THE SPIRITUAL AND

POLITICAL SELF
 THE
SPIRITUA
L SELF
SPIRITUAL SELF
•Spiritual self is one of the four (4)
constituents of the "self" according to
William James in his book, The Principles
of Psychology in 1890. The spiritual self is
the most intimate, inner subjective part of
self the most intimate version of the self
because of the satisfaction experienced
when thinking of one's ability to argue
and discriminate, of one's moral
sensibility and conscience, and our
unconquerable will is purer than all other
RELIGION

Rebecca Stein (Stein 2011)

works on the definition of
religion "as a set of beliefs
and practices that usually
includes some or all of
basic characteristics.
These characteristics are:
These characteristics
are:
2) A focus on the
1) A belief in sacred
anthropomorphic supernatural,
supernatural where sacred
being, such as refers to a feeling
spirit and gods of reverence and
awe
These characteristics
are:
4) The performance of
3) The presence of ritual activities that
supernatural power or involves the
energy that is found on manipulation of sacred
supernatural beings as object to communicate to
well as physical beings supernatural beings
and objects and/or to influence or
control events
These characteristics
are:
6) Provide the creation
and maintenance of
social bonds and
5) The articulation of
mechanism of social
worldview and moral
control within a
codes through narratives
community; provide
and other means
explanation for unknown
and a sense of control for
individuals.
RELIGION

•An individual lives in a society where

there are many practices of religion.
The choice of religious belief lies
within the spiritual self although the
choice may be influenced by the
society and its culture.
RITUAL
•It is the performance of
ceremonial acts prescribed
by a tradition or sacred law
(Britannica 2017). Ritual is a
specific, observable mode
of behavior exhibited by all
known societies. It is thus
possible to view ritual as a
way of defining or
describing humans.
RITUAL
•There are three fundamental characteristics of
rituals according to Penner (Britannica 2017).
Ritual has the characteristics of:

1) A feeling or 2) Dependence
emotion of upon a belief
3) Is symbolic in
respect, awe, system that is
relation to its
fascination, or usually expressed
reference
dread in relation in the language of
to the sacred myth
RITUAL
•The self can be described as a ritual being
who exhibits a striking parallel between
their ritual and verbal behavior. Just as
language is a system of symbols that is
based upon arbitrary rules, ritual may be
viewed as a system of symbolic acts that is
based upon arbitrary rules. Participation to
rituals is expressions of religious beliefs.
 SOME WORLD
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND
PRACTICES
SOME WORLD RELIGIOUS
BELIEFS AND PRACTICES
There are different religious with
different beliefs and practices.
Some of the major world
religions are Buddhism,
Christianity, Hinduism,
Islam, and Judaism. Excerpt of
some religious beliefs and
practices are found in the
University of London's Religion
and Belief Guide 2017.
BUDDHISM (Core
beliefs)
Buddhism teaches that life
involves suffering, pain, and
frustrations. In response to
suffering, people often develop
a reactive cycle of desires and
aversions. This cycle can be
interrupted by practicing
meditation, gaining wisdom,
and accepting reality as it is.
 Customs and Practices
There are two main types of meditation in
Buddhism: samatha and vipassana. Samatha focuses
on mindfulness of breathing and cultivating loving-
kindness (Metta Bhavana), while vipassana aims to
develop insight into reality. Wisdom is gained through
studying the Buddha's teachings, or Dharma, which leads
to a deeper understanding of life. Additionally, Buddhists
adhere to the principle of non-violence. Key Buddhist
celebrations include Parinirvana Day in February, Buddha
Day (Wesak) in May, Dharma Day in July, Padmasambhava
CHRISTIANITY (Core
beliefs)
Christians believe in Trinitarian God. One
God in three personas: God the Father
(Creator), God the Son( Savior), and God
the Holy Spirit Sustainer). Eternal after
death will be achieved through faith in
Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is, God the Son,
who came into flesh, to spread the good
news of salvation. He died on the cross for
the sins of the humanity but resurrected
from the death, so that anyone who
believes in him will be saved in have
eternal life. The holy bible is a selection of
books, which is divided into two, the Old
 Customs and Practices
Christian churches practice two key sacraments: Baptism
and Communion. Baptism symbolizes a person's entry into
the Christian faith, while Communion serves as a
remembrance of Jesus Christ's sacrificial love. Jesus's
teachings emphasize unconditional love for the poor,
oppressed, and outcasts. The two major celebrations in
Christianity are Christmas and Resurrection (Easter).
Christmas, celebrated on December 25, marks the birth of
Jesus Christ, whereas Resurrection Sunday, which varies
based on the lunar calendar, celebrates Jesus's resurrection
HINDUISM (Core beliefs)
Hinduism covers a wide range of traditional
beliefs and religious groups; thus, there is no
single founder or leader. Hindus believe that
existence is a cycle of birth, death and
rebirth, governed by Karma. Karma is a
concept where the reincarnated life will
depend on how the past life was spent.
Hindus believe that the soul passes through
a cycle of successive lives and it's next in
carnation is always dependent on how the
previous life was lived. Vedas are sacred
Scriptures of Hindus. Mahabharata and
Ramayana are two other important texts of
the Hindus.
 Custom and Practices

Diwali and Navrati are the most celebrated

festivals of the Hindus. Diwali is the
festival of lights while Navrati is the
festival of nine nights, which celebrate the
triumph of good over evil. Hindus have set
dates to honor particular manifestations of
God.
ISLAM (Core beliefs)
Muslims believe in Allah as their one,
universal God, emphasizing the unity of
God. They have a strong sense of
community, known as "ummah," which
fosters solidarity among Muslims
worldwide. The term Islam means "willing
submission to God." Muslims regard
Mohammed as the final prophet, born in
Mecca in 570 CE, who received revelations
from God through the Angel Gabriel over
23 years. The Quran is the holy book of
Islam, taught to be recited in Arabic, as
translations are considered inadequate.
 Customs
and
Practices
Muslims believe in the
five pillars of Islam,
which are the foundation
of Muslims life:
 Customs and Practices
1) Shahadah - statement of faith: "There is no
God but the one true God and Mohammed is his
messenger".
2) Salat - the prayer that is practiced five times
a day.
3) Zakat - the monetary offering for the benefit
of the poor. It comprises the 2.5% of a Muslim's
assets.
5) Sawm - the fasting. Muslims do fasting
from food, drink, and sexual act during the
celebration of Ramadan s the ninth month
of the Islamic lunar calendar. The fast is
from dawn to sunset.

Two of the major festivals in Islam are

Eidul-Fitr and Eidul-Adha. The first one
refers to the celebration at the end of
Ramadan, while Eidul-Adha is the
celebration within the completion of the
JUDAISM (Core beliefs)
•The Jews believe in the God of
Abraham, the same God that liberated
the Hebrew slaves from Egypt to
Canaan, the promised land through the
leadership of Moses and later, Joshua.
•The Jews believe in the coming of
Messiah, the Savior. The sacred
scripture of the Jews is called the Torah
or the Law. The Torah is the guide of
the Jewish living. The study and
interpretation of Torah is part of the
Jewish culture.
 Customs and Practices
There are five major festivals observed by the
Jews:

1. Rosh Hashanah - the New Year

2. Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement
3. Pesach Passover
4. Shavuot - Pentecost
5. Sukkot - Tabernacles. The Jewish Sabbath begins on
Friday evening at sunset and is an important time
FINDING AND CREATING
MEANING OF LIFE
Dr. Viktor Frankl
• He is a
psychiatrist,
neurologist, at
philosopher
• He born on March
26 1905
• Survivor and
victim of
holocaust in WWII
• He founded the
Finding and Creating Meaning of
Life
According to Viktor Frankl, "meaning is something to discover rather
than to invent.’’

• 3 Ways of Discovering Meaning of Life

A. Experiential values -Approach involves experiencing something or
someone we value
B. Creative value- Traditional existential idea of providing oneself
with meaning by becoming involved in one's projects, or better, in the
project of one's own life
c. Attitudinal values- refer to the meaning we find in life based on
our attitude or response to situations, especially during suffering or
hardship
LOGOTHERAPHY

is a form of
The term psychotherapy
comes from developed by
Logotheraph the Greek word Viktor Frankl that
y "logos," focuses on helping
meaning individuals find
meaning in life,
"purpose" or even in the face of
"meaning." suffering or
hardship.
 FRANKLIAN
PSYCHOLOG
Y
•Basic Concept of
Franklian
Psychology
•Frankl's sources of
meaning
 1.) Life has meaning under
all circumstances
Basic
Concept of 2.)Main motivation for
Living is our will to find
Franklian meaning in life
Psychology
3.) Freedom to find
meaning
 1.) Become aware of
spiritual resources

Furthermore,
his Psychology 2.)Make conscious
Aims to; spiritual resources

3.)use defiant power of the

human spirit and stand up
against adversity
Logotherapy Assumptions: A
foundation of Franklian Psychology
• 1. The human being is an entity consisting of body [soma], mind
[psyche] and spirit [noos]. i.e. according to him, the body and mind
are what we have and the spirit is what we are.

• 2. Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most

miserable. le. it's hard to grasp but it is something everyone
experiences and it represents an order in a world w/ laws that go
beyond human laws.

• 3. People have a will to meaning. When we see meaning, we are

ready for any type of suffering. This is considered to be different
than our will to achieve power and pleasure.
4. People have freedom under all
circumstances to activate the will to find
meaning. This deals with change of
attitudes about unavoidable fate.
5. Life has a demand quality to w/c people must
respond if decisions are to be meaningful. The
meaning of the moment is more practical in daily
living than ultimate meaning. Unlike ultimate
meaning this meaning can be found and fulfilled.

6. The individual is unique. This enhanced by the

realization that we are irreplaceable.
 Frankl's Sources of Meaning

1.) Purposeful work - meaning of life is unique to every

individual.

2.) Courage in the Face of Difficulty/ Adversity - a meaningful

life is a life suffering. Suffering is part of life.

3.) Love - is the only way to grasp another human being in the
innermost core of his personality. The ultimate factor to find
meaning of life is love.
The Political Self
POLITICAL SELF
• Political self refers to how individuals
understand their place and role within the
political sphere. It encompasses your beliefs,
values, and attitudes about government,
society, and your own political agency.

• Refers to a representation of oneself about

him/herself
POLITICAL SELF
•Political position based on the interest and
perspective of one social organizations.

• The Political Self is that the conceptually

discrete categories of "inner'' and ''outer''
in reality constantly interact, shape, and
inform each other.
The Philippines as we know it today has only
emerged in the 1890's after over three
centuries of colonization of the Spaniards.
Meanwhile, liberation from the last colonizers,
the Japanese, only occurred in 1946. Foreign
culture, beliefs, language and religion have
made a huge dent on our own by setting a
foundation to the contemporary Filipino identity
and culture. To date, colonial mentality remains
an issue. Given the wide discrepancy between
the liberation period and today's time, would it
be safe to say that Filipinos have truly
developed an identity of their own? Or are we
Origin of Political Self
•Family
-The family has a hierarchical structure
that influences the political self through
the obligation and expectations. Through
hierarchy of positions, status and
positions.
Example:
Father acts as a leader and establishes
rules to maintain order in the family.

This shows thar authority is necessary in

Origin of Political Self
• School
The school's responsibility is to teach moral,
spiritual, and political values that will help the
students to become patriotic and morally
upright citizens.
Example:
UTS subject, GMRC, ROTC

The school is similar to family, where the

teacher acts as the leader in classroom that
set the rules and regulation to maintain order
in class.
Origin of Political Self
• Church
Help the shapes of ideals of citizenship and
democracy through the religious teachings,
values and tradition.
• Peers
Interation with the peers encompasses and
emphasizes the equal distribtion of power,
rigths and privileges among the group
• Mass Media
Key to the sources of information on politics
Family, school, Church, Peers and moral
behavior that influences political behavior and
political self
Origin of Political Self
•Democracy
A government in which the
supreme is vested in and
exercised by the people directly
or indirectly through a system of
presentation, usually involving
periodical held free election.
Although democracy has
several flaws it also uniquely
posses a number of features.
Origin of Political Self
Examples:

1. Democracy helps prevent cruel and vicious autocrats from ruling

2. It fosters human development i.e. health education, personal income
and any indicators more fully than do other forms of government.
3. Deocracy helps protect fundamental individual rights and interest.
4. Democratic society provides people the maximum opportunity to take
moral responsibiity for their choices and decisions.
5. Democratic society offers relatively high chance of political equality.
DEVELOPING A FILIPINO IDENTITY:
VALUES, TRAITS, COMMUNITY AND
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
 Three Major
Concerns in
Building an Identity
The level of individual, community
and institution are primary factors
that come into play in the building
an identity. At the same time, it is
essential to consider the following
concerns in building an identity:
→ Instrumental

• An individual act in
accordance with
rules and identities
consistent with
supportive of
democratic
processes.
→ Morals
•Values and beliefs
embody and
reinforce
democratic
principles.
→ Transformative

• Includes process
of self-reflection
and redefinition
of individuals,
institutions and
communities.
Aspects in Developing Filipino Identity

Individual Attitudes and Traits

• Dualism of Filipino Traits
(negative and positive)
• Colonial/Accommodative Surface Value
(hiya, utang na loob, pakikisama)
• Confrontative Surface Value
(bahala na, sama/lakas ng loob, pakikibaka)
• Pivotal Interpersonal Value (pakiramdam)
• Linking/Socio-Personal Value
(kagandahang loob)
• Associated Societal Value (karangalan, katarungan, Kalayaan)
 Institutional Factors
Family - The cornerstone of Filipino values
and traditions, emphasizing respect, close-
Aspects in knit relationships, and shared
responsibilities.
Developing Church - Reflecting the influence of
religion (predominantly Catholicism),
Filipino shaping moral and ethical values.

Identity School - The educational system teaches

history, language, and patriotism, fostering
cultural awareness.

Media - Plays a key role in modern cultural

trends, awareness of local and global
issues, and promoting Filipino pride.
 Institutional Factors

Aspects in Government - Policies and initiatives

influence national identity through
Developing programs and cultural promotion.

Filipino Non-government Organizations -

Promote Filipino values through civic
Identity engagement and community
empowerment.
People's Organizations - Grassroots
groups focus on collective action and
community development, preserving
local traditions.
Aspects in Developing Filipino Identity

Macro-Factors at Cultural Artifacts

the Societal and Practices
• Immediate community • Language and
• Less intimate groupings Literature
• National and Global • Art and Music
Influence • Cuisine
• Traditional Attire and
Symbol
 Historical and Political
Context
• Pre-Colonial Period
• Colonial Period
Aspects in • Post-Colonial Period
Developing
Filipino
Psychological and
Identity Philosophical
Perspectives
• Kapwa
• Narcissistic Tendencies
• Modern Filipino Philosophy
 Collective action, shared vision,
means of sustainable future and
the link to generation has been
crucial in the construction of
identity and sense of belonging in
DEVELOPING A the democratic standpoint.
FILIPINO IDENTITY:
VALUES, TRAITS, On the other hand, in the socio
psychological perspective,
COMMUNITY AND citizenship or being a Filipino
INSTITUTIONAL serves a cognitive and
FACTORS motivational basis for one's beliefs
and behavior.
Thus, enhancing the practice of
citizenship and democracy is
crucial to the awareness and
understanding of self and
community.
 Filipino
Values
and
Traits
Filipinos have unique traits
and values that make them
unique. It is through their
culture, tradition, and history
that made them have these
characteristics.
The Filipino
Hospitality
Filipino's brand of hospitality is known
everywhere. Filipinos welcome their
guests and tourists as if they are their
own brothers and sisters. They always
make their guests feel at home,
offering them something to eat, and or
even a place to stay. They are also fond
of giving pasalubong or tokens and
pabaon or farewell gifts to their
visitors. This can be seen when
someone goes back home from abroad
or when a foreigner visits our country.
They greet them with nice gestures
and show them the best of best here in
our country.
Respect for Elders
“Po” and “Opo” are commonly
thought to Filipino children at a
young age. Saying these to those
who are older are seen as a sign of
respect. The gestures of kissing the
elder’s hands while saying “Mano po”
are also seen as a form of respect
and courtesy. “Ate”, “Kuya”, “Itay”,
“Nanay”, “Tito”, “Tita”, “Lola”, and
“Lolo” are some of the referencing
names used by Filipinos for respect.
Close Family Ties
Filipinos maintain a tight relationship
with their families regardless of
whether their children are old enough
and already have their own families.
Some families have a tradition of
doing family reunions almost every
year. Meanwhile, a lot of Filipino
families tend to live close to each
other. Even with their children
settling in, some choses to be with or
nearby their parents’ house.
Cheerful Personality
According to the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing
Research Center, the Philippines ranks as the 2 nd
happiest country in Southeast Asia. Filipinos have
a habit of smiling and laughing a lot. Smiling is a
coping strategy for many Filipinos especially
during hard times and calamities. Filipinos always
try to maintain a positive outlook in life, making
them resilient and able to manage almost
everything with a simple smile.
Self-sacrifice
The self-sacrificing attitude of Filipinos can be
seen as an extension of Filipino hospitality.
Filipinos go out of their way to help their friends,
families, and loved ones. This can be seen from
those OFW parents who sacrifice themselves
being separated from their families, living in
another country, and enduring hard work just to
give their families a better life.
Bayanihan
“Bayanihan para sa bayan.” This term portrays
Filipinos' communal unity and cooperation, helping
each other out without expecting something in return.
In the old times, whenever one house needed to be
moved, the entire community would help lift it from
one place to another. Today, whenever a storm struck
a town, they would always get up and help each other
by giving what they can and providing support.
Filipinos are always ready to share and help their
"Bahala na" Attitude
“Bahala na” is another term for “Bathala na”,
which means leaving everything to God’s plans.
Another version of this phrase is “Bahala na si
Lord”, which means the same thing. This points out
the characteristic of Filipinos to leave stressful and
difficult things to our God. This can be also viewed
as something that is cheerful, allowing those
difficult things to take care of themselves instead
of worrying about them, nonstop.
Colonial Mentality
It is regarded as the lack of patriotism and the
attitude where Filipinos favor foreign products
more than their own. It does not only concern
goods, but also the desire to look more foreign
than local and keep up with foreign beauty
trends. We tend to see foreign products as
“better” than our own. This is sometimes the
same for foods, often favoring dishes from other
countries rather than our own local delicacies.
"Mañana" Habit
Filipino term for procrastination. It was derived
from a longer Filipino phrase called "Mamaya
na" means dawdling things, which could have
been done at an earlier time. It was a poor
habit of laziness that results in heavier
workloads. Whenever one gets forced to do the
task immediately, our tendency is to get mad
"Ningas Kugon"
"Ningas" is a Filipino term for flame, and
"Kugon" is a Filipino term for Cogon, a grass
that quickly burns out after it is put into fire.
It refers to the attitude of eagerly starting
things but quickly losing eagerness soon after
experiencing difficulty. Filipinos are regarded
as "Juan Tamad" or Lazy Juan because of
laziness.
Pride
When two parties are not in good terms,
they find it so hard to apologize and wait
until the other party asks for an apology
first. This is more prominent in
relationships. As couples fight with each
other, the other one waits for the other’s
apology, often relying on things such as
Crab Mentality
Where one resents the achievement of
another instead of feeling happy for that
person. They pull each other down and ruin
each other reputation rather than bringing
them up, resulting in no progress. An example
of this is when students mocks those who
participate actively in class by saying “Edi
ikaw na” or “bida-bida”
Filipino Time
Filipino time is always an hour late from the
said schedule. Filipinos have this common
attitude of arriving late at commitments,
dinners, or parties, especially if they are
meeting someone close to them. They tend
not to observe punctuality altogether. Saying
things like “OTW” when in reality, they’re still
sleeping.
FILIPINO
MARKERS
 1. PROVERBS OR
SALAWIKAIN

Damiana Eugenio,
regarded as the
mother of Philippine
Folklore, classified
proverbs into six
categories (Eugenio,
2000);
SIX (6) CATEGORIES OF PROVERBS:

a. Proverbs expressing a general

attitude toward life and the laws that
govern life;
b. Ethical proverbs recommending
certain virtues and condemning
certain vices;
c. Proverbs expressing a system of
values;
SIX (6) CATEGORIES OF PROVERBS:

d. Proverbs expressing general truths

and observations about life and
human nature;

e. Humorous proverbs; and

f. Miscellaneous proverbs.
2. SUPERTITIONS
- Filipinos subscribe to their
own set of superstitious passed
down from generation to
generation. Some of the
superstitious influenced by
beliefs from other cultures, but
Filipinos have retold according
to their own experiences and
they sometimes end up even
more interesting.
 3. MYTHS AND
LEGENDS
• A myth is a story that was made up
by people who wanted to explain
how or why our world works, how it
came to be, how we should treat
each other, why hurricanes happen,
and so on. These myths are
generally passed on from parents to
kids, and when those kids grew up to
be parents, they would tell their kids,
and so on.
• The word myth actually comes from
the Greek “mythos” meaning “word
of mouth.”
 3. MYTHS AND
LEGENDS
• Legends are stories that people
made up as well. However,
legends are about real-life people
and what they did. Legends
always have an important
purpose, but the facts are always
a little exaggerated to make
them more interesting and
exciting! Generally, some of the
facts are dramatically altered
and the person the legend is
about never really did what the
 4. HEROES AND ICONS
- Heroes serve as a reminder of true
patriotism and nationalism as they have
sacrificed their lives for the sake of their
country"s freedom and progress. The last
monday of August we lend to celebrate
our heroes to remember their greatness,
bravery, and resilience that has led to the
freedom we know today. Lea Salonga,
Manny Pacquiao, and our national hero
Jose Rizal, serve as important Filipino
markers as they have made the Filipino
name pronounced worldwide through
their own expertise.
THANK YOU!