Jenny Juniora Ajoc October 20, 2018

Section 38 - BSN 124

Argumentative Essay: Cognition at Fault

With reference to Filipino culture, Francisco Sionil Jose observes and critiques the way
we act, and how we think as individuals and as a society in his article entitled “Why We Are
Shallow”. Being shallow is influenced by a lot of factors, but I believe that it is mindset that one
chooses to be in. Using the Theory of Triadic Reciprocal Determinism set forth by psychologist
Albert Bandura, the variable at fault is cognition (person) as it is usually the strongest contributor
to performance, has the capacity to influence the environment, and it possesses the power of
judgement ( J. Feist & G. Feist, 2008). Within this context, if cognition fails to function
effectively, it has the power break us as individuals and as a nation.

According to Francisco Jose (2011), we are shallow because we lack this most important
knowledge — who we are and the limits to what we can do. We draw the line as to where our
abilities might take us, and this estimate on how far that particular line extends may not always
be accurate. It can be far longer or shorter depending on the person’s sense of self, namely self-
efficacy and self-esteem. For example, one reason that contributes to being shallow based on the
article is because of the diminished excellence of our educational system or the lack of education
entirely. As a third world country, many people will say that they lack the financial resources to
go to a quality school, which is sadly true in most situations. But for those with more open
opportunities, poverty mentality is the enemy. Poverty mentality is a mindset about money that
develops over time. It is a “poor me” attitude that stems from a deep-seated belief that there is
never enough. Persistent thoughts and comments such as "I can't afford this..." and "I'll never
have enough money to have that..." may turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy (Albright,
2013). There are many opportunities out there that can surpass poverty mentality such as jobs,
scholarships, and special grants. We cannot see these however, if cognition stands in our way
instead of urging us to go further. To clarify my point, I’m not saying that we should accept
positions far beyond our competence, but rather use the advantage of the reflexive self in order to
surpass one of the many mindsets that hinder us to progress.
 Bandura’s PBE model is further described as reciprocatory in nature as the variables
involved possess a triadic interaction of forces. The three reciprocal factors do not need to be
equal in strength as the relative potency varies for each person and in a given situation ( J. Feist
& G. Feist, 2008). Furthermore, each variable is not an independent factor, that is, a one way
interaction between them. The point is, with this concept of the person, we can choose to take
control of our environment despite of its influence over us. According to Bandura (1999), in the
agentic sociocognitive view, people are self-organizing, proactive, self-reflecting, and self-
regulating, not just reactive organisms shaped and shepherded by external events. People have
the power to influence their own actions to produce certain results. For example, media is an
extremely powerful shaper of our culture. What makes it shallow is that it usually features shows
that focus on gossip, telenovelas that have the same cliché storyline, bias between newscasters,
and the like. In addition to that, the internet is another domain that has a powerful impact,
especially in youth. It makes us shallow because can shift our focus on popularity, vanity, and
materialism because of what our society is featuring on different social media platforms. Another
example of an environmental situation is the people we surround ourselves with, or simply called
our social environment. It not only involves our peers but also the people that are superior to us
such as officials, leaders, influencers, and society as a whole. For example, on a societal scale we
are shallow because of colonial mentality. It involves the mindset that a foreign culture is
preferred over our own. We are guilty of adopting the western culture of using English as a
preferred language, so much so that Filipino as a subject was threatened to be removed from the
curriculum as stated in the CHED Memorandum Order No. 20, Series of 2013 (Silverio, 2014).
The power that cognition holds over this mentality is the judgment and evaluation that English is
only one of the many tools for education, and Filipino is just as important. If cognition fails to
think critically, then we would just be caught in the flow and not think or learn for ourselves.

Last but not the least, the most important statement that I want to point out is that we
make the decision to be shallow or not. By cognition or “person” Bandura means largely, but not
exclusively, such cognitive factors such as memory, anticipation, planning and judging ( J. Feist
& G. Feist, 2008). Cognitive processes also use existing knowledge and generate new
knowledge. Therefore, if we were shallow before, it doesn’t mean that we cannot surpass that.
We have the ability to change that mindset and educate ourselves to be individuals that are aware
of what is truly happening around us. Sure, it is fun to participate in what Francisco Jose had
described as shallow because life is simpler, our thoughts are plain, and sure enough, “mababaw
lang ang kasiyahan” as we Filipinos would put it. But once that we are called to delve deeper,
once that we have to become aware of the terrible state that our country is in right now, it is a
matter of choice.

To sum it all up, cognition plays a large role for each individual and in our nation. If it
fails to function effectively, consequences include poor performance, diminished individuality,
and the tendency to remain shallow just to name a few. It is important that we recognize and
develop the ability to use this variable as a means for us to progress, instead of it being a
hindrance for our success.

Sources:

1. Albright, J. (2013, August 2). Poverty Mentality – Do You Have It?. Retrieved from:
https://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/poverty-mentality-do-you-have-it

2. Bandura, A. (1999). A Social Cognitive Theory of Personality. In L. Pervin & O. John (Ed.),

Handbook of personality (2nd ed., pp. 154-196). New York: Guilford Publications.

(Reprinted in D. Cervone & Y. Shoda [Eds.], The coherence of personality. New York:

Guilford Press.)

3. Feist, J. and Feist, G.J. (2008). Theories of Personality, 7th ed. Chapter 16: Bandura: Social
Cognitive Theory (pp. 483-485)

4. Jose, F. (2011, September 12). Why We Are Shallow. The Philippine Star. Retrieved from:
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/arts-and-culture/2011/09/12/725822/why-we-are-
shallow.

5. Silverio, I. (2014, June 27). Removing Filipino as a subject in college: A betrayal in the name
of business?. Retrieved from: http://bulatlat.com/main/2014/06/27/removing-filipino-as-
a-subject-in-college-a-betrayal-in-the-name-of-business/