Filipinos smile through their tears

We Filipinos are known everywhere for the many traits that have given us an advantage over other races. We are polite, protective of our elders, hardworking and are widely-known to be great singers, thus earning the reputation of being the Italians of Asia. But most of all, the Filipino is celebrated for smiling in the face of disaster be it personal, national or worldwide.

We have often wondered ourselves what it was that has made us behave the way we have until we got hold of some information that made things clearer to us. Apparently, there is a National Organization of Filipino Psychology formed in 1975 by Virgilio Enriquez regarded by many as the Father of Filipino Psychology. Meantime, the professors at the University of Sto. Tomas who were also priests taught their students certain concepts, based primarily on indigenous concepts and orientations. This is a method that fuses native healing techniques with the combination of animism with Catholic beliefs. From the Spaniards who conquered us for 333 years, we learned to be polite and follow directions without question; from the Americans who also conquered us for 48 years, we were taught to be honest and forthright, to call a spade a spade. No wonder we grew up in confusion.

This confusion is clearly apparent in our practices that mix Tagalog and English. Hiya means shame as in “Kahiya naman sa iyo.” Utang na loob is the promise of paying back a favor. Bahala Na si God is leaving everything to the Almighty. Lakas ng Loob is being courageous in the midst of problems and uncertainties. Pakikibaka in English refers to the ability of the Filipino to undertake revolutions and uprisings against a common enemy. Several mental disorders have been identified and that are found only in the Philippines and other countries that share connections with us. Examples are the Amok, a Malayan mood disorder in which a person suddenly loses control of himself and goes into a killing frenzy. Bangungot is a common occurrence in which a person suddenly loses control of his respiration and digestion, and falls into a coma and even ends in his death. Filipino psychopathology also refers to the different manifestations of mental disorders in Filipino people. The application of basic psychology to native healing practices is closely tied to the faith healers as well as to the native pagan priestesses like the babaylan who were suppressed by the Spaniards during their colonization of the Philippines.

Examples of such practices include the hilot or massage given a pregnant mother as aid in the dbelivery of her child. Lihi is a craving for various foods during pregnancy or attachment to a particular person often a pretty girl or handsome man which is in the pregnant mother’s wish list. In the various studies conducted by the many psychologists and students of psychology all over the world, there is a marked difference in behavior of the foreign bred to that of the Asian.

Why do the Filipinos smile through their tears? We are made to understand today, that this phenomenon is simply because we have been trained to do so from childhood. A true Filipino will not complain. A good Filipino will follow orders from the masters. And the masters of our childhood were the Spaniards whom we emulated for 333 years. Lastly, we ask ourselves, is this good or bad, that we now belong to a race that has had to process hundreds of years of servitude under Spain, the US, Japan? All we can figure out is that it has made us into a people with unique qualities that those who have had less experience can boast of.

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