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History of Psychology in the Philippines

The document discusses the origins and development of psychology in the Philippines. It traces the roots back to 1954 with the establishment of a psychology department at the University of San Carlos led by Joseph Goertz, who taught experimental psychology in the tradition of Wundt. It also discusses the influence of Western psychology through various individuals and universities. Key figures and places mentioned include Jaime Bulatao at the Ateneo de Manila, Alfredo Lagmay at UP Diliman, and the Cordilleras where the concept of the "Barefoot Psychologist" was introduced. The document charts the evolution and indigenization of psychology in the Philippines through the incorporation of local terms and perspectives.

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65 views2 pages

History of Psychology in the Philippines

The document discusses the origins and development of psychology in the Philippines. It traces the roots back to 1954 with the establishment of a psychology department at the University of San Carlos led by Joseph Goertz, who taught experimental psychology in the tradition of Wundt. It also discusses the influence of Western psychology through various individuals and universities. Key figures and places mentioned include Jaime Bulatao at the Ateneo de Manila, Alfredo Lagmay at UP Diliman, and the Cordilleras where the concept of the "Barefoot Psychologist" was introduced. The document charts the evolution and indigenization of psychology in the Philippines through the incorporation of local terms and perspectives.

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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Chapter 2: The Meeting of East & West The German Roots Moghaddam’s (1987) categorization of

psychology in the Three Worlds would show that Psychology in Cebu City has its direct roots in second
world. In 1954, a department of Psychology was established at the University of San Carlos by Joseph
Goertz after he spent almost 18 years of Psychological work in Beijing and a couple of years in Europe
before being sent to Cebu. With Goertz teaching experimental psychology in the tradition of Wundt, in
what has been called the “Genealogy of Psychology”, in Visayas, he was a step away from the original
German Edition and was using another Western language communicating with his predominantly
Cebuano-Speaking students. The University of interest in Leyte, aside from the UP at Tacloban, is the
Divine Word University, where thejournal Samar-Leyte Studies comes from and where the Pambansang
Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino or PSSP held its first regional conference. The output of the
conference is probably a landmark in psychological publishing in the Philippines—a book entitledFilipino
Religious Psychology—not because of the conference theme but because the title is more“sellable” than
the saidProceeding of the First Regional Conference of the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang
Pilipino. The UP at Tacloban launched an undergraduate program in psychology in 1981 under the
leadership of Daisy Soledad. The Spanish Hold in España and Intramuros, Manila Jose A. Samson, the
first with a Phd in Psychology Emmanuel Vit Samson was a doctor of medicine while Angel de Blas was
a Spanish Dominican priest and philosopher. UST registered another “first” by including in 1987a
subject in Filipino Psychology as an integral part of its undergraduate psychology curriculum.

Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Founded by the Spanish Dominican in 1630 in Intramuros, Manila. The
Belgian Connection in the Cordilleras Independently developing up north in the Cordilleras. SLU
started to offer psychology as a major field of undergraduate study in 1967. Filipino Psychology is
Conceptualized as mainstream Philippine psychology and not particularly oriented to the concerns of the
people of the Cordillera

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The concept of the “Barefoot Psychologist” was broached for the first time in community psychology
andfield methods classes held at the foot of the mountains inBulacan aspsychology and anthropology
students fromlowland universities climbed up north to the [Link] Legacy at Diliman and
Manila’s University Belt Alfredo V. Lagmay from UP Diliman was sent to the United States ostensibly om
a fellowship precisely to weaken the UP Department of Philisophy led by Ricardo Pascual. Lagmay’s First
move was to transfer to the College of Liberal Arts, reorienting psychology’s applied educational
perspective at the UP to a basic scientific orientation. Experimental Psychology is now an integral part
of the undergraduate psychology curricula in the Philippine School but Lagmay didn’t quitesuceed in
promoting behavior analysis in the Skinnerian tradition. Jaime Bulatao, a clinical psychologist and Jesuit
priest, established the department of psychology at the Ateneo, Taught Sigmund Freud. Dissociating
Freud’s teaching from the horrors of sex and immorality was the first item in Bulatao’s psychology
agenda. Taking Freud's side cannotbe all that bad in a culture whereLibidohas an alternative
counterpart inLibog,a word which always makes the Filipino smile. To Fight for sex is one thing but to
fight for money is another Bulatao’s bigger problem was the survival of the psychology department at
the Ateneo de Manila. Bulatao’s contribution to the indigenous psychology lies not in his crystal balls
and dousing rods but in his insightful appreciation of theAlbularyo(Local Healer) even as he documents
their psychology in the language of hypnotherapy and altered states of consciousness. The Heavy hand,
or call it “Informed Judgment”, of the National Intelligence and Security agency of the Marcos
government prevented the departure ofDanilo Tuazon for Moscow for advance training in Physiological
Psychology. CEU, has the distinction of having published in 1983 Panimulang Sikolohiya, the first
psychology textbook incorporating Philippine Research materials and using the Filipino Language. The
National Science Development Board (NSDB) committee’s Filipino term for the word psychology, is
dalub-isipan(expertise-mind). A psychologist is a dalub-isip(expert-mind).Mind isisipan. Ideation is
Isaisip. Intellectual isisipnonwhen used as noun but pang-isipanormaka-isipnonwhen used as an
adjective.

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Belgian missionaries, through institutions like Saint Louis University, influenced the development of psychology in the Cordilleras by establishing psychology programs and promoting the field as a major area of undergraduate study. These efforts contributed to the institutionalization of psychological education in the region, facilitating the growth of a psychology discipline that considered local cultural contexts and brought higher educational opportunities in psychology to an underserved region .

The American legacy impacted the educational orientation of psychology at Diliman and Manila's University Belt through a transition towards a scientifically rigorous and research-oriented psychology curriculum. Alfredo V. Lagmay's transfer of the psychology department to the College of Liberal Arts and introduction of experimental psychology as a core part of the curriculum underscored a shift from applied to basic scientific research. However, Lagmay's efforts to promote Behavior Analysis in the Skinnerian tradition faced challenges, indicating a complex interplay between the introduction of American educational models and existing local practices .

The University of the Philippines at Tacloban launched an undergraduate program in psychology in 1981, which played a crucial role in fostering regional interest and academic pursuit in psychology. It contributed to the emergence of local psychology practices by promoting academic discourse in the region, as evidenced by the first regional conference of the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino hosted at Divine Word University and the publication of a notable book on Filipino Religious Psychology .

Jaime Bulatao merged cultural and psychological perspectives by focusing on indigenous healing practices, such as those of the Albularyo, within the framework of hypnotherapy and altered states of consciousness. His approach reflected a unique synthesis of Western psychological theories, particularly those of Freud, with traditional Filipino cultural elements, thus promoting an understanding of psychology that resonated more deeply with local sensibilities .

The 'Barefoot Psychologist' concept symbolized a practical and accessible form of community psychology designed to address the realities of Filipino communities, particularly in rural areas. It reflected a commitment to making psychological services more relatable and practical for communities often marginalized by conventional disciplinary approaches. By conducting field methods and community psychology classes in the Cordilleras, this concept promoted an accessible form of psychological practice that emphasized cultural relevance and grassroots engagement, facilitating the dissemination and application of psychological knowledge beyond traditional academic settings .

The National Science Development Board (NSDB) played a role in contextualizing psychology within the Philippines by developing Filipino terminology for psychological concepts, such as using 'dalub-isipan' (expert-mind) for psychology. This initiative highlighted an effort to indigenize the discipline and make it more accessible and relevant to the Filipino populace by integrating local language and cultural nuances into psychological discourse .

Published in 1983, 'Panimulang Sikolohiya' was the first psychology textbook to incorporate Philippine research materials, using the Filipino language, which marked a significant milestone in making psychological education accessible and relevant to the Filipino context. Its publication reflected a broader movement towards recognizing and documenting indigenous psychological knowledge, therefore promoting a psychology practice that better resonated with Filipino values and experiences .

Jaime Bulatao's challenges at Ateneo de Manila University included overcoming cultural biases against Freudian teachings, which he tackled by dissociating them from negative perceptions of sexuality. Additionally, sustaining the department amidst financial and administrative difficulties was a significant hurdle, compounded by a broader cultural skepticism towards Western psychological frameworks. Bulatao's recognition of local healing practices highlights his strategic adaptation to these challenges by embedding cultural elements within psychology education .

The inclusion of Filipino Psychology as a subject by the University of Santo Tomas in 1987 marked a significant step toward integrating local cultural perspectives into the psychology curriculum. This move represented an institutional acknowledgment of the importance of cultural context in psychological study and practice, aiming to better address and incorporate indigenous values, beliefs, and practices within mainstream psychological education .

Joseph Goertz established the department of Psychology at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City after spending significant time in Europe and Beijing. He brought experimental psychology teaching in the Wundtian tradition to Cebu, bridging Western educational frameworks with local contexts. This effort was part of the broader 'Genealogy of Psychology' in the Visayas region, adapted to communicate with predominantly Cebuano-speaking students .

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