An Interpersonal Idea From Filipino Culture: Pakikipagkapwa

Filipino Psychology ( Sikolohiyang Filipino) is psychology born of Filipino experience and culture. There are a lot of things to learn from Filipino psychology but many of them are philosophical.

There are a lot of good things to learn from the Filipino philosophical view of human relations and interpersonal principles. One of them is the idea of “Kapwa”, it is referring to our “fellow human beings” From this there is a famous moral principle from Filipino culture the idea of “pakikipagkapwa”.

The idea is that we are all human beings, we share the same nature, and each of us demands the same needs, implying that each of us is one amid differences between values, culture, language, skin color, financial status, educational background, etc. At the core of the idea is the rule that no matter what the differences between you and me, still we have a shared identity as human beings and that no matter if there are differences between each of us, it is not a reason to hate others, rather we must give importance to the other people because we have a shared identity with them as our fellow human beings. The idea proposes that each of us has feelings and each us has needs and each of us has the same rights, therefore respect must exist between each of us, no matter if you’re a Christian or a Muslim or a Hindu or a Buddhist or a Filipino or an American or a Chinese or a Japanese, after all these differences we only fall into one category “human beings”.

Tolerance

The idea can produce tolerance between individuals. The act of being a considerate person toward others' attitudes and cultures. It can produce tolerance for others’ beliefs and practices of religion. The idea can produce tolerance toward others' preferences.

Equality

Differences don’t make us better or worst in value. This produces the perception that each of us is equal to others, just because we are all rooted in one, therefore we have a shared identity. Therefore sexual orientation, gender, or any classification doesn’t matter. What matters is that each of us needs others' respect and acceptance and each of us is responsible to give as we receive.

Consideration

As the idea focuses on the similarities between individuals, it also implies that we can’t ignore the fact that differences exist. That each of us has different experiences that shaped our way of perceiving the experiences we experience and others' experiences. The point is that respecting others will not happen without accepting the uniqueness they possess. It doesn’t mean that to love them you must love anything they love, it means that just don’t insult or disrespect their beliefs and values.

Empathy

Being considerate and tolerant is part of the big picture of empathy. The idea will produce the perception that each of us must understand others' feelings and respect others' identities. An empathetic attitude will be giving us the ability to cope with other people’s behavior.

Indeed it is a challenge for each of us to understand others and to socialize with them. Whether that’s at work or school or even at home. The idea of “Pakikipagkapwa” is just a manifestation of that hardship, an insight into other people’s actions and feelings.