Module 8
THE POLITICAL SELF
Introduction
As members of the society, people are naturally obligated to
participate in a political system as social citizens. Politics is the way
that people living in groups make decisions. It is about making
agreements between people so that they can live together in groups such as
tribes, cities, or countries. As Aristotle stated, “man is, by nature, a
political man.” This is because man is a social being and that people
naturally drawn to various political involvement in order to satisfy their
social needs. The political self-explores how our social and economic
contexts profoundly affect our overall well-being. It is the aspect of
our identity that is political, such as beliefs about what a “good
society” means or how much government regulation is appropriate.
This section allows students to have an understanding of their self –
concept in political perspective and improve one’s political identity as a
Filipino.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson students should be able to:
1. identify values, traits, political community and institutions as
aspects of political self.
2. describe what a democratic culture is.
3. understand the concept of self in political thought; and
4. examine one’s political identity.
Learning Content
Who is a Filipino?
According the 1987 Phil. Constitution, Filipino citizen are "those whose
father or mother are citizens of the Philippines those born before Jan.17,
1973 of Filipino, mother who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the
age of majority and those who are naturalized in accordance with law".
What is Political?
It is primarily concerned with the making as distinguished from the
administration of governmental policy. A republic is a political system in
which the government remains mostly subject to those governed. Some
scholars define any political system in which the citizens legitimize the
government.
The Philippines today has only emerged in the 1980s after over three
centuries colonization of the Spaniards. Meanwhile, the Japanese only
occured 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. Filipino have truly developed an identity of their own?
or we still living in the shadow of our colonial friends.
The individual's race, ethnicity, and physical characteristics are not the only
factors that make a person's national identity. The important of values and
traits are set apart ne nationality from the other. This values and traits may
not always be a positive thing, but being able to identity one's self apart
from other nationalities and point out weakness and mistakes, paired with
unity and progress a possibility.
What is Political Self?
It captures the extent to which a person thinks of themselves as a
“political person”. These are beliefs about what a “good society” means or
how much government regulation is appropriate. Political self-organization
then refers to the formation of political patterns through the local
interactions of the members only; this can be seen in the formation of public
opinion, political movements, and political revolutions. In a cultural context,
self-organizing processes can be seen in the formation of customs and the
development of beliefs. In a socioeconomic context self-organization can be
seen in the growth, competition, and extinction of companies, national
economies and the stock market.
Filipino Traits and Values
What do Filipinos value?
The term kapwa or a shared inner self lies at the core of Filipino values and
psychology. A person who treats another as a kapwa has a shared a sense of
identity and consciousness with that ‘other’ person. Both in the individual
and community level, strong emphasis is placed on social acceptance and
maintaining social harmony. As such, social approval and caring about what
others will think, say, or do strongly influence social behavior.
FILIPINO TRAITS
Hospitality - Offer the warmth and comfort of your place to a
friend or relative who needs a place to stay.
- Give more than of your best to make your
guests feel at home.
Cheerful & - Problems are inevitable but Filipinos are known
Optimistic to be positive and joyful – plaster a sweet smile
on your face.
Respect - Pagmamano, beso, and paghalik sa kamay
should be manifested.
- Use po and opo and/or polite expressions when
talking to someone older than you.
Close family Ties - Maintain a harmonious relationship with your
family members.
- Avoid conflicts and if possible settle disputes
and misunderstandings.
- Support and help your family and relatives up
to any extent.
Bayanihan/Unity - Sincerely extend help to your fellowmen.
and Helpfulness - Do not choose whom to help.
- Offer help when someone needs assistance.
Filipino Time - Show respect, sincerity and sensitivity by
arriving at a meeting or event on time.
Mañana Habit - Procrastination leads to a bulkier and heavier
workload.
- Do not delay tasks.
Colonial Mentality - Support locals.
Ningas Kugon - Be consistent of the ventures and things you
have started.
Crab Mentality - Be happy of other’s achievements and success.
- Put off jealousy / enviousness.
Pride - Learn to ask for an apology without waiting for
the other party to do it.
FILIPINO MARKERS
Proverbs or Salawikain - Filipino proverbs or Philippine proverbs
are traditional sayings or maxims used by Filipinos based on local culture,
wisdom, and philosophies from Filipino life. If used in everyday
conversations, proverbs are utilized to emphasize a point or a thought of
reasoning: the Filipino philosophy.
Examples:
1. Habang may buhay, may pag-asa. (Meaning: Never lose hope in life.)
2. Kapag binato ka ng bato, batuhin mo ng tinapay. (Meaning: Repay evil
with kindness and blessing.)
3. Ang buhay ay parang gulong. (Meaning: There is no permanent situation
in this world.)
Superstitions - beliefs or practice based upon one's trust in luck or other
irrational, unscientific, or supernatural forces. Often, it arises from
ignorance, a misunderstanding of science or causality, a belief in fate or
magic, or fear of that which is unknown.
Examples:
1. The number of steps of staircases at home should not be divisible by
three.
2. Don’t go straight home after attending a wake.
3. Siblings should not marry within the same year (sukob).
Myths and Legends - historical fact morphs into a legend when the truth
has been exaggerated to the point that real people or events have taken on
a romanticized, "larger than life" quality. In contrast, a myth is a type of
symbolic storytelling that was never based on fact.
Examples:
1. Mythical creatures such as duwende, diwata, engkanto, kapre, aswang,
etc.
2. The Legend of Makahiya
3. The Heartbreaking Story of Alitaptap (Bataan Legend)
Heroes and Icons - heroes serve as reminder of true patriotism and
nationalism as they have sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country`s
freedom and progress.
Examples: Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, Lea Salonga
Political Community and Institutions
According to Aristotle, every community “is established for the sake of
some good.” This is because “everyone does everything for the sake of what
they believe to be good,” though they of course can be wrong about what
“the good” is. It follows that a political community must also be established
for the sake of some good. Like Plato, Aristotle believed that such a
community must be large enough to be self-sufficient, but must nevertheless
remain relatively small. It is a group of like-minded people who share
common political goals and values such as social justice, lowering taxes,
improving educational policy, etc.
Political institutions definitely impact our economy, education, culture
and society. For example, political parties, trade unions, legislature and
judiciary are needed in order to safeguard the interests of citizens of the
country and to ensure the unity and integrity of the nation. It further results
in the overall development of the country. they ensure that the laws are
being followed by the citizens of the country.
Establishing a Democratic Culture
The word democracy describes a political system. In a democratic
country, all eligible citizens have the right to participate, either directly or
indirectly, in making the decisions that affect them.
Democratic culture is defined as the desire and ability of individuals in
a population to participate actively, individually and together, to the
government of public affairs affecting them. The existence of a democratic
culture within a population is characterized by the active contribution,
effective and in duration, of members of civil society to development of: the
common good, the terms of “living together” and the construction of
collective decisions. An example of democracy at work is in the Philippines,
where people have political freedom and equality. In our country, supreme
powers lies with the people, the power of the elected representatives would
be supreme, democracy requires free and fair election and
requires respect for law and minority opinion.
Strengthening your Political Skills
Political skill is the ability to effectively understand others at work,
and to use such knowledge to influence others to act in ways that enhance
one's personal and/or organizational objectives. Dimensions include social
astuteness (how well you understand other), interpersonal influence (how
you make others feel at ease), networking ability (using your formal and
informal network to advance your goals) and apparent sincerity (how
genuine and sincere you appear to others).
How to Improve your Political Skills
1. Make a political "book." With any organization or group you're
involved with, it's a good idea to gather some insights on the people
you work with most often. Record notes regarding how they each tend
to approach problems.
2. Draw a "power web." Create a chart showing the power relationships
among all the people in your organization or workgroup. Power
relationships are those connections in which the parties help one
another move projects forward and obtain needed support and
resources.
3. Strengthen and forge relationships. Review your power web to spot
opportunities to strengthen existing relationships, as well as forge
new ones. For example, ask yourself which individuals on your web
might make valuable power-relationship partners — but you haven't
yet cultivated mutually beneficial connections with them.
4. A key part of developing and wielding political skill is simply knowing
other people — their major concerns and their priorities. By figuring
out what you can do for them and what they can do for you, you
nurture relationships of mutual influence and benefit.
Teaching & Learning Activities
Measuring Your Political Skill
Instructions: Using the following scale, please place a number in the blank
next to each item that best describes how much you agree with each
statement in your work environment.
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Ratin
g
1. I spend a lot of time and effort at work networking with
others
2. I am able to make most people feel comfortable and at ease
around him
3. I am able to communicate easily and effectively with others
4. It is easy for me to develop good rapport with most people
5. I understand people very well
6. I am good at building relationships with influential people
at work
7. I am particularly good at sensing the motivations and
hidden agendas of others
8. When communicating with others, I try to be genuine in
what I say and do
9. I have developed a large network of colleagues and
associates at work who I can call on for support when I
really need to get things done
10. At work, I know a lot of important people and am well
connected
11. I spend a lot of time and effort at work developing
connections with others
12. I am good at getting people to like me
13. My behavior suggests it is important to me that people
believe I am sincere in what I say and do
14. I try to show a genuine interest in other people
15. I am good at using connections and my network to make
things happen at work
16. I have good intuition or “savvy” about how to present
myself to others
17.I always seems to instinctively know the right things to say
or do to influence others
18. I pay close attention to peoples’ facial expressions
Your Overall Political Skill Rating
Total all your self-ratings and divide by 18. The closer you are to 5 the
stronger your competence in political skill
Your Specific Dimensions
Research by Ferris, Davidson and Perrewé (2005) identifies four dimensions
of political skill. Each is critical.
Social Astuteness (Total of questions 5, 7, 16, 17 and 18, then divided by
5). An average close to 5 indicates competence in this dimension. This
covers how well you understand others, their motivations, hidden agendas
and knowing what are the right things to say and do.
Interpersonal Influence (Total of questions 2, 3, 4 and 12, then divided by
4). An average close to 5 indicates competence in this dimension. This
covers making others feel at ease, are likeable and communicate well with
others, building rapport.
Networking Ability (Total of questions 1, 6, 9, 10, 11 and 15, then divided
by 6). An average close to 5 indicates competence in this dimension. This
covers networking skills – whereby you want to network and can do so
easily, especially with influential people. You can deftly use your informal
and formal network to advance your goals.
Apparent Sincerity (Total of questions 8, 13 and 14, then divided by 3). An
average close to 5 indicates competence in this dimension. This covers how
genuine and sincere you appear to others. Scoring high suggests you know
how important it is to be seen as sincerely interested in others at all times.
Recommended Learning Materials & Resources for Supplementary
Reading
For further readings of the traits and values of a Filipino, visit this link
[Link]
Loob at Kapwa: An Introduction to a Filipino Virtue Ethics -
[Link]
journalCode=casp20
Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) Adopted
SYNCHRONOUS
- Video conferencing (Zoom, Google Meet, or Facebook room)
- Learning Management System
ASYNCHRONOUS
- Printed Module
Assessment Tasks
1. Conduct a short interview with your parents/grandparents about
Filipino traits and values, superstitions, legends which they believe
are important part of their lives as Filipinos. What are its implications
to the present generation? Provide your insights.
2. Cite a particular political group, institution or affiliation you are
actively involved with. Describe its goals and purpose, activities,
accomplishments and your personal reasons of joining the community.
How does it contribute to the development of your political identity?
3. Under the following sectors, enumerate at least two activities which
show how you exercise democracy as a Filipino student.
a. Education
b. Religion
c. Media
d. Health
e. Government
4. As a Filipino student, share at least three politically driven
contributions to address the COVID19 public health emergency?
References
Alata, E. et al. 2018. Understanding the Self. RexBook Store, Inc. (RBSI)
[Link]
[Link]
journalCo de=casp20
[Link]
philippines-fun-to-visit/
[Link]
political-skill/