinks differently
from the Westerners. Logical thinking requires
abstract thinking which does not seem to be
present among the majority of Filipinos, hence,
they reason in a different way. (p. 79)
12Filipino Philosophy(Mercado, 1974)
- The Filipino's thinking is subjective, concrete,
and imprecise, he has to reason intuitively and
inductively. This psychological way of thinking
is ultimately due to the non-dualistic or
synthetic world view wherein the subject is in
harmony with the object. (p. 89) - Non-dualistic means the difference between the
subject and object is not stressed so that both
are in communion.
13Filipino Philosophy(Mercado, 1974)
- The Filipino has "harmony with nature" compared
to the Westerner who has a "mastery-over-nature"
orientation. To a Filipino, harmony is the theme
of the universe and he does not tamper with the
ways of Nature. To a Westerner, nature is a tool
which is to be exploited so he tampers with the
balance of nature. (Mercado, 1974 Wehrly, 1998).
The Westerner then wants to be master of time.
He can make the night his day. He makes time and
time does not make him.
14Filipino Philosophy(Mercado, 1974)
- Western time is linear, conditioned by the spaced
linearity of past, present and future (Mercado,
1974, p. 112). It is a limited resource, measured
in precise units and is lineal (Wehrly, 1998, p.
132). - Cosmic time for the Filipino is cyclic, spiral
and dynamic. It is not a resource. (Mercado,
1974 Wehrly, 1998). The past is remembered and
the present is experienced. The past is
remembered and the present is experienced.
15Filipino Philosophy(Mercado, 1974)
- For the Westerner time wasted is gone forever,
hence, the saying "Time is gold" or "You can't
turn back the hands of time." But for the
Filipino "there is always tomorrow, a philosophy
which is reflected in his maxims." Examples are
Paglipas ng dilim may araw pang darating (When
darkness passes there is still another day) or
May araw pa bukas (There is still tomorrow).
(Mercado, 1974, pp. 112-113)
16Filipino Philosophy (Mercado, 1974)
- Human time for the Filipino is not subject to
mathematical calculations. It is not oriented to
space but to man's consciousness. The Filipino
remembers the past in terms of consciousness and
not in terms of linear time. - Q What time do you turn on the radio in the
morning? - A When the cock crows for the second time at
dawn. - Q Can you recall when this barrio was split
into two barrios? - A That was the time when the price of rice went
down to 75 centavos a ganta. - Q About how long do you listen to your radio in
the morning? - A Most of the time whenever it is turned on.
-
17Filipino Philosophy (Mercado, 1974)
- The Filipino has a "non-dualistic concept of
space". Space to a Filipino is "non-lineal." He
measures space "through his existence. He does
not measure his hometown in terms of distance but
in terms of meaningfulness. A meaningful place
can be the center of one's life, and other places
are measured by it." (Mercado, 1974, pp. 127-128) - Example Meaning of Uuwi ako.
18Filipino Philosophy (Mercado, 1974)
- The Filipino harmony-with-nature world view
leads to a synchronistic view of causality. The
Filipino intuitively delves into the causality of
phenomena in contrast to the objective mind of
the West. Health is viewed in relation with
nature-harmony. Whereas Western physicians
consider themselves as agents or causes of
healing, Cebuano doctors of medicine as well as
local healers (mananambal, herbolario) only
consider themselves as effecting the conditions
for the cure, which ultimately is God's work
(Lieban, as cited by Mercado, 1974)
19Filipino Philosophy (Mercado, 1974)
- A Filipino then may attribute illness to the
disturbance of a spirit's abode (such as a tree)
which was cut without asking permission from the
spirit which inhabits it. Or he or she may
attribute it to the disturbance of the spirits of
the departed.
20Filipino Philosophy (Mercado, 1974)
- Western ethics stresses rights, like the right to
liberty and the right to the pursuit of
happiness. Filipino ethics stresses duty doing
good is an obligation. Another aspect of the
Philippine philosophy of law is its interiority.
"The Filipino views the law from its interior
aspects whereas the Westerner looks at it from
without." (p. 150)
21Filipino Philosophy (Mercado, 1974)
- The Filipino wants to be in harmony with himself,
with his fellowmen, and with nature. And if he
aspires for harmony, he does not need external
laws for that. The 'law' is within himself. Even
if he thinks concretely, his intuitive mind leads
him to be attuned in general to such harmony ....
to impose a thing which is foreign will
ultimately be ineffective, because the unwritten
law which is behind the Filipino's behavior will
be followed. -
22Filipino Philosophy (Mercado, 1974)
- In short, the Filipino (1) emphasizes the "duty"
aspect of the law and less the "right" aspect
(2) sees the law as predominantly interior and
(therefore unwritten) and considers (3) the law
in the concrete. All three characteristics are
customary, and affect the nature of Philippine
society. (pp. 152-153)
23Filipino Philosophy (Mercado, 1974)
- To the Filipino, God's existence is a fact. There
is no need to prove as he intuits God's existence
through nature and because of his harmony with
and closeness to nature. - In short the Filipino's philosophy of God is a
reflection of his social philosophy as well as
his general philosophy of harmony.
24Filipino Philosophy (Cannel, 1999)
- We believe in "tawos (people that we cannot see)"
and that "these tawos are as many as there are
those who can be seen. Like ordinary people,
these tawos are male and female, adult and
children. There are those who are maboot (good)
and some are aggressive (maisog). Their world is
co-existent with the visible world, but is also
misaligned to it or is an inversion of the world
we see.
- Concept of
- The spirits and the departed ancestors
25Filipino Philosophy (Cannel, 1999)
- What we see as ricefields may be a road for the
tawo, and they may have their houses (which are
often said to be palatial) where we have our
water-pumps or pigsties sometimes a house and
the tawo's houses actually partly overlap. From
this arises the main inconvenience which causes
illness, for unwary ordinary people are forever
bumping into them, treading on them, or most
unfortunately, urinating on them." (pp. 84-85)
- Concept of
- The spirits and the departed ancestors
26Filipino Philosophy (Cannel, 1999)
- Filipinos venerate their departed ancestors as
well. There is a continuous relationship between
the living and the dead. It is not unusual for a
son to "talk to his departed father" for guidance
as the Filipino assumes that the departed souls
are still interested in the living members of
their family. Hence, on All Soul's Day, it is not
unusual to see Filipinos flock to the cemeteries
to be with their loved ones. Among the rich, it
is not unusual to see the burial place of members
of their family to have living rooms, toilet and
bath and dining rooms.
- Concept of
- The spirits and the departed ancestors
27Filipino Philosophy (Cannel, 1999)
- They celebrate important family occasions with
the dead as they believe that these departed
family members are also entitled to be part of
family gatherings. The dead are believed to share
the food of the living. A butterfly seen during
family gatherings is interpreted as a
representation of the departed member of the
family who is perceived to be present during this
important family occasion.
- Concept of
- The spirits and the departed ancestors
28Filipino Philosophy (Mercado, 1974)
- The Filipino generally believe in the innate
goodness of man as manifested in the concept of
'mercy' (luoy/awa/asi). Luoy connotes compassion
or pity. It is also connected with giving." (p.
175) The use of pagkalooban (sharing one's
interiority) as another word for awa is an appeal
to one's human-heartedness, or to show innate
goodness. Awa as benevolence or kindness
corresponds to kagandahang-loob and
kabutihang-loob. -
29Filipino Philosophy (Mercado, 1974)
- Luoy/awa/asi converge into the Filipino interior
dimension of natural goodness.... The Filipino is
ordinarily vulnerable to the pleas for mercy."(
p.176) A person uses the plea of mercy as his
"last" possible means for helping himself. This
plea is not based on the title or merit or on
something deserved. Rather, it is a request from
someone superior to share his innate goodness.
Someone who does not show mercy is called "walang
habag" or is "matigas ang puso" or "matigas ang
loob." Hence, most Filipinos tend to show
luoy/awa/asi.
30Filipino Psychology (Jocano, 2002 Mercado, 1974)
- The
- Filipino
- as a
- Social
- Being
- Philippine society is based on seniority.
- "Ranking and seniority with corresponding
authority exists in the family... The eldest has
rights and authority over the younger. ...
Parental authority is so strong that it extends
to the choice of the children's profession.
Likewise the interests of the family prevail over
individual interests.
31Filipino Psychology (Jocano, 2002 Mercado, 1974)
- Companion' (kuyog/kasama/kadwa) seems to
characterize the Filipino's social orientation.
From birth a baby is never left alone. Neglectful
parents are censured for leaving
(pasagdan/pabayaan/bay-an) a child alone." (p.
95) When one is sick, he or she is expected to
have a bantay (companion) even if in a private
room in a hospital. When one dies, the corpse is
never left alone during the wake.
- The
- Filipino
- as a
- Social
- Being
32Filipino Psychology (Jocano, 2002 Mercado, 1974)
- The companion phenomenon on a larger scale is
the Filipino's communitarian spirit. He tries to
be in harmony with the community. The anti-social
or the non-conformist is branded as pilosopo
(literally, philosopher). 'Magpilosopo' is to
think and behave independently in a
non-conformist way and is not appreciated.
Whereas the American child is trained to act
independently, the Filipino child is trained to
be dependent on his family and reference group
(sakop).
- The
- Filipino
- as a
- Social
- Being
33Filipino Philosophy (Jocano, 2002 Mercado, 1974)
- A successful Filipino businessman will not
consider his office as individual, for his sakop
has a moral claim to it. So he thinks it is
natural for him to hire his relatives and friends
for he thinks that they can be trusted. - When conflict arises between deciding on the
individual's interests and that of his group, the
latter usually prevails
- The
- Filipino
- as a
- Social
- Being
34Filipino Philosophy on Social Relationships
(Quito, 1991)
- The Filipino philosophy on social relationships
(pilosopiya ng pakikipagkapwa-tao). This is
reflected our positive and negative views of the
nature of man. To the Tagalogs, "isang uri ng
karunungan ang gawaing pakikibagay" (working for
harmony is a form of intelligence). To the
Ilokanos, "kung masarap ang iyong ulam, patikman
mo ang iyong kapitbahay"(if your viand is
delectable, let your neighbor have a taste of
it). (p. 22) Man is bad if it is difficult to
deal with him ("mahirap pakisamahan") or if he is
selfish ("makasarili").
- The
- Filipino
- as a
- Social
- Being
35Filipino Philosophy A Summary
- The Filipino is more communitarian than
individualistic. Blessings and punishments are
collectively reaped by a Filipino's sakop.
His/Her misdeeds would tend to be felt by his/her
sakop resulting in a collective form of
guilt/shame. - According to Mercado, the "following are
instances where one earns 'curse'
(gaba/busong/lunod) disrespect of older person,
disobedience to parental authority, harming a
priest, ridiculing others for their physical
deformities, abusing the natural resources (which
are considered the gifts of God) such as wasting
food or not sharing surplus food with others.
(pp. 183-184)
36Filipino Philosophy A Summary
- The mabuting tao (good person) is someone who has
may hiya, may utang na loob, at may pakikisama.
All of these three spin off from the concept and
value of pakiramdam (feeling for another)
(Mataragnon, 1986, as cited by Enriquez, 1990).
Meanwhile, the masamang tao (evil person) can be
characterized as one who does not exhibit the
accommodative values of hiya, utang na loob, at
pakikisama. If one is walang hiya (one who lacks
a sense of karangalan or honor/propriety), people
might just say that the person was not taught
properly by his parents.
37Filipino Philosophy A Summary
- If one is walang utang na loob (lacks adeptness
in respecting a shared identity, karangalan and
kagandahang-loob), others might just avoid this
person. If one is walang pakikisama (inept at the
level of adjustment), he/she can improve
him/herself by learning how to relate with
others. But if one is walang kapwa tao, he or she
has reached rock bottom. (Enriquez, 1990). The
person has no shared identity with fellow humans
(kapwa). According to Enriquez (1990), "without
kapwa, one ceases to be a Filipino and human."
(p. 293)