Chapter 2: and any other capabilities and habits
acquired by man as a member of society.”
“PERSONALITY and CULTURE”
The three concepts of society, culture and
personality are essential for the understanding of
human behavior. Our interest in this chapter will be
on the Filipino society and culture and its impact on
the Filipino personality. This chapter therefore, will
give us an insight on the following:
1. Society in general
2. The meaning of culture and personality
3. Determinants of personality
a. Biological
b. E.Q. Factor
c. Environmental
4. Philippine Cultural Values
 Society in General
- A society represents a geographical
aggregate and has boundaries, similar
government or a group of persons’
relationships for a meaningful interaction. A
key concept in study of society is that of
folkways.
- The term “folkways” simply describes the
way in which folks - modem or primitive
people act and react as they go about the
everyday business of living.
- The foundation of every society is a group
of individuals with a set of common ideas,
attitude, interests and styles of living ' united
by 'common goals.
- As individuals interact in society, they
develop individual personalities; thus,
personality can be defined as the
organization of biological, psychological,
socio-cultural and educational factors which
underlie a person’s behavior.
 Culture
- There are various definitions of culture —-
descriptive with emphasis on social heritage;
normative with emphasis on rules I or ways;
psychological with emphasis on adjustment;
structural.
- The most quoted definition is that of Taylor
(1976) an anthropologist defined culture "as
a complex whole which includes knowledge,
belief, art, law, art, law, morals, customs
- Culture tells man what to do and what not to
do and how to do things.
- Man’s culture is unique to man; but culture
varies in different societies.
 Personality
 Definition of Personality Goode (1952)
defines personality as "the total
psychological subject and social reactions
of an individual, the synthesis of his tive,
emotional and mental life, his behavior and
his reaction to the environment, the unique
or individual traits of a person."
 Munn (1946:45), defines it as "the most
characteristic integration of an individual's
structure, modes of behavior, interests,
attitude capabilities, abilities and
aptitudes." Personality is the individualizing
trait of a man which constitutes his
singularity and differentiate him from any
other human being. It stands for those traits
which make him what he is, unique and
different from the others
 Determinants of Personality
 Biological Heritage - Heredity includes all
that a person possesses as transmitted from
parents to offspring by means of the germ
plasm. The human infant comes into the
world equipped with biological structure,
physiological processes, capacities and urges
which may directly or indirectly influence
human behavior.
o Musculature
 used to refer to all the muscles in your
body, or to a system of muscles that you
use to perform a particular type of
action.
 Human body has about 639 muscles
which are said to make up about 40% of
its weight.
 Physical growth during childhood and
adolescence also brings about changes
in personality
o Nervous System
 includes both the Central nervous
system and Peripheral nervous system.
 The Central nervous system is made up
of the brain and spinal cord and The
Peripheral nervous system is made up of
the Somatic and the Autonomic nervous
systems.
 The central nervous system is divided
into two major parts: the brain and the
spinal cord.
 The brain lies within the skull and is
shaped like a mushroom.  The brain
consists of four principal parts:
 the brain stems
 the cerebrum
 the cerebellum
 the diencephalon
o The Glands
 A gland is an organ which produces and
releases substances that perform a
specific function in the body. There are
two types of gland.
Endocrine glands are ductless
glands and release the substances that
they make (hormones) directly into the
bloodstream.
 E.Q. Factor
 New brain research suggests that
emotions, not I.Q. may be the true
measure of human intelligence.
 The phrase "emotional intelligence" was
coined by Yale psychologist Peter
Salovey and the University of New
Hampshire's John Mayer five years ago
to describe qualities like understanding
one's own feelings, empathy for the
feelings of others and "the regulation of
emotion in a way that enhances living.”
 The most visible emotional skills, the
ones we recognize most really, are
“people skills” like Empathy,
Graciousness and Ability to Read a Social
Situation.
 Environmental Factors
 Geographic Environment
- refers to location, climate, topography and
natural resources.
- These may be responsible for different
experiences in adjustment to the physical
world.
 Cultural Environment
- set of beliefs, practices, customs and
behaviors that are found to be common to
everyone that is living within a certain
population.
- shape the way that every person develops,
influencing ideologies and personalities.
- determined by the culmination of many
different aspects of culture that influence
personal choices and behaviors.
- Religious beliefs are an important building
block of a specific cultural environment. 
 Social Environment
- refers to the immediate physical and social
setting in which people live or in which
something happens or develops.
- It includes the culture that the individual
was educated or lives in, and the people
and institutions with whom they interact.
- The interaction may be in person or
through communication media, even
anonymous or one-way, and may not imply
equality of social status. Therefore, the
social environment is a broader concept
than that of social class or social circle.
- The physical and social environment is a
determining factor in active
and healthy aging in place, being a central
factor in the study of
environmental gerontology.
 Home and Family
- Family is the most important of all human
groups
- It is the child’s basic source of fundamental
social ideas
- It is where a child develops his basic
attitudes, ideals, values and style of life.
 Culture
- Considered a central concept
in anthropology, encompassing the range
of phenomena that are transmitted through
social learning in human societies. Cultural
universals are found in all human societies;
these include expressive forms
like art, music, dance, ritual, religion,
and technologies like tool
usage, cooking, shelter, and clothing. The
concept of material culture covers the
physical expressions of culture, such as
technology, architecture and art, whereas
the immaterial aspects of culture such as
principles of social organization (including
practices of political organization and
social institutions), mythology, philosophy, 
literature (both written and oral),
 and science comprise the intangible
cultural heritage of a society.
 Social Agents
- The school, church and other social
institutions are also instrumental in
molding the individual into a wholesome,
dynamic and assertive personality.
 Philippine Cultural Values
- Filipinos have been described as friendly,
outgoing, sensitive, easily offended, nosy,
garrulous, direct, hospitable, feisty,
irreverent, good natured, clever, witty,
gregarious, happy, generous, easy to laugh,
gracious, easy to befriend, casual, fun
loving, sensitive and hospitable. Personal
and family honor are stressed, as well as
dignity and pride. Education is highly
valued and families make great sacrifices to
educate their children. Hiya (shame) is
instilled in Filipinos at an early age. To be
shamed is the greatest form of disgrace.
Filipino culture developed over centuries in
tandem with and in response to Western
culture introduced by the Spanish and later
Americans.
- Filipinos have a strong sense of family and
community They are very gregarious and
like to talk and hang out with family and
friends. They love to fool around, gossip,
make jokes and tease one another. Rumors
spread quickly. Some say Filipinos are
happy-go-lucky people who are often
pessimistic about today but always
optimistic that tomorrow will be better.
-  People living in urban areas are more
exposed to cosmopolitan values. They tend
to be less traditional and more modern.
Those living in rural areas, on the other
hand, still value tradition Even though life
appears to be a struggle, many people are
happy with their lives.
Filipino Values
- Three main traits underlie Filipino values
and value-orientation: 1) Personalism, 2)
Familialism, and 3) Particularism
(popularism). These strongly influence
Filipino behavior and decision making, and
are the basis of his personal beliefs, and
cultural traditions and practices.
 Personalism
- It is the emphasis Filipinos give to
interpersonal relations or face-to-face
encounters. Successful leadership or being
a good manager necessitates a personal
touch, and problem-solving is effective if
handled through good personal relations.
 Familialism
- It emphasizes the welfare and interest of
the family over those of the community.
The family is the basis of group action and
almost all community activity centers on
the family. The family, and not the
individual, decides on important matters,
and these are decided on the basis of
family, not individual interest. The family
honor, and not that of the individual, is at
stake when a family member makes a
mistake.
 Particularism
- It results from the strong family influence
on individual and group behavior.
Individuals strive to promote their own and
their family’s interests over community
interests. Being popular among peer groups
is highly desirable, hence Filipinos make
special efforts to entertain friends and
relatives. Knowing how to entertain people
(marunong umasikaso ng kapwa) is
important.
Value Orientation is the way individuals relate to
objects, events and ideas. Three main obligations
underlie Filipino value orientation relational
(pakikipagkapwa), emotional (damdamin), and
moral (karangalan). All, or one may influence work
or social relationships.