DILEMMA AND MORAL DILEMMA
some moral principles are always
The term ‘dilemma’ refers to a situation in
which a person is forced to choose
between two (or more) conflicting
options, neither of which is acceptable to
her.
Always remember that not all dilemmas
are moral dilemmas.
Moral dilemmas, also called ‘ethical
dilemmas’, refers to a situation in which a
person is forced to choose between two (or
more) conflicting options, neither of which
solves the situation in a morally acceptable
way.
Example of a moral dilemma:
Moral Dilemma:
1. Continue her pregnancy and put her and
her baby’s life in danger.
2. Have an abortion and destroy her
religious and moral integrity.
Moral Dilemma are not your everyday
moral problems.
THREE CONDITIONS THAT MAKE A
MORAL DILEMMA
• The person or the agent of the moral
action is obliged to make a decision about
which course of action is best. (In Mary’s
case, having an abortion is perhaps her
best course of action)
• There must be different course of action
to choose from. (In Mary has at least two
options: to continue her pregnancy or to
have an abortion.
• No matter what course of action is taken,
compromised.
• There is no perfect solution in Moral
Dilemmas.
□ Whether Mary continue her pregnancy or
to have an abortion, the basic moral
principle of protecting life (hers or her
baby’s) will be compromised.
In a moral dilemma, the agent seems to
be condemned to moral failure; no
matter what he does, he will do
something wrong, or fail to do
something that he ought to do.
LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMAS
a. PERSONAL DILEMMAS
These include those that are experienced
and resolved on the personal level.
Examples of personal dilemma: If a
person makes conflicting promises, he/she
faces a moral conflict. When an individual
has to choose between the life of a child
who is about to be delivered and the child’s
mother, he faces an ethical dilemma.
b. ORGANIZATIONAL DILEMMAS
These include those ethical cases
encountered and resolved by social
organizations focused on business,
medical field, and public sector.
If a medical institution believes that human
life should not be deliberately shortened and
that unpreventable pain should not be
tolerated, it will encounter a conflict in
resolving whether to withdraw life support
from a dying patient. This is a common
moral dilemma faced by healthcare
organizations.
Businesses can face moral dilemmas in
the form of issues about corporate
practices, policies, business behaviors, and
the conducts and relationships of individuals
in the organizations. Other business-related
dilemmas pertain to the social responsibility
of business, employee’s rights, harassment,
labor unions, misleading advertising, job
discrimination, and whistle blowing.
In the public sector, government leaders
and employees have a moral responsibility
to act in a manner that is fair and unbiased,
that is loyal to the public by putting public
interest before personal gain, and that fulfills
duties of competency, integrity,
accountability, and transparency. Public
officials may face situations when they will
have to decide whether or not to favor a
family, friends, or campaign contributors
over other constituents, political party’s
agenda over the good of the majority, and
accepting gifts if it is legally permitted but
creates the impression of impropriety.
c. STRUCTURAL DILEMMAS
These include cases involving network of
institutions and operative theoretical
paradigms.
They usually encompass multi-sectoral
institutions and organizations, and they are
larger in scope and extent than
organizational dilemmas.
One example of structural dilemmas is the
“Kalusugan Pangkalahatan” or the
“Universal Health Care” wherein every
Filipino is entitled of the highest possible
quality of health care that is accessible,
efficient, equitably distributed, adequately
funded, fairly financed, and appropriately
used by an informed and empowered
public. Regarding this program, the biggest
issue is the budget allocation. The
government can allocate a bigger budget for
health services, but this would mean that
the budget for other sectors will be cut
down.
Some questions that are ethical in nature
are…
1. What is good?
2. Who is a moral person?
3. What are the virtues of a human being?
4. What makes an act right?
5. What duties do we have to each other
‘ONLY HUMAN BEINGS CAN BE
ETHICAL’
Most philosophers hold that unlike animals,
human beings possess some traits that
make it possible for them to be moral.
Why are humans considered the only
ethical species?
1. Only human beings are rational,
autonomous, and self-conscious.
2. Only human beings can act morally or
immorally.
3. Only human beings are part of the moral
community. Why are humans considered
the only ethical species?
FREEDOM AS A FOUNDATION OF
MORALITY
Basically, morality is a question of choice.
Morality is practically choosing ethical
codes, values, or standards to guide us in
our daily lives. Philosophically, choosing is
impossible without freedom.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR
MORALITY: REASON AND
IMPARTIALITY
Reason as a requirement for morality entails
that human feelings may be important in
ethical decisions, but they ought to be
guided by reason.
Sound reasoning help us to evaluate
whether our feelings and intuitions about
moral cases are correct and defensible.
Impartiality, on the other hand, involves the
idea that each individual’s interests and
point of view are equally important. Also
called even handedness or fair-
mindedness, impartiality is a principle of
justice holding that decisions ought to be
based on objective criteria, rather than on
the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the
benefit to one person over another for
improper reasons.
THE MORAL AGENT AND CULTURE
(NEW CHAPTER)
• MORAL AGENT is “a being who is
capable of acting with reference to right or
wrong.
• They are those agents expected to meet
the demands of morality (choosing between
good and evil).
❑ The agent has the capacity to conform to
some of the external requirements of
morality
❑ The agent is a knower
❑ The agent should have the capacity to
rise above their feelings and passions and
act for the sake of the moral law
❑ Have an enduring self with free will and
an inner life.
❑ Have an understanding of the relevant
facts as well as moral understanding.
❑ Have moral sentiments such as capacity
for remorse or concern for others.
• Moral agents, is therefore someone who is
capable of doing things rightfully or wrongly.
• It sometimes also includes the idea of
being aware of the concepts of the rightness
and wrongness, or of what actions are
considered right and wrong.
A. CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL
AGENTS
❑ Human being is a moral agent endowed
with all possibilities and capabilities to act
upon actions with moral considerations.
❑ He is a person who has the ability to
discern right from wrong and to be held
accountable for his or her own actions.
❑ He has moral responsibility not to cause
unjustified harm.
• CULTURE is an aggregate of the learned
beliefs, attitudes, values, norms and
customs of a society or group of people,
shared by them and transmitted from
generation to generation within that society.
• TYPES OF CULTURE
● High Culture – is linked with the
elite, upper class society, those
families and individuals with an
ascribed status position.
● Cultural diversity – is a concept
relating to culturally embedded
differences within society, it’s the fact
that different cultures exist alongside
each other.
● Subculture – culture enjoyed by a
small group within society. In this
sense it is a minority part of majority
culture. They have distinct norms
and values which make them
sub-section of society.
 ● Popular Culture – it borrows the idea
from high culture and popularizes it,
making it available for the masses; a
product of the media dominated
world, it is a positive force for it
brings people of different
backgrounds together in a common
culture.
● Multiculturalism – it is depicted to be
very similar to cultural diversity, other
definition align multiculturalism with
different ethnic groups living
alongside each other.
● Global Culture – A global culture is a
key feature of globalisation, they
emerged due to patterns of
migration, trends in international
travel and the spread of the media,
exposing people to the same images
of the same dominant world
companies.
• IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE
a. Culture affects perceptions.
How we perceive things is largely
affected by our judgement skills,
preconceived notions, attitude, and
emotions. These factors are closely linked
with our culture. In perceiving something as
good or bad, our biases play a role and so
does our way of thinking. In judging
something as easy or difficult, our attitude
and our motivation levels play a key role.
Our culture determine the structure of our
thinking which influences our perceptions on
the good or bad.
b. Culture Influences Behaviour.
Culture affects perception and
perceptions drive behaviour. Thus, the
culture we belong to, has direct impact on
our behaviour. Moreover, our environment,
which has cultural influences, shapes our
behaviour. What our culture teaches is
affects the way we interact socially as much
as it also affects our moral behaviours
toward others. People from some cultures
are found to be more open in
communicating even with strangers or new
acquaintances, while those from
conservative culture may not be so open.
c. Culture Shapes Personalities.
Our culture defines people’s
expectations from us. In the attempt to fulfill
them, we shape our behaviour and
personality to suit our culture. Our religions,
traditions, customs, all part of our culture,
play a major role in shaping our
personalities. The way we perceive a
situation and react to it depends largely on
what we have learned from the environment
and the way we have been brought up.
These factors are closely linked to our
cultural values. Though our nature and
education also play a part in developing our
personalities, the culture we belong have a
dominant role to play. People born and
brought up in the same culture are often
found to share certain personality trait.
d. Our Culture shapes our value and
belief system, which influences our
personalities.
In a culture where children are
taught to be independent early in life, they
grow up to be individualistic. In a culture
where boys and girls are not treated as
equal, children may become aggressive and
look at the opposite gender as their enemy,
or those treated as inferior may grow up to
be submissive. People from cultures that
take a more holistic approach are seen to
be more capable of understanding other
point of view. People from cultures that
promote individualism are found to be less
capable of understanding someone else’s
perspective.
MORAL BEHAVIOUR
Critically, no one can simply say
which behaviour is a moral one because all
behaviours are. Relatively, it is the morals if
the person or the society that make them
adopt those particular behaviours. Morals
are the prevailing standards of behaviour
that people have to follow and act in
accordance with one’s beliefs in order to live
cooperatively in groups. For example,
following your society’s rules of good
behaviour where honesty is highly valued,
telling the truth is important. In a society
where helping the poor is highly valued,
giving money to the poor is very much
appreciated.
Moral behaviours are what one
believes to be the right things to do. No
doubt cultural and religious beliefs play a
role in what one thinks to be right and
wrong. However, one may believe that an
individual can decide or act morally even in
the absence of religion. In this case, no
objectively moral behaviour exists.
ROLE OF CULTURE IN MORAL
BEHAVIOR
How important is culture in shaping
our moral behaviour?
• A culture is a “way of life” of a group of
people and this so called “way of life”
actually includes moral values and
behaviour, along with knowledge, beliefs,
symbols that they accept, “generally without
thinking about them, and that are passed
along by communication and imitation from
generation to the next.
• Cultures is learned as children grow up in
society and discover how their parents and
others around them interpret the world.
• Many aspects of morality are taught.
People learn moral aspect of right or wrong
from transmitters of culture:
•CULTURE RELATIVISM is the principle
regarding the beliefs, values, and practices
of a culture from the viewpoint of the culture
itself. This is understood as uniqueness of
every culture from each other. Besides even
under one general culture. No one can
really say in categorical term that a
particular culture is much better or civilized
than the others. Culture emanates from how
the people in the territory appreciate,
understand and interpret their respective
communities in response to their relative
needs, goals, challenges and seen
opportunities to sustain their existence
•ETHICAL RELATIVISM is the theory that
holds that morality is relative to the norms of
one’s culture. That is, whether an action is
right or wrong depends on the moral norms
of the society in which it is practiced.
(https://www.scu.edu/ethics/)
Cultural relativism is an affirmation that
holds that societies are dissimilar in their
moral standards, their laws and cultural
protocols. To expand, cultural relativism
holds that what one culture believes is
immoral, another culture may believe is
moral (Vasquez). In essence, cultural
relativism is the view that morality is culture
dependent.
Moreover, ethical relativism denies the
existence of one universal moral law. Ethical
relativism supports the idea because
cultures of societies are dissimilar in
astronomical ways they accept, it follows
that there is not one correct set of precepts
everyone should adopt. According to the
definition, instead, people should follow the
moral laws and protocols that their own
unique society sets forth or accepts. For
instance, how the Western world is
governed may not be appropriate for
cultures in different cultures outside of the
west.
•MORAL RELATIVISM
Are standards of right and wrong mere
products of time and culture? Is morality
really a neutral concept? Moral relativism is
the view that moral judgments are true or
false only relative to some particular
standpoint and that no standpoint is
uniquely privileged over all others. Moral
relativism is the idea that there is no
universal or absolute set of moral principles.
It’s a version of morality that advocates “to
each her own,” and those who follow it say,
“Who am I to judge?”
Moral Relativism can be understood in
several ways:
a. Descriptive Moral Relativism, also
known as cultural relativism, says that moral
standards are culturally defined, which is
generally true. Indeed, there maybe a few
values that seem nearly universal, such as
honesty and respect, but many differences
appear across cultures when people
evaluate moral standards around the world.
b. Meta-ethical moral relativism states
that there are no objective grounds for
preferring the moral values of one culture
over another. Societies make their moral
choices based on their unique beliefs,
customs, and practices. And, in fact, people
tend to believe that the “right” moral values
that exist in their own culture.
c. Normative Moral Relativism is the idea
that all societies should accept each other’s
differing moral values, given that there are
no universal moral principles. Most
philosophers disagree however. For
example, just because bribery is okay in
some cultures doesn’t mean that other
cultures cannot rightfully condemn it. Moral
relativism is on the opposite end of the
continuum from moral absolutism, which
says that there is always one right answer
to any ethical; question. Indeed, those who
adhere to moral relativism would say,
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
Meanwhile, Jeff Landauer and Joseph
Rowlands (2001) believed that Moral
Relativism is an ethical judgment which
claims that no ethical system is better than
another. It stems from the fact that to judge
an ethical system, it must be judge by a
moral standard. Since every ethical system
should evaluate itself as the best and only
moral system, and every other system is
flawed and immoral, it is assumed that
moral judgments about ethical systems are
meaningless.
THE MORAL AGENT: DEVELOPING
VIRTUE AS A HABIT (NEW CHAPTER)
• VALUE comes from the Latin word
‘VALERE’ which means ‘to be of worth.’
• VALUE means primarily, to price, to
esteem, to appraise, to estimate.
• It is an act of cherishing something holding
it clear and also the act of passing judgment
upon the nature and amount of its value as
compared with something else.
• VALUES or good moral values once they
are habitually practiced, they turned into
virtues.
• HUMAN VALUES are the virtues that
guide us to take into account human
element when one interacts with another
human being. They are our feelings for the
human essence of others. It’s both what we
expect others to do to us and what we aim
to give to other human beings. These
human values give the effect of bonding,
comforting and reassuring.
TYPES OF MORAL VALUES
Everybody wants to lead a happy
and good life. But achieving one is not just a
personal or individual practice of the moral
values, but being good to oneself and living
moral values with the other selves
a. Acceptance: having an objective
attitude toward others’ ideas and practices
that differ from your own.
b. Compassion: understanding the
suffering of others or self and wanting to do
something about it.
c. Courage: willingness to do
difficult things.
d. Equality: believing everyone
deserves equal rights and to be treated with
respect.
e. Fairness: acting in a just way,
sharing appropriately.
f. Generosity: willingness to give
resources, help or time to others.
g. Honesty: being truthful and
sincere.
h. Integrity: sticking to your moral
and ethical principles and values.
i. Kindness: being considerate and
treating others well.
j. Perseverance: persisting in a
course of action, belief or purpose.
k. Politeness: using good manners,
acting in socially acceptable way.
l. Respect: showing consideration
for the worth of someone or something.
m. Responsibility: being reliable in
your obligations.
n. Self-control: staying in control of
your words and behavior.
FORMATION OF MORAL VALUES
Moral values are the standards of
good and evil, which govern an individual's
behavior and choices. Individual's morals
may derive from society and government,
religion or self. When moral values derive
from society and government, they, of
necessity , may change as the laws and
morals of the society change.
Upon discernment of an individual
on the importance of people, things or
beliefs; one acts relative to extent
significance that he/she may draw from
them. It is in fact free to choose which to
value among the various alternatives. The
choice made is believed to inspire and
encourage human being to achieve one's
goal in life.
VIRTUE AND ITS FORMATION
Human beings are aware of various
moral values of which they have the option
to practice. Once these values are applied
in order to lead a good life, one is living in
virtue, a habitual good character. In
essence, values and virtues are inversely
related. If one intends to live a virtuous life,
he/she must nurture that value leading to
attaining the relative virtue by habitually
practicing the same value. with this we can
say that virtues are good moral habits which
make the person even better to perform
those good actions well and consequently
function well as human beings.
For the Greek wisdom, knowledge is
inborn, while virtue is the knowledge and
practice of good habit, virtue is likewise a
natural endownment. Since virtue is inborn
in the mind and knowing is the source of all
wisdom, so the only way to acquire virtue is
simply to recall good restored in the mind.
Formation of virtue then is the acquisition of
the true knowledge in the mind which is the
“good.” Knowing and practicing virtue is
knowledge for one's self.
CARDINAL VIRTUES
a. Prudence is the virtue of knowing
what to do under peculiar circumstances
which enables one to see the best means to
approach a given situation.
b. Justice is a virtue of giving
anyone his/her due under no condition.
c. Temperance is the virtue of
curbing or managing the sensitive appetites.
d. Fortitude is a virtue of keeping resolute in
the face of overwhelming odds.
THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES
a. Faith is the virtue of believing in
God’s word without seeing.
b. Hope is the virtue of keeping trust
in Divine Providence.
c. Charity is the virtue of loving God
and His creatures.
MORAL CHARACTER AND ITS
FORMATION
At the heart of one major approach
to ethics- an approach counting among its
proponents Plato, Aristotle, Augustine and
Aquinas- is the conviction that Ethics is
fundamentally related to what kind of person
we are. Many of Plato’s dialogue, for
example, focus on what kind of persons we
ought to be.
On the assumption, that what kind of
person one is constituted by one’s
character, the linK between moral character
and virtue is clear. We can think of one’s
moral character as primarily a function of
whether he/she has or lacks various moral
virtues and vices.
FORMATION OF MORAL CHARACTER
Moral character is formed by one’s
actions. The habits, actions, and emotional
responses of the person of good character
all are united and directed toward the moral
and the good. Because human beings are
body/soul unities, actions of the body are
actions of the self, that is, human beings are
self/possesing, self governing, and self
determining. In order to be of good
character, one must know the good, act in
morally good ways and be disposed and
inclined toward the good through the
development of virtues.
Character and action are intertwined
so intimately that one’s professional duties,
or ven what is perceived by others as one’s
duties, cannot override one’s conscience
without negatively affecting (and changing)
one’s character. For the physician to be of
good character, it is vital that he or she
follow his or her conscience in all things: in
private life and also in his or her profession,
i.e, in the treatment of patients (Mitchell,
2015)
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
Moral development occurs as we
grow and helps us choose between right
and wrong. The theory of Lawrence
Kohlberg states that the moral development
of most people begins with a desire to avoid
personal punishment and may evolve over
time to a desire to make the world a better
and more just place for all people. It is also
a process through which we develop proper
attitudes and behaviors towards other
people in society based on the existing
norms, rules or laws, Moral decision is
relative to actual experiences that we are
confronted with particularly on moral issues
that we encounter in our lives. With that, we
gradually develop our moral skills in
deciding upin difficult moral situations in
refernce to what one has experiencd
through which one’s moral principle is
challenged.
ASIAN MORAL CHARACTER/BEHAVIOR
Asia possesses a distinct
moral/ethical behaviour that make us unique
in our culture, dealing with
socio-political-cultural difficulties and
challenges.
❑ Asians stress personal orientation rather
than task orientation, the needs of the group
is given priority than for the individual.
❑ The value of modesty is also
emphasized.
❑ Generosity and sharing are greatly
valued.
Another distinct and prevalent
influence of Asian behaviours/moral traits
can be attributed to Confucianism that has
deeply influenced East Asian Behaviour.
❑ The East Asian lack of “personality” is
traced to the Confucian social institution of
Li-rules of propriety.
❑ The East Asian’s lack of principles moral
thinking is link to dyadic, relation-based
character of the Confucian ethic, its lack of
hypothetical reasoning on its hierarchical
view of human relationships.
❑ The East Asian’s lack of assertiveness is
rooted in the Confucian ideal of man as a
reflection of harmony in the cosmos and the
Confucian ideal of society as based on the
fulfilment of duties rather than the assertion
of rights. These characters kept establishing
our Asian identity, which makes us more
resilient in facing challenges such as
inflation, climate change, domestic
problems and even political difficulties in the
region.
In the Southeast Asia which the
Philippines is a part of, Jeffrey Hay (2013)
provides a more distinct traits and
characters that are mostly Buddhism and
Confucianism. Southeast Asians generally
don’t like confrontation and rarely show
visible signs of anger. They have
traditionally valued cool-headedness,
placidity and soft words. Outward
expressions of anger are considered
boorish and crude. Southeast Asians rarely
loose their temper and if they do it doesn’t
help them get their way. People just think
they are crazy. Anger is usually expressed
through a third person so face-to-face
confrontation is avoided.
Southeast Asians smile a lot. Smiles
are often a genuine way of expressing
happiness and friendliness but they can
also be a way of masking true emotions.
People from Southeast Asia often smile or
laugh when they hear bad news. That is
how they hide their sorrow. As a rule,
feelings are not expressed directly. Showing
disappointment in public is especially
frowned upon.
Southeast Asians have a reputation
for being fun loving, compassionate, gentle,
hospitable, open-minded, laid-back, smiling
and friendly; there is a prevailing sentiment
that life should be enjoyed at the moment
and problems should not be taken so
seriously that disrupt enjoyment and they
have strongly developed sense of courtesy
and respect with values that include respect
for elders, loyalty to friends and family.
a. BUDDHISM CHARACTER
Buddhism
shaped character in Southeast Asia
as Christianity does in Europe. Theravada
Buddhism encourages its practitioners to
keep their emotions and passions in check
and stresses Karma over determination,
which often means people are more willing
to accept their lot in life and sometimes is
viewed by Westerners as a lack of ambition
or unwillingness to work hard to improve
their position in life. Just like many Filipinos,
this character is explicit in time of conflict
where we tend to be calm and euphemistic;
Filipinos avoid conflict with fellow Filipinos.
Moreover, like most Filipinos,
Buddhism also provides guidelines for
village justice, namely in the form of five
basic moral prohibitions:
❑ Refrain for taking life
❑ Don’t steal
❑ Avoid illicit sexual activity
❑ Don’t speak falsely
❑ Refrain from consuming inebriating
substances.
These guidelines are most prevalent to be
followed on Philippine communities.
Buddhist believe that humans want many
things and want to keep them forever, which
is impossible and creates a constant state
of desire, which in turn causes suffering and
fear further loss. Buddhist have also taught
us to practice non violence, do good deeds,
present gifts to monks, aspire to have gentle
taught, meditate, and have respect for the
sanctity of life. The basic tenets of
Buddhism influenced Gandhi and Martin
Luther King.
2. CONFUCIAN CHARACTER
Confucian value include love and
respect for the family, integrity, loyalty,
honesty, humility, industriousness, respect
for elders, patience, persistence, hard work,
friendship, commitment to education, belief
in order and stability, emphasis on
obligations to the community rather just
individual rights and preference for
consultation rather than open confrontation.
Hence, the same characters are also unique
in Filipino communities. They also give
strong emphasis on teachers, superiors,
family members and elders. Love and
respect are principals that were practiced
mor ein the context of the family than in
society and humanity as a whole.
Confucianism is a social code based on
morality rather than laws; recognizes five
cardinal virtues:
1. Benevolence in terms of
sympathy for others (jen)
2. Duty reflected in the shame felt
after doing something wrong (yi);
3. Manners, propriety and feelings of
defence (li)
4. Wisdom, in terms of discerning
right and wrong (chih)
5. Loyalty and good faith (hsin)
A. FILIPINO MORAL CHARACTER
1. Filipino character and Personality
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 honours are
stressed, as well as dignity and pride.
Education is highly valued and families
make great sacrifice 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
American.
Filipinos are generally more
easy-going than other Asians. A survey
conducted by the Hongkong-based Political
and Economic Risk Constituency (PERC)
ranked Filipinos a “the easiest people in
Asia to get along with.
Filipinos have 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 by always optimistic
that tomorrow will be better. (Krutovsky,
2009)
2. Strength and Weaknesses of Filipino
Moral Character
Every country has its differing values
and stereotypes, and the Philippines is no
exception. We Filipinos firmly believe and
show values to the world that make us one
of the many individuals loved and
appreciated by people across nations.
Although we have been colonized by
several countries, many core values from
our ancestors remained intact and are still
honored to this day. Filipinos are not
perfect, but we have great characteristic
and qualities every one of us should be
proud of.
(https://owlcation.com>socialscience.anthro
pology)
B. Strengths of the Filipino Character a.
Pakikipagkapwa-tao
❑ Pakikipagkapwa-tao – basic sense of
justice and fairness, concern for others and
ability to empathize with others.
❑ Sensitivity to people’s feelings
(Pakikiramdam)
❑ Pagtitiwala or trust
❑ Sense of gratitude or utang na loob.
❑ Very dependent or interpersonal
relationship; give sense of security.
❑ Camaraderie and feeling of closeness to
one another.
b. Strong Family Ties
❑ Filipinos possess a genuine and deep
love for family-source of personal identity,
emotional and material support.
❑ Honour and respect given to parents and
elders.
❑ Care given to the children.
❑ The generosity towards kin in need.
❑ Great sacrifices that one can endures for
the welfare of the family.
❑ Sense of family results in a feeling of
belongingness and rootedness in a basic
sense of security.
c. Joy and Humour
❑ Filipinos have a cheerful and fun-loving
approach to life and its ups and down;
pleasant disposition, a sense of humour and
propensity for happiness that contribute not
only to the Filipino charm but also to the
indomitability of the Filipino spirit.
❑ Laughing at ourselves and the mess we
are in is an important coping mechanism;
playful, sometimes, disrespectful, we laugh
at those we love and at those we hate and
we make jokes about our good fortune.
d. Flexibility, Adaptability and Creativity
We can adjust and to adapt to
circumstances and the surrounding
environment, both physical and social;
adjusts to whatever happens even in
unplanned or anticipated events. We
possess a tolerance for ambiguity that
enables us to remain unfazed by uncertainty
or lack of information.
e. Hard Work and Industry
❑ We have the capacity for hard work given
proper conditions; to raise one’s standard of
living and to possess the essentials of a
decent life for one’s family.
❑ We are willing to take the risks with jobs
abroad, and while there, to work at two or
three jobs. The result is productivity and e. JOLLINESS AND SENSE OF
entrepreneurship for some and survival HUMOR f. DISCRETION AND DIGNITY
despite poverty. g. GRATEFULNESS
h. HONESTY AND COMMITMENT
f. Faith and Religiosity i. HELPFULNESS
❑ Our innate religiosity enable us to j. FAMILY ORIENTED
comprehend and genuinely accept reality in k. ADAPTABILITY AND
the context of God’s will and plan. RESILIENCY
❑ Religious expression is very tangible l. RESOURCEFULNESS AND
expressed everyday; we relate to God like a CREATIVITY
human being- threaten, thank, ask m. FAITHFULNESS
forgiveness, appease. n. THRIFTINESS
❑ Tragedy and bad fortune are accepted
and optimism characterizes even the D. WEAKNESSES OF FILIPINO
poorest lives are related to bahala na which CHARACTER
may be considered positively as a reservoir a. EXTREME PERSONALISM
of psychic energy, a psychological prop on b. EXTREME FAMILY CENTEREDNESS c.
which we can lean during hard times. This LACK OF DISCIPLINE
pampalakas loob allows us to act despite d. PASSIVITY AND LACK OF INITIATIVE
uncertainty. e. COLONIAL MENTALITY
f. KANYA KANYA SYNDROME
FILIPINO POSITIVE VALUES g. LACK OF SELF ANALYSIS AND SELF
REFLECTION
Filipino values shape our
relationships, behaviors, choices and sense IDENTIFIED FILIPINO NEGATIVE VALUES
of who we are. Although positive values 1. FATALISM
help guide their day to day actions and 2. CRAB MENTALITY
interactions. Thus, values inspire, not just 3. NINGAS-COGON
prohibit. Consequently, people who have 4. FILIPINO TIME
positive values are more likely to listen to 5. COLONIAL MENTALITY
their conscience, help others, be 6. GENERAL DISREGARD FOR RULES
independent, tell right from wrong and feel 7. PROCRASTINATION OR MAÑANA
happy. Ultimately, positive values help HABIT
people make their own decisions in 8. CORRUPTION
upholding them to live in harmony with their 9. GOSSIPING
respective communities. Some of these 10. PASSIVITY (lack of leadership)
values are as follows:
a. HOSPITABILITY Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development
b.HELPFUL TO (NEW CHAPTER)
OTHERS/BAYANIHAN
c. RESPECTFUL (mano po, po and HEINZ CASE
opo, halik sa kamay)
d. BRAVERY In Europe, a woman was near death from
cancer. One drug might save her, a form of
radium that a druggist in the same town had
recently discovered. The druggist was
charging $2,000, ten times what the drug
cost him to make. The sick woman’s
husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew
to borrow the money, but he could only get
together about half of what it cost. He told
the druggist that his wife was dying and
asked him to sell it cheaper or let him to sell
it cheaper or let him pay later. But the
druggist said, “No.” The husband got
desperate and broke into the man’s store to
steal the drug for his wife. Should the
husband have done that? Why?
KOHLBERG THEORY OF MORAL
DEVELOPMENT
PRE CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
STAGE 1 OBEDIENCE AND
PUNISHMENT: Behavior driven by
avoiding punishment.
STAGE 2 INDIVIDUAL INTEREST:
Behavior driven by a self interest and
rewards.
CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
STAGE 3 INTERPERSONAL: Behavior
driven by social approval.
STAGE 4 AUTHORITY: Behavior driven
by authority and conforming to social
order.
POST CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
STAGE 5 SOCIAL CONTRACT : Behavior
driven by balance of social order and
individual rights.
STAGE 6 UNIVERSAL ETHICS: Behavior
driven by internal moral principles.
Level 1(Pre-Conventional)
Stage #1:Obedience and Punishment
Orientation (age 2 – 5)
Morality is based upon the physical
punishment that follows an action, rather
than right or wrong. The concern is for self -
"Will I get into trouble for doing (or not
doing) it?" Good behavior is associated with
avoiding punishment. EX: The child won’t
grab the candy at the supermarket for fear
of being spanked. Stage #2: Relativist
Orientation (age 5 – 7) The concern is
"What's in it for me?" Action is judged right if
it helps in satisfying one's needs or involves
a fair exchange. EX: A mother tells her
child: “If you are quiet at the mall, I will buy
you an ice cream.”
Level 2 (Conventional)
• Stage #3: Good Boy/Nice Girl
Orientation (age 7 – 12) People should live
up to the expectations of the family and
community and behave in "good" ways.
Good behavior means having good motives
and interpersonal feelings such as love,
empathy, trust, and concern for others. EX:
Volunteering at a nursing home is the right
thing to do.
• Stage #4: Law and Order Orientation
(age 12 – 15) While stage three actions are
more concerned with pleasing your family,
stage four is associated with following
society as a whole. Emphasis is spent on
obeying laws to maintain social order. EX: If
you drink and drive you're endangering the
lives of others on the road, not just yourself.
Level 3 (Post-Conventional) (15 –
onwards)
• Stage #5: Social Contract Orientation At
stage 5, people begin to ask, "What makes
for a good society?" They begin to think
about society considering the rights and
values that a society ought to uphold. EX: It
is important for the world to stop the killing
in Darfur because we are morally obligated
to stop genocide.
• Stage #6: Universal Ethical Principle
Orientation (adulthood)
As human beings we are obliged to live by
the principle that “all men are created equal”
regardless of race, religion, sexual
orientation, or political belief. Justice is
universal, so unjust laws must be broken.
EX: Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of
the bus because it was an unjust law
discriminating against African Americans.