Adolescent Identity in the Context of the Filipino Family

Upon entering the phase between childhood and adulthood, adolescents start

with their mission for identity formation. These developing young minds aim to dig

deeper and look at themselves from different lenses to understand themselves better.

Hence, the study is done with the objective of elucidating the identities of Filipino

adolescents by considering how they perceive topics with regard to their families. The

author showed validity and reliability for they gathered information through Focus Group

Discussions which offered the participants intimacy while sharing such sentiments and

views about various concepts in relation to themselves and their families.

As mentioned in the article, a common ground for the majority of Filipino

adolescents is that they grew up with families shaping them through given roles and

presented values; by authoritarian attitudes and ways, (Alampay, n.d.). The

aforementioned families could pertain to both parents, a single parent, a relative, or

even a close friend who they view as a parental figure. Thus, socialization, which is how

we interact and present ourselves to other people in the community, is primarily learned

with the influence of family; not individually. In the absence of a caregiver, social and

emotional needs cannot be met which compromises their development. On the account

of this, adolescents’ strength and resilience slowly build up.

It is reflected in the results that roles such as maintaining the condition of the

household and looking out for siblings are experienced by everyone. The duties and

expectations given by caregivers not only brought a sense of responsibility to the

participants but also a feeling of pressure. In addition, parental approval is continuously

sought in talks regarding relationships, lifestyle, and academics. Truly, a caregiver’s

involvement, especially in academic matters, is needed as it encourages higher levels

of achievement for the learner (Sapungan, G., & Sapungan, R., 2014).

The significance of family, perseverance, education, and religion was instilled in

the minds of the adolescents for them to grow up as humans full of warmth and respect

not only within the four corners of their household but also outside where their learned

socialization skills could be of use. The roles and responsibilities given to the

adolescents in the household allowed them to further explore know-how or practical

knowledge to counter upcoming complexities in the future. By means of holding on to

the learnings given to them, the participants are given the opportunity to use their skills

which then aids in developing their social and emotional competence as a result.

On top of all the teachings transmitted to them, love for family is what they were

expected to value the most. In view of this fact, their importance to family allowed them

to build a sense of initiative to involve themselves in creating ways how to further

strengthen and secure their family’s state of living. The identity of the participants within

their families strongly centers around their caring and submissive nature. Nevertheless,

the autonomy of the adolescents is never neglected as everyone acknowledges that

they have their own character and personality. Though sheltered, the adolescents still

maintain their independence by being assertive with regard to their personal choices.

Overall, the study substantially showed the positive impacts of the family on

one’s identity but it also has limitations that could be improved in the future. To give an

instance, it was mentioned that adolescents gain resilience from the absence of a

parental figure. The author should also consider stating the fact that parental absence
greatly impacts the cognitive development of a person in a negative sense as

mentioned by (Mao, M., Zang, L., & Zhang, H., 2020). Furthermore, parental presence

with corporal punishment as a form of discipline should also have been tackled as a

number of researches show that Filipino parents usually subscribe to its use of it

(Ochoa, D., & Torre, B., n.d.). The study did not fail in showing pieces of evidences of

how effective family involvement is in developing the identities of adolescents; it is

proven to be challenging and yet informative.

Works Cited
Alampay, L. P. (n.d.). Parenting in the Philippines.
Mao, M., Zang, L., & Zhang, H. (2020). The Effects of Parental Absence on Children
Development: Evidence from Left-Behind Children in China. International journal
of environmental research and public health.
Ochoa, D., & Torre, B. (n.d.). Parenting in the Philippines: A review of the research
literature from 2004 to 2014. PETA Arts Zone Project Terre de Hommes
Germany.
Sapungan, G., & Sapungan, R. (2014). Parental involvement in child’s education:
importance, barriers and benefits. Asian Journal of Management Sciences &
Education.