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Mask Off

By: Belay (Isabelle Paulo)

           It’s funny how easy we found it to answer even the biggest of questions when we were young. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “Oh! I want to be a teacher!” Having a naïve perspective of the world back then, we thought life would always have rainbows and butterflies. We thought our experiences were always going to end with a happy ending.  I mean, why wouldn’t we? That was exactly what television shows and books showed us.

           Obviously, however, as we began to grow up and explore the world outside the fairytale we were used to, we realized that we have been living a lie. Well, maybe not a complete lie, but somewhat a lie. Somewhere between losing our favorite toy and dealing with school, as ironic as it is, life eventually presented its own flaws and the hurt it came along with.

           I think finding oneself is one of the hardest challenges life has given us. The thing is, though, it only becomes a challenge if you make it one. After all, it is a choice whether to truly know oneself or simply be fine with settling for what society tells you what you are. In MacAdams’ Self and Identity, the question “how does a person apprehend and understand who he or she is?” is posed. He proposed the three different ways in which us humans attempt to answer this age-old question. First, the self can be described as a social actor. This tells us that we enact different roles and display varying traits by performing certain behaviors in the presence of other people. Second, the self can be viewed as a motivated agent. One who acts upon inner longings and formulates various goals, values, and plans to guide their behavior in the future. Third, the self seemingly becomes an autobiographical author of some sort, too. This tells us that we take stocks of our lives — past, present, and future — to create a story about who one is, why one is the way he or she is, and where one’s life may potentially be heading in the future.

           It is pretty much second nature to us humans to want to please the people around us, most especially those who truly matter to us or play a huge role in our lives whether directly or indirectly. Provided this reality, in line with MacAdams’ beliefs, we  humans adjust who we are based on what we think those around us want to see from us. This can either be a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, you will certainly get acceptance and affirmation for your thoughts and actions. Rightfully so, it is probably because those you want to impress have the similar thoughts and actions. On the other hand, it will be as though you are not living your best life for yourself, or that you are limiting yourself from achieving your true potential. You are hindered from exploring different options which can bring you to where you really want to be. This is because you are afraid of the lack of affirmation as well as support from those who mean the most to you.

           There are, however, some instances in which you simply cannot let any other mind influence what you want to do aside from your own. In my opinion, this usually happens to those who somehow already have a grasp on who they are and who they want to be. This is because those who know themselves are usually the ones whose desires, beliefs, and goals are supported by a strong foundation that can never break no matter how many or who contradicts them.

           I remember someone once telling me that life is more about the journey that it is the destination. While it is always nice to have an ideal version of oneself, I think it is important that we learn how to see the fine line between being firm in one’s beliefs and being open to new experiences and opinions. We must also learn and fully accept the reality that life is not easy, and it never will be. We will not always get what we want right away, or maybe even ever. Life, after all, is a series of losing and finding oneself.

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Reflections on my time as a jeepney barker

By: Belay (Isabelle Paulo)

         One of America’s most quoted writers of all time William Arthur Ward once said: “[g]ratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” I remember stumbling upon this quote a couple of years ago, but never really saw a solid application of it in my life. I was grateful for my life, yes. But I never resonated to it as strongly as I do now, particularly after going through my JEEP Labor Trials.

          When I first heard that our Social Anthropology professor, who I never even met at that time, was requiring us to enlist for a specific NSTP class, I was quite confused. I remember thinking to myself then asking my other blockmates “what is the connection of our SA class to NSTP? Why can’t we choose whatever NSTP class we want!?” My confusion, however, was immediately cleared up when we had our first SA class with Sir Canuday. He explained that the curriculum was being changed, and that my class in particular was randomly selected to be an “experimental class.” Our SA class, basically, was trying to transition into being more self-oriented. In which, our lectures and activities would revolve more around understanding our individual selves, as well as how the world around us affects and shapes us into the beings we are. With this, I remember Sir Canuday finally explaining that we were required to enlist for a certain NSTP class as we were going to experience the supposedly requirement for third-year students which is JEEP.

           A few weeks later, I remember having a lecture session with one of the OSCI personnel to discuss the things available for us to do to fulfill our NSTP/JEEP requirements for the semester. The lecturer said we had merely two options, which were to either be a jeepney barker, or a worker at either Shopwise or Rustan’s supermarket. Immediately, the classroom became quite chaotic with people saying they for sure want to work at either of the two supermarkets–definitely not at the jeepney terminal. I shared the same sentiments as my blockmates, being so sure that working as a jeepney barker would be difficult experience to say the least. But then life, sometimes, hands you the very thing you wish you would never get.

           I was handed the job of being a jeepney barker with not much choice, to be honest. I had no way out of it. I was not sensitive to the sun nor pollution, unlike most of my blockmates. Moreover, my parents were even excited to hear that I was going to be a jeepney barker for four Saturdays. “I will just have to go through it and get it over with,” I remember telling myself.

           Saturday, October 30: Day 1. I was lucky enough to be shift mates with one of my closest friends in the block, Rika Ogata. When we arrived at BK Joda, we were briefly introduced to the ates and kuyas who worked there. They told us how much the fare per person was, then explained the seemingly simple system of the jeepney business. Soon after, we were handed one and five peso coins to give out as change. Immediately, Rika and I were quite scared and confused as we did not even know how to hold the many coins properly so that they don’t fall. We had to learn quickly, though, as a rush of passengers suddenly came. It was really difficult to keep up with the volume of passengers to say the least. I thought I knew basic math quite well but working as a barker proved otherwise. Mixing math and a huge volume of passengers was only part of the challenge. There were inevitably passengers from all walks of life, therefore having different attitudes and personalities and it got quite difficult at times to keep calm with dealing with them.

           It felt as though each Saturday that passed was longer than the last. It was really tiring to stand up for four hours straight with a relatively humid weather. This was combined with the pollution that came from the jeepneys, as well as the other vehicles that drove by. Experiencing just a small portion of what the people who actually work there go through on a daily basis really made me realize, as cliché as it is, how blessed I really am.

           Most people who work there only has the jeepney industry to rely on as a source of income. From the conversations I had with them, I learned that most times, they earn below minimum wage given the nature of the jeepney industry which is highly dependent on passenger influx. Despite the hard work their job entails combined with the fact that it is low paying, it was so amazing to me how genuinely happy they were. I will not lie. I complained a lot in the four weeks I had as a barker. Meanwhile, they did not once show any sign of annoyance and even fatigue.

           In a way, I guess their optimistic attitude towards life, no matter how bad or ugly it may get, has influenced my post-JEEP Labor Trials life. Through exposure to an environment I was foreign to as well as interaction with people I did not know, my inner self became vulnerable. This vulnerability allowed me to be more accepting, in a way, to different views on life as well as opening up myself to different opportunities outside my comfort zone.

           Looking back on my JEEP Labor Trials experience more than a month after, I could honestly say that it was one of the most life changing experiences I have gone through. Going back to the quote I presented in my introduction, the main takeaway I got from being a jeepney barker is that gratitude is the best perspective to have when dealing with unfamiliar territory. With gratitude, even the seemingly worst of times can transform into the best of lessons.

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Understanding My Self

By Charina

Growing up, I never really knew what I wanted to be. It was always a mystery for my because I’m so flexible with everything that it’s easy for me to adjust myself just to fit it. That was my life back when I was younger and for the most part of those years, I thought that was the right thing to do. I was never really the best or the worse at something. It felt like I was stuck in between of everything and I was just made to attach myself to other people and slowly lost that attachment to them. Today I realized that those years weren’t my best. It always felt like I was never truly happy with who I was. I wondered if that was really me, that all the traits I had were inherently mine, or was I just a mirror of all the people around me.

It gave me anxiety just to think that. Personally, I’ve always found the idea of being alike to others uncomfortable but ironically, that was how I lived my life before. I always try forcefully fit myself in even at the expense of my own happiness. But I asked myself one day, was I truly happy with how I lived my life? Was I unique, or am I just going to copy everyone else’s lives so I could be happy like them? With those in mind, I fell into a pit of self-doubt. I was lost in my own self because of how much of a stranger I’ve become.

Years after that dilemma with my self, I’ve come to realize that it only took one decision to change everything. At the start of my last year in grade school, I realize that maybe this time I won’t try to make friends. I’ll just observe people and try to act neutral. The first days of school were kind of comforting. I think being alone with myself and reflecting on things made me find out what I truly want to do. It was also then that I started acting like my true self, the one I accepted and who I am today.

Dan McAdams, in Self and Identity, explains that “the self is what happens when ‘I’ encounters ‘Me’.” (McAdams, 2017, p. 1) It is when a person can truly identify himself that he is who he thinks he is. It’s one complicated question that we humans always strive to answer, however, recent studies show us different hypotheses that may explain to us what our identities are.

First, the self may be seen as a social actor, who enacts roles and displays traits by performing behaviors in the presence of others. Second, the self is a motivated agent, who acts upon inner desires and formulates goals, values, and plans to guide behavior in the future. Third, the self eventually becomes an autobiographical author, too, who takes stock of life — past, present, and future — to create a story about who I am, how I came to be, and where my life may be going. (McAdams, 2017, p. 1)

I’ve come to realize that the first years in school were my chance to actually become someone. It was my role to be a good student and someone who would get along with my peers. But to be honest, I think my version of trying to get along with others is by adjusting myself to who they want me to be, rather than being what I truly am. Years of doing this made me lose myself in the process, thus making me feel very unhappy. However, the moment I realized how unhappy I was, was the moment I tried to change myself. McAdams says that the reason why we change ourselves is because of our need to improve our social reputation (McAdams, 2017, p. 3). While this was true for me, I think that my constant change in self during those years was only meant for gaining more friends and having a better image. But now, I disagree. I realized that having to adjust myself for others at the cost of my happiness was destructive. While it is true that humans are social creatures who are in constant need of approval, I think going against this status quo isn’t that bad. For me to actually try and do something on my own without the need of approval from others was something very fulfilling. It was through that that I was able to find my true self. As a result, I never had to force myself to fit in again.

McAdams also mentions that a person is a motivated agent who writes his own biography. I changed myself with the motivation of finding happiness within me. It is through knowing myself more and the roles I have to take part in that I realized my goals. Before, it wasn’t clear what I wanted in life because I would just drift with wherever others would take me. Through self-reflection, my mind became clearer and I saw the path that I wanted to take. From then on, aside from other personal motivations, all my actions are ultimately for finding my own true happiness. Until today, I am motivated by what makes me feel like my perceived true self, the one that strives for happiness and comfort. I always try to look back and reflect on what I’ve become today and what I want to be tomorrow. Although many has changed in the past 19 years of my life, I think that all those identities I had were just me trying out different costumes for my act. I know for a fact that I won’t settle for simplicity and I would try to bring myself into new things. Ultimately, my identity is my own, and although I may have been influenced by others, it is really my decision to be who I want to be.

References McAdams, D. P. (2017). Self and identity. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds.), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. DOI: nobaproject.com (http://www.nobaproject.com) SA 21 Module 5

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Write Your Story

By: Issa

In McAdams’ text, Self and Identity, he talks about how an individual’s identity is formed and how there are various “selves” that a person can have. We see him discuss how individuals are constantly evolving and developing the stories of their lives – and much like playwrights and novelists, people work on their stories in order to construct and integrative and meaningful product. With this, we as individuals actually take on two roles: that being both the storyteller and the story. We create the stories of our lives and are also living in it. We also see how through knowing a story of someone’s life, we can see how someone considered gentle and caring at home can still manage to be a successful litigator or lawyer, and how people typically try to seek to derive general or semantic meanings from their many life experiences. Finally, we can also see how “storytellers” (in this case, us as individuals) adopt particular emotional and social positions with regard to their “audience”, their stories are told in accord with societal expectations and norms, and that they position themselves as protagonists in their personal narratives with regard to the other “characters” (I’m guessing in this case, this would be their family members or loved ones...?) in their story.

To relate this reading to my own personal experience, I can definitely say that I am constantly developing as an individual and crafting who I am as a person, or in this case, my “self”, as I grow older, and that the narrative of my life continues to evolve and rewrite itself as I grow older and move forward with my life. As a child, I was very shy and didn’t like going to places or interacting with things that I was unfamiliar with – there was even one time where I was cast as the lead in a Snow White play in preschool, but I ran offstage in the middle of the play because I was too shy. Going into kindergarten and grade school, as I started to notice more kids interacting with each other and exploring all the possibilities that they could have, I became curious and wanted to do the same since everyone in my immediate vicinity (school) was doing the same. This is where I first adopted a new emotional position in my life with regard to what other people around me, or my “audience”. When I first entered kindergarten and eventually grade school, this is more of where my personality started to grow and form itself. I started developing these characteristics that I never had in high school, and more “layers” and “dimensions” of me started to form themselves and instill themselves within me. I started gaining more optimism, determination, anxiety, and empathy – emotions or values with a little more depth as compared to those I had when I was in preschool. I guess I also had more of an awareness of what was going on around me and what emotions I was feeling, as well. You can say that my kindergarten to grade school years were more of the years wherein I was establishing my emotions and values, experimenting with some and trying them out. Towards the beginning of high school (the latter parts of grade school, in other words), I started to select which emotions and characteristics I wanted to keep in my personality and that I wanted embedded in me as an individual. Since I had already become aware of the wide variety of emotions that I could have, these years were more for selecting which emotions I wanted embedded in me, as my “core” characteristics. It is here where I believe that I see myself as both a “storyteller” and a “character” of the story. By selecting which characteristics and traits that I would want for myself, I become a playwright or a storyteller who writes the character’s story. Now, in my college years, I believe that I am just improving and developing the characteristics and traits that I have chosen for myself.

To conclude, I believe in McAdams’ statements wherein a person can both be a character and a playwright in a story, and that individuals are constantly improving and developing and adapting themselves with regards to their audience or other characters in their story.

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Defining a Person

By: Mitchie

One’s youth is the time for self-discovery. However, the journey towards it is nothing short of a long and winding one. Some people take months. Other people take years. Some people are never content with the path they are on, or they simply don’t want to travel towards their discovery of identity. Dan McAdam’s “Self and Identity” discusses how one comes to terms with understanding who he or she really is. According to him, there are three different perspectives that one may take on in describing his or her own self. Each with their own distinct descriptions, they all differ in their own ways. These three perspectives are all brought upon by a person’s growth. It is implied that these perspectives are closely linked to one’s development stage in growth. This means that you can’t really jump to one perspective if you’re not in the right stage for it yet. In my opinion, I think that there is no one true way of discovering one’s self- McAdam’s reading simply takes on what could be a possible outline for how one finds who he or she is as a person.

The first perspective places heavy importance on the social factors that can interplay with one’s identity. McAdams says, “Evolution has prepared us to care deeply about social acceptance and social status”. By this, he means that other people’s opinion about ourselves has great bearing on our image. People naturally strive to be accepted by their peers. If they were not, then bad consequences would naturally occur, such as becoming outcasts from a community’s collective rejection. Human nature is social and it is deeply etched in our identities. We are very attentive to how people react to us as a way to read feedback of our identities. By doing this, we are, in a way, asking ourselves “Am I doing this right?” in accordance to other people’s judgment. For this example, politicians would hold high regard for favorable self-image. After all, it is what dictates their political career. Ex-president Barack Obama had an incredibly good public image to the majority of the United States. Not only did he serve two terms, many people also still love him because of his positive traits and roles as both person and leader.

The second perspective talks about the desires, pursuits, and goals that one person commits himself or herself to in order to become a better person. According to McAdams, “[…] people indeed have desires and goals in their minds and that these inner desires motivate (initiate, energize, put into motion) their behavior”. Through all these attempts to change, there is also an attempt to become a better person and thus achieving that identity that is favorable to them. One may change his appearance, disposition, work ethic, religion, beliefs, and so on. In whatever form it may take place, the desire to change is a step towards a better understanding of one’s self. This perspective was particularly relatable to my own discovery of the self. In high school, I didn’t particularly stand out in my batch. Although I did my own fair share of soul-searching and self-discovery in those four years, nothing quite pinned me to a field or competency that I knew I could be interested in. I was an artsy person, but art was never my true passion. I was also very social and enjoyed some leadership roles, but the opportunities back then were few and far in between unless you had made a name for yourself by doing that already. When I entered college, I entered an organization and from there on, I developed my own desires, pursuits, and goals as a member. I learned how to become a motivated agent by feeling good about the work that I have contributed into the org, thus making good progress in achieving and advancing those goals and values.

The last perspective discusses the narrative of one’s self. By understanding who he or she is or has become in the past or present, that person can also envision the future self. McAdams says that a person is constantly constructing a “retrospective and prospective story about the Me”. This concept is called the narrative identity, which refers to “an internalized and evolving story of the self that reconstructs the past and anticipates the future in such a way as to provide a person’s life with some degree of unity, meaning, and purpose over time”. In short, people are storytellers with stories that are meant to help them understand who they were, are, or want to be. High school students can relate very well to this perspective- given who they are or how they were brought up from childhood to that point, who do they want to be in the future? The question that these students face takes place in the form of choosing a vocation or path after high school. By reevaluating and looking back on past experiences, how can their present selves contribute to society in the future?

In conclusion, there are many perspectives to one’s perspective on the self, just as how there are as many ways to find one’s identity. The three perspectives are all different in their own way since they focus on various things as well. I think that this just goes to show how no one person can ever be explained by the book- human beings are so naturally complex that it may never be reduced to a binary answer.

Reference

McAdams, D. P. (2017). Self and identity. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds.), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. DOI: nobaproject.com (http://www.nobaproject.com)

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Introspection

By: Mitchie

When I was in fourth year high school, my friend told me that their school makes them work for a supermarket as a way to expose them to the reality of work. I paid him a visit the same day I had to buy my toiletries since they were deployed to the branch I usually shopped at anyway. When I arrived at the mall, he and the rest of his classmates were stationed in several areas of the market. People were at the meat section, others were at the fish, produce, bagging counters, customer service, and even the turon station.

This distant memory served as the outline for what I thought was to come in my area engagements. I remember positioning my mindset to think that for my NSTP, I’d just go to Rustan’s Katipunan, do whatever job I was assigned to that day, and time out. Talking about it now, I realize that wasn’t entirely wrong since that was what really occurred anyway. The one thing I failed to predict, however, was what I would eventually end up learning during those four-hour shifts.

Albert Alejo’s ‘Ang Loob ng Tao’ talks about how people transform themselves through social mediums. He discusses that one’s ‘loob’ is a word that depicts the reality that humans live in. Most of the time, when we think of the word ‘loob’, our minds tend to point to what is inside- what we feel, what we think, and so on. However, Alejo discusses that it is so much more meaningful than the usual description. ‘Loob’ is one’s constant connection with one’s self and others; it is a place where we reflect and introspect through outside forces like society, nature, and religion.

Alejo also discusses how it is important that we not only reflect on what is within us, but also use the surroundings we are exposed to as a cornerstone. It is important to include what and who we interact with in order to think deeply about ourselves. Experiencing NSTP was not a series of cookie-cutter events. Rustan’s Katipunan became less of a grocery store and more of a classroom as the weeks went on.

My first week was spent as a bagger. Obviously new to the job, I committed some mistakes that held me back from accomplishing my task as quickly or as swiftly as I wanted to. For example, in bagging items, heavier objects should be placed at the bottom of the bag whereas the lighter objects should be stacked on top. Thanks to my own ignorance, an older employee had to step in and help me start from scratch. The customer watched me and picked up the hint that I was merely a trainee. In situations like this, you really need to humble yourself and let others teach you, especially when there are other people at stake- in this case, the customer who was waiting for her groceries to be bagged. I opened up myself through the help of someone else. Alejo says that it’s okay to trust and rely on abilities and qualities, but what’s really commendable is when you learn to value meaningful and true communication. Although the interaction with the employee that helped me was merely a conversation about the steps to bagging, I think that the underlying value of communication was to allow myself to learn. To be honest, I was too shy to ask for help. After that encounter, however, I knew I needed to step out of my comfort zone and interact. To reference Alejo’s imagery of islands- people seem separate, but underneath it all we are all interconnected, and through that we transform ourselves.

Meeting the ate’s and kuya’s and working alongside with them wasn’t exactly like stepping into their shoes and discovering them. I say this because I know that I can never fully empathize with their struggles; it’s a cold and harsh truth but it is what it is. Working as a bagger, fish, meat, or customer service employee will only ever scratch the surface for me. However, this is not to say that I didn’t internalize anything after my area engagements. In fact, I think that it’s quite the opposite- I’ve realized that socio-economic factors are a reason why it’s difficult for me to relate to them. Because of that realization from those experiences, I feel so much more motivated to assert myself in this society- I need to work harder in order to truly involve or invest myself in other people’s lives to understand who they are. It’s not enough to offer them help or be kind to them- in fact, I think that’s simply the bare minimum. What would really be effective is to put yourself in their surroundings to so as much try to grasp what working is like for them. It goes without saying that it should transcend just the working population’s lives- but also everyone around me.

My experience with my area engagements was short-lived yet full of profound impact. I’ve said it once or twice during the post-processing meetings with my block, but I’ll say it again in this paper: I really wondered how the employees we worked with can brave hours and hours of work while I got tired at the two-hour mark. The soles of my feet were already aching at that point, but the other employees seemed unfazed. They are able to withstand the rinse-wash-repeat cycle of jobs and at the same time handle difficult customers if they arrive. All this to put food on the plate, send their children and/or siblings to school, make a living, and support their families. Eventually, I stopped asking myself how they can endure doing that and instead started developing respect for the work that they do. Alejo discusses that in the framework of one’s self, the role of feelings interplays in discussing a person’s wholeness. I think that I’ve achieved this after realizing my newfound respect for these people.

It’s so easy to let people in this area of the workforce slip your mind. Most of the time, we just interact with them in passing. We usually just ask these people for prices of products, locations of items, if they could chop this meat into this cut and so on. Truthfully, I’m thankful for the opportunity to immerse myself in the lives of our fellow workers. The experience deepened my understanding not only of how their work goes, but also how I was able to reflect on myself and change my way of thinking. I know that I have ways to go, but this opportunity is merely the start. Thanks to those weekends spent at Rustan’s Katipunan, my own ‘loob’ was affected and influenced by these area engagements through meaningful interactions with the people I worked alongside with.

Reference

Alejo, Albert. In Press. Ang Loob ng Tao. Social Transformations: Journal of the Global South.

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Part Of Their World

By: Issa

JEEP Engagement/Immersion Paper 

Experiencing the JEEP program for the first time, needless for me to say, it was a very eye-opening experience. To give a brief background of how I was like before this experience, I was raised in an upper-middle class pure Chinese family and whenever I needed something, it normally was provided for me or given to me. I never really had to work or do things on my own, because my single father would normally do his best to provide me with whatever I needed so I never had to worry or work. I never took this privilege for granted, though, but I also knew that I only had a surface level awareness of what was going on in the Philippine society – basically things I would hear in the news or things I would hear my dad talk about sometimes. You can say I was coming into the immersion fresh faced and with little to no awareness of what was going on in my community and country.

Before our immersion, we had an orientation and a briefing for what we were going to do there and what we were supposed to learn from this entire experience. They also guided us through all of the steps that we were going to go through before going to work, what we would do at work in each station, and what we were going to do after working. The supervisors and managers, along with our guide, ma’am Leal Rodriguez, also told us during the orientation that we needed to keep an open mind and open heart towards what we were about to experience and to become aware of who we were about to work with. After going through all of the work and interacting with some of my co-workers, I can definitely say that this experience has provided me with a deeper awareness and understanding of what goes on in my country, outside of the privilege that I’ve been given. This experience also, in a way, gave me a newer perspective on how I should see the world and how I should see the Philippine society.

For the 4-week JEEP immersion, I was assigned to work as an employee in the Shopwise Commonwealth branch. I never really went to the supermarket with my father, only a few times, and even then I wasn’t that interested in what was going on inside the store and how things worked. On my first day on the job, I was assigned to customer service with one of my blockmates. This was a fairly new experience for me, but I was expecting that the job of working at customer service would be easier to do. During the 4 to 5 hour shift, I realized then how tideous working at customer service was because my blockmate and I would make an effort to smile and present our best selves to the customers, as we were representing the company and whatever we would do could affect their reputation. We would also get tired because the work hours would get a bit slow, but throughout the shift, we would try to make conversation with our fellow coworkers if they weren’t working. We would ask each other questions about ourselves – in our case, we would ask them about their lives outside work or how long they’ve been on the job, and in their case,  they would ask us what we thought of the work and why we were working there in the first place. Through this, we got to learn more from them and more from us, and through getting to know them more, I earned a new awareness and understanding of my surroundings at work. During my second shift, I was assigned to customer service yet again, but that time I came in with a new awareness and understanding of the workplace and the people that I was working with. This new knowledge and understanding gave me a new motivation and purpose to continue working and understanding more about the people around me at work – not just the workers, but also the customers. During our second shift, my blockmate and I were more motivated to do our job better and to interact with more people on the job (to learn more about the community we were in), if possible. Receiving compliments from customers and some of the workers for being positive and optimistic about the job was one of the highlights of my JEEP immersion experience in Shopwise, in my personal opinion, and these compliments came from our motivation to work harder and become more optimistic to learn about our work environment and the people in it. I learned the most during my third (and last) shift, though, since I was placed in a completely different environment – the meat section – with a different blockmate. I was so used to the routine of the customer service, its somewhat serene and positive environment, that when I was placed in a different environment, I was in a bit of a culture shock. I find this parallel to my JEEP immersion experience, to be honest, since I was in this calm and safe environment that followed a certain routine, and then for this immersion, I was placed in an unfamilar and somewhat chaotic envrionment. I would like to point out that I learned the most about the difference of my usual environment from the work environment of a supermarket worker of my from my experience in the meat section of Shopwise, though. Entering the meat section, I was a bit apprehensive to work there because I was scared that I would mess up my job and not be able to do anything about it. I can’t say that I didn’t mess up my job in the meat section at first, but I eventually learned the ropes and got the hang of the job – with a lot of help from my fellow co-workers. Dealing with difficult and impatient customers, handling and measuring specific portions of meat, and running back and forth from the scale to where the customer was – even though it was really stressful, it was all worth it because I learned so much about what a normal work day is for any worker and the stress and hard work that they go through. To conclude my entire JEEP experience, it did have its ups and downs, but it’s an experience that I would never forget and would never trade for another because of all of the new insights and understandings that I attained.

To relate this entire experience to Albert Alejo’s “Loob”, I could definitely say that I looked outwards from an “inside community”, otherwise known as my privilege. I studied the workers and the community there, and understood them more by interacting with them and putting myself in their shoes. I felt their struggle, their hard work, and why they had to do what they do despite all of the obstacles they were experiencing in their life – all through their stories and going through what they go through, like how Alejo felt the pain of the struggling people that he met and how he hope that he became more involved by reflecting on his experience with them. I also felt the “abot-kaya” feeling that Alejo talks about in this reading, doing things to the extent of possibility, when I did my very best to do my jobs well and with a determined attitude to be able to understand the community and what its people go through. I allowed this experience to teach me and affect me with its truth, no matter how harsh, and this allowed me to learn more from the community and its people. I also learned that “loob” in this sense represents not only myself, but my interaction and affiliation with others and how it affects me personally. With all of this being said, I can say that I entered this experience with an open mind and an open heart, and left with a deeper knowledge and better understanding of the Philippine society that I will choose to keep in my mind and heart as I grow older and experience more things that are outside my comfort zone. 

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Inside the Worker’s Life

By Charina Camposano NSTP Paper: Reflections on my JEEP Engagement

In my high school, every year we would go to a public school to teach them of Catholic values. It was something usual for us since it was a requirement for our Christian Living class. I didn’t really appreciate it as much as we were expected because I thought if my Catholic formation wasn’t enough, how could I teach it to young children? So the last two years of my high school outreach were spent as me volunteering as the class photographer. My experience as a photographer was more like I was spectating rather than immersing myself with the kids. I think that is one regret of mine to not really appreciate the work that my classmates were doing. However, it was also nice to see all those happy kids eagerly smile for the camera and talk to me about it.

Come college and I found myself in a new outreach activity; this time I was going to work in a real grocery. I was excited and scared before we started but I know that this time I won’t waste my time and I will truly immerse myself in the job. My first day in the grocery was pretty awkward to say the least. I was adjusting myself with the new environment, as well as trying to learn the tricks of being a grocery bagger. As much as I wanted to talk to some of the cashiers, there were just too many customers that were coming that we all barely had any breaks. But in between doing those things, we had some small talks about what we should do as baggers. Midway through my shift was a little less stressful. I got to interact with the cashier I settled with (since we had to switch sometimes due to the lack of baggers) and we talked about ourselves. Although I forgot her name, her story and advice to me will be something I’ll never forget. She talked about how we should make the right choice in choosing what we do in life. She had a friend who, despite graduating in a good course, never really ended up doing what she loved. Ate told me the importance of valuing our own wants rather than doing what we think will only make us financially stable in the end. She said that happiness can never be replaced by money.

On my second day, I was assigned to the meat section and this time, it was easier to talk to the people there. The kuyas there were very accommodating. Even though it took some time for me to learn how to use the weighing scale, they were patient enough to help me around the area. They would also joke around with us and talk to us about the things they experience in their jobs. I asked them what it is like working there and they would often tell me that most days are okay, but there are just some bad days that they can’t avoid. Most of these bad days are due to some entitled customers who think they’re better than the people who serve them. One kuya told me that they would have no other choice but to just stay silent and say sorry despite the customer being wrong. Hearing these things made me realize that how much these people are taken for granted. From then on, my image of grocery workers changed. That day, they were my coworkers and we were all equal. The third day was the same and I got closer to these people, with the addition of the clerks in the seafood section. I never thought that it would be that easy to be friends with them and its honestly so heartwarming to feel so welcomed and be treated as if I wasn’t special.

My last day working with them was one day that I will never forget. I met some new people in the produce section, and while the beginning of my shift was uneventful, the last hours were where I felt closest to the people I worked with. Initially, there weren’t much people in the area and most of the Kuyas were busy organize the fruits and vegetables. I was again trying to learn new codes for the weighing scale, but the Kuyas were still there to help me. Halfway through my shift, barely any customers came and we all had nothing to do. That was when I got to know the two people who really shared something very special to me.

The first Kuya (sadly I forgot his name) talked to me about what he wanted to do with his life. It’s actually really nice to see someone who has so much potential in him, as well as see how he is willing to do anything to fulfill his dreams. However, he told me that it was his last few weeks in the grocery before resigning because he couldn’t handle some of the customers in the grocery (I expounded on this story in my blog post, Is the Customer Always Right?). He did tell me that he had no regrets, and that finally he will be able to fulfill what he truly wanted for himself, to become a police officer. When kuya’s shift was over, I was left with one of the workers in the produce who I eventually talked to for the last remaining hours of my shift

I’ve mentioned Kuya King in one of my blog posts entitled, The Father of the King: How a Parent’s Influence Turned a Son’s Life Around. Here I talked about how kuya King told me about his life and how he was able to get himself back together, not just for the betterment of his self, but also to take care of his father whom he owes his life to. This conversation I had with kuya King was something that I will bring with me forever. I think that the biggest lesson he left me with is that no matter how bad and hopeless life is, going back to where we came from, talking to our parents, and willingly accepting change is what will bring us back to goodness. Kuya King inspired me to endure all kinds of pain, because in the end, we’ll all settle for something that we love, no matter how simple that may be. Kuya King is happy and his willingness to share his story is something that I believe he should be proud of. I think that my interaction with these workers—especially him—forever changed how I treat life, every person I meet, and how I treat myself.

In the beginning of our NSTP, we were oriented with the idea of Pakikisama. And in Alber Alejo’s text, Loob ng Tao, we were taught that to truly experience something is to fully immerse ourselves into the world of unfamiliarity, that is, working with the people of the working class (Alejo, n.d.). There hardships made me see the reality of our society and it is through them that I realize how much of us are prejudiced and how lucky I am to have what I have. I admit that I will never truly feel what they experience every day, but by being one of them, I was able to direct my eyes to a different perspective. I would say that nabuo ang aking loob, as Alejo describes it. This experience made me want to use my privilege to help others who are not as lucky as I am. Seeing what they go through and hearing their stories inspired me to do what is right for their sake.

After this experience, I’d say I’m willing to come back work there again. I’m really proud of the people and the work I had to do there, despite it being only for four days. This NSTP session really made me change the way I think and how I want to go about my future. In the beginning, my future only contained what I think is best for myself, but now I would want to be able to do something to help people like the people in Rustans to have a better life. It is amazing how four days can change the way I am, but I do hope that others may have the same opportunity my class and I did.

References Alejo, Albert. In Press. Ang Loob ng Tao. Social Transformations: Journal of the Global South.

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Inside and Out: The Significance of Social Context as Observed in the Labor Trials

by: Rika

          Throughout the course of the first semester in my second year of studying in Ateneo, I have been involved in a labor trials experience. My experience (among the other students in my class who went through the same thing) had me working as a jeep barker with my partner and friend Isabelle Paulo (nicknamed Belay). Upon entering college, the only thoughts occupying my mind were academics and how I would go through each year in relation to my performance in the subjects that I would take up. Initially, I did not think about being more aware of my social responsibility, nor did I think that I would study the sense of self in a classroom.

          The word college definitely brings up the idea of identity formation in my mind, but I believed that I would undergo this process through experience alone. What I did not foresee was how much having readings about this concept would really concretize my sense of self within a social context. However, true to what I thought, I did learn about the self through experience, which in this case would be my labor trials.

          On the first day of the labor trials, when Belay and I arrived at our station, we were already seeing the jeep terminal’s system at work. Jeeps would line up, while barkers would collect money and announce the amount of space left inside, and what each jeep’s route was. Before that experience, I had only witnessed those interactions from a complete outsider’s point of view, and so knowing that I would soon be a part of that system felt overwhelming. This realization of mine, I find, falls in line with a text written by Dan P. McAdams, titled Self and Identity. In this text, McAdams mentions Shakespeare under the topic of ‘The Social Actor.’ He brings up his famous quote which is “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Witnessing the jeep’s system before I went through the labor trials, I definitely can see how it all seemed like a stage or performance that I was watching. Under the topic of ‘The Motivated Agent,’ McAdams states that “when we observe others we only see how they act but are never able to access the entirety of their internal experience” which definitely applies to my perspective before my experience as a jeep barker. And, again, actually being part of it is a different story entirely.

          There was no ‘training’ of sorts when we were briefed on our tasks. All we had to do, they said, was to collect the money of the passengers and hand them their change. It seemed simple enough, but upon actually doing the tasks I thought to myself that it was easier said than done. One of my biggest apprehensions regarding the labor trials was that I’m not very skilled at speaking Filipino. I can understand simple sentences, yes, but forming my own has always been a challenge and requires time for my brain to work. Since the system was quite fast paced, I felt like I didn’t even have time to listen to my own thoughts as my mind was full of the task at hand; figuring out how many people would ride at once, accepting their payment and calculating their change, all while trying to observe the culture present at the terminal among the people working there.

          Once I got the hang of the whole thing, while it was still busy and there was barely enough time to focus on anything else, I was able to scratch the surface of the culture within the station. While Belay and I did learn some things about the people by listening to them speak to us individually, we also learned about them based on their interactions with one another. Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka’s text titled Multiple belonging and the challenges to biographic navigation discusses the concept of belonging and its three dimensions. Pfaff-Czarnecka writes that “belonging is a combination of individually acquired, interpersonally negotiated and structurally affected knowledge and life-experience.” The text also introduces a German term, ‘Zusammengehörigkeit’ which means ‘togetherness.’ This brings me to a reading written by Albert Alejo, titled Ang Loob Ng Tao. In this reading he focuses on ‘loob’ (literally meaning inside, or in this context, one’s internal sense of self) in relation to ‘kapwa’, which is the Filipino language’s counterpart of ‘togetherness.’ He frames both loob and kapwa by suggesting that they go hand in hand and that one cannot go without the other. Without loob, there is no kapwa, and the same can be said for the other way around. Alejo’s perspective on the loob and kapwa can be connected to Pfaff-Czarnecka’s discussion about ‘belonging’ and the observation of McAdams that social context is necessary in the development of one’s sense of the “Me.”

          In the midst of the labor trials, I observed several things that helped me paint an image of the collective identity that the people had as they worked. I saw not only their hardships and efforts in approaching their work, but also their pride and good-natured dispositions and attitudes towards their own situation. “Ang hirap, noh?” (“It’s hard, isn’t it?”) they would say to me and Belay, but they didn’t say anything more beyond that. They didn’t complain about the heat, or how their legs ached, or how their shifts were so long and that they hardly had breaks. They were completely in tune with their duties and roles, and worked well with one another within the system. This idea I got of their identity only exists because of the social context and community that they had established.

          Belay and I not being used to the heat and standing for hours also stems from our own social contexts. Because we were born in a situation where we don’t have to work as jeep barkers for a living, we have our identities not only as daughters and friends, but also as students. We recognize our privilege, and becoming social actors in their social context was humbling. We would not have this sense of ourselves without the ‘togetherness’ we have with the people we encounter on a daily basis, just as the people working at the jeep terminal would not have theirs without their community. There is no loob without kapwa, and no kapwa without loob.

          Belonging forges “a strong and binding sense of naturalness, bearing upon co-fellows – that is obvious to the insiders and that keeps the outsiders at bay” (Pfaff-Czarnecka). At first, I definitely felt like an outsider, which kept me from looking deeper into their culture. However, I faced the labor trials not as an outsider, but as a fellow human being. I formed my own sense of self along with a ‘togetherness’ with them, and this experience that I had will continue to guide me in my future endeavors.

References

Alejo, Albert. In Press. Ang Loob ng Tao. Social Transformations: Journal of the Global South.

McAdams, D. P. (2017). Self and identity. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds.), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. DOI: nobaproject.com (http://www.nobaproject.com)

Pfaff-Czarnecka, Joanna. 2013. Multiple Belonging and the Challenges to Biographic Navigation. ISA e-Symposium for Sociology. March 2013.

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Like Parents, Like Daughter

By: Issa

In the Module 4 reading entitled The Sociology of Habit, David Swartz discusses Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of the term habitus. The term habitus, as stated in the reading, derives from the Latin verb habere, meaning “to have” or “to hold”. This is Bourdieu’s concept of habitus is explained to be embedded in the theory of action and addresses how human action is regulated, and how it follows patterns without being a product of obedience or influence. My personal belief is that habitus is sometimes inherited by the youth from their parents and/or guardians and elders because growing up around the same group of people or being exposed to the same group of people for a long duration of time kind of makes the youth adopt their mannerisms, interests, hobbies, and many other things. For example, if a father’s favorite sport were to be baseball and if he played it ever so often around his kids, there is a slight probability his son or daughter would most likely be interested in playing or watching baseball when they grow older due to the prolonged exposure or interest they had regarding baseball as children. In my own personal experience, I would like to believe that I inherited various forms of habitus from both of my parents. From my dad, it would be his interest in drawing and arts and his promptness (leading sometimes to impatience), and from my mom, it would be the love of music and media and her never ending efforts to show support and affection to her loved ones.

Let me start with my mom – she actually passed away when I was only two years old, but she still very much has an impact on me until this day. I hear a lot of stories about how my mom was like when she was growing up, up until her college – she really had this deep and never ending appreciation for music and the impact it had on her life since she was a singer AND a pianist or organist. I would also hear stories from my dad and both of my grandparents (on my mom’s side) that when I was still in her womb, she would often play music for me to maybe solicit reactions (or kicks) from me, and when I was born and still developing as a baby to a toddler, she would also play music to help calm me down or cheer me up, depending on my mood. I think the constant exposure to music for me as a fetus and as a baby or toddler created a habitus within me, since I now have so much admiration and an in depth appreciation for music and its impact on various aspects of my life – I also enjoy singing, playing the piano, guitar, and ukulele! I personally don’t believe that music was forced upon me or that I was made to appreciate music, because I believe that I appreciated music on my own will due to my constant exposure to it growing up as a baby. I also believe that I inherited my mom’s empathy and affection towards her loved ones because of the stories that I would hear about her growing up. Hearing about how kind and loving my mom was to everyone around her influenced me to try to become a more compassionate and empathetic person to the people around me.

On the other hand, with my dad, he has raised me for several years now so I have been exposed to a lot of his mannerisms, traits, and hobbies for all 19 years of my life. I believe that I inherited his love for drawing and art because as a child, I would see my dad draw in his sketchbooks when he wasn’t working in the office, since it was something he really loved doing in his free time (he even told me that if he didn’t take over our family business, he would’ve become an engineer or an architect). We would also go to art classes together (me, of course, willingly) and showcase our appreciation and skills in art. My dad would also bring me to art museums and exhibits when I was smaller so I was very much exposed to various types of artworks, both old and modern. I feel as though this helped develop my appreciation for drawing and art as well. And for my dad’s promptness, on the other hand, I feel as though I inherited it unknowingly because I would always see him do things on a schedule and always be prompt when doing business or while doing certain tasks. This also led me to be inspired to follow a schedule and a certain track when doing things because I was inspired by how hands-on he was and how he would be able to get so much done by being prompt and organized.

I believe that these were forms of habitus I inherited in different ways from both of my parents, and they kind of shaped me into who I am today.

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Love vs Lust

By: Belay (Isabelle Paulo)

     It was back in 2011 when author E.L. James’ highly-anticipated erotic novel entitled Fifty Shades of Grey was released. Its popularity reached crazy heights, with James releasing two more books that serves as the first one’s sequel. The famed trilogy was even brought to the big screen a few years later, which quickly drew its own kind of crazy popularity. Right from the beginning, literary/movie critiques and ordinary citizens alike were very much split in two. British author for The Guardian praised the novel for being “more enjoyable” than other “literary erotic books.” She added saying “[i]t is jolly, eminently readable and as sweet and safe as BDSM erotica can be without contravening the trade descriptions act." On the other hand, most of the criticisms are drawn from the erotic nature of the novel itself, as well as how graphic it was depicted. In a way, the criticisms are not merely an attack on James’ work, but also on the unspoken culture of BDSM. 

     BDSM stands for bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism. It is defined as a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying. BDSM relationships are typically characterized by participants taking on complementary but unequal roles. This is where its idea or aspect of informed consent comes in. In Fifty Shades of Grey, the male protagonist made the female protagonist sign a contract he made himself, stating that she allows him to do whatever is stated in the terms of their contract. An informed consent also typically discloses who in the agreement will be the “submissive” and “dominant.” The titles pretty much speak for themselves. The submissive party in the relationship is the one who is subject to the actions of the dominant. The submissive is usually tied up or even hurt or stimulated by objects that are of sexual purpose or use.  

     Moore and Rosenthal’s “Gender, Sexuality, and Romance” looks into the different roles men and women take regarding the three different topics the title suggests. The entire reading is basically a comparison between men and women in regards to three quite taboo topics. A small portion of the reading was dedicated to excerpts from interviews with a man and a woman talking about sex. The interviewer asked the man and woman the same question which was “[w]hat does the word ‘sex’ mean to you?” For the man, he said: “[i]t’s kind of er well like you don’t sort of er, your body wants sex, and it’s sort of like wanting a glass of water.” He added saying sex is a need to survive, just like food and water is. For the woman, on the other hand, answered to the question saying it is “[s]ome type of bonding, I suppose, or coming together as one.” She added saying sex is a way to express the emotions of caring for someone. We clearly see here the difference in the two interviewees’ perspectives. 

     For the man, sex is more of a pleasuring act. It is more about getting something out of it for oneself. In a way, it is saying that sex, for men, is an avenue to release and relax. For women, on the other hand, they find sex to be more of an emotional bonding rather than a physical one or an act that will give them something. In a woman’s perspective, sex is more about giving than receiving. It is about connecting on a level that cannot be achieved in any other way. 

     Relating this to Fifty Shades of Grey, Moore and Rosenthal’s analysis of the different way men and women view sex is evident in the relationship of and between the two characters. At first, the man, who was the dominant one, only wanted the woman for sexual pleasure. He even admitted to it by saying “I don’t make love. I fuck, hard.” From this we can see how it seems as though he did not exactly care about the woman’s feelings. The woman, meanwhile, evidently wanted to form an actual relationship with Mr. Grey. A relationship that was more than just sex. She wanted emotional companionship more than anything. In an effort to get closer to Mr. Grey, however, she agreed to whatever he wanted which was a BDSM relationship.

     One of the things writing this blog post made me realize is how important sense of self-worth really is. One, man or woman, should learn to value himself/herself enough to protect or realize what it is his/her purpose is when getting into a relationship.

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Coloniality of Gender as Expressed in Instances of “Character Development”

by: Rika

              There’s a certain concept I see a lot in television shows and movies which I am not a fan of. While the words “rebirth” and “transformation” are seemingly appealing when it comes to character development, it ceases to be an interesting point of change when it follows the “Ugly Betty” concept. A story of a girl who is deemed “ugly” or simply not feminine enough for society undergoing a makeover which then earns her the attention of the people around her as well as the interest of a man feels regressive to me somehow. Now the actual change or makeover is not the problem. For me, if someone wants to change themselves to make themselves more confident and increase their self-esteem as well as self-love, that’s great! But if it’s just to please others or to conform to society when they don’t actually feel comfortable it, that’s when I have a problem. Honestly, I myself used to enjoy watching these kinds of plots. I still find it interesting to see a character undergo such a big change, but I know that sometimes, the message that it expresses doesn’t actually cater to the greater good of equality.

              Rethinking Gender from the South written by Raewyn Connell touches on inequalities within the metropole, as well as the coloniality of gender. According to the text, gender, class, and race are on the same level regarding the structure of society, and that gender is actually abstract (Connell). There still exists (unfortunately) the misconception that gender and sex are the same. Which, obviously as gender is abstract, is not true. Sex refers to the biological makeup of an individual. To put it simply, it’s whether their private parts dictate one to be a male or female. On the other hand, gender is socially constructed and aside from it coming from one’s own identity, it is in the processes of colonialism (Connell).

              The reading written by Connell also mentions the violent inferiorization of women as a result of the colonial gender system. Even looking at the past, historical figures that are taught in school are mostly men, which is what the colonial gender system refers to. This inferiorization of women, aside from being seen in actual cases of violence and abuse, can also be seen in the aforementioned “Ugly Betty” concept through the notion that women must fit a certain standard of ‘beauty’ to be considered desirable by men. Having to fit a certain standard of beauty in itself hinders society from progressing towards equality, but also, women do not have to be desired by men in order to have worth. There is this “social control over women’s reproductive power” (Connell) which not only manipulates women’s use for their reproductive capabilities, but also makes it seem like that is the only thing that they have going for them. This focus on sexual characteristics goes hand in hand with a part of the reading which says that “colonial notions of femininity as inversions of masculinity did not grant human status, but rather established a gender dimorphism of hypersexuality and sexual passivity that rendered colonized men and women as non-human gendered entities” (Connell).

              While the reading makes it clear that the patriarchy has oppressed women throughout history, I would also like to say that it in some ways oppresses men as well. Along with the inferiorization of women, there is the inferiorization of men who are not as ‘manly’ as society deems fit. Men who are in touch with their femininity, or men who express behaviors similar to what people expect from women are looked down upon. For example, in traditional households, women are assigned to be the carers of the home and children while men are the ‘breadwinners’ of their families. If a man instead takes up the role of caring for the children and the house, people will likely see him as incompetent. When in fact, there is nothing wrong with having a man take up that role, and nothing wrong with having a woman work and provide for her family financially.

              It is all the events in history that lead up to this moment that have built this whole ground of unequal gender relations, which is why I agree with the claim of the text that “the future of feminist theory depends a good deal on the conditions of knowledge production in the South and finding ways to support the workforce involved.” (Connell).

Reference:

Connel, R. (2014). Rethinking gender from the South. Feminist Studies, 40 (3): 518-539.

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Fitting Into the Mold as Created by Parents

by: Rika

              When I think of agency, the first word that pops into my mind is independence. Agency, to me, pertains to one’s capability of making their own choices according to their own values and principles that guide them throughout their entire life. Within a certain social context or environment, people always have choices to make and actions to take, whether it is the social context or their own self-construal that has influenced their principles. The same is true when it comes to formation of one’s identity. If agency pertains to one’s liberty to take certain actions in a given situation, then there are identity agents who affect that agency and play a part in manipulating the circumstances around them.

              Elli P. Schacter’s text titled Identity Agents: Parents as Active and Reflective Participants in Their Children’s Identity Formation, we are greeted with the idea of the existence of identity agents. In the context of the formation of identity, identity agents are, according to the text, “those individuals who actively interact with children and youth with the intention of participating in their identity formation.” (Schacter). And of course, judging by the title of the text alone, it’s clear that these individuals are most commonly seen as the parents or parent-figures of the children and youth.

              In my previous blog post which discussed the Japanese cultural festival Shichi-Go-San and how it influences the identity of the youth by celebrating milestones, I’d like to point out that the parents of these children that are being celebrated are the ones to thank for this festival’s influence on youth identity. To begin with, these children (that are of three, five, and seven years old) are too young to willingly and actively incline themselves to celebrate these said milestones. I dare say that the likelihood of them actually understanding what these festivals are for would be very low. With that in mind, it’s clear that the adults of the society are the ones imposing this tradition on them, and using it as a way to get involved with their identity formation. In this way, true to the text, parents are certainly “actively encouraging their children’s processes of identification, co-participating in their children’s identity’s formation, and reflectively deliberating their parental roles and goals in regards to this process.” (Schacter).

              While the given reading is centered on parents as identity agents regarding the religious identity of children, the celebration of Shichi-Go-San (while not really used as a religious influence) still highlights parents as identity formators of the youth. During these young ages of three, five, and seven years old are when children are considered easiest to mold or teach according to one’s values. If you tell them that something’s bad, then they’ll accept it as bad. Likewise, if you praise them for certain behavior, they will continue to showcase that behavior in hopes of being praised again, as they now have the knowledge that the behavior they are exhibiting is good and results in being rewarded. As in line with Identity Agents: Parents as Active and Reflective Participants in Their Children’s Identity Formation, “Identity agents have goals regarding their children’s identity development, and these identities in turn, may serve wider psychological and educational goals.” (Schacter). So when they are celebrated for reaching milestones, as I (again) previously mentioned in my blog post before this, they feel more inclined to continue reaching milestones expected of them by their parents. This really shows the impact that parents have as identity agents, as they are able to evoke these responses from the children they are trying to shape and raise.

              Now as children grow older, they then start to become more vulnerable to identity crises. This comes from changes in their environment, as well as a conflict in what they can do and what they want to do as opposed to what they are expected to do. This, I believe, is where the concept of self-construal comes in. The text does not actually mention this, but it is something I learned in the subject Communications which I find applies to the application of the concepts introduced in the text. Self-construal pertains to one’s own sense of self and personality despite the influence of the environment that they are in and how they were raised. And so, despite the coaxing and involvement of parents, children may find themselves straying from the goal that the adults had in forming their identities. Again, they experience an identity crisis as parts of themselves no longer fit the cookie-cutter image their parents had in mind. I say this because one of the last parts in the reading which says “we stress the conceptual importance of understanding early socialization processes for the understanding of identity formation in adolescence” (Schacter) made me realize the significance of looking at parents as identity agents and the extent of their guidance onto the youth.

Reference:

Schacter, E., & Ventura, J. (2008). Identity agents: Parents as active and reflective participants in their children’s identity formation. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 18(3), 449-476.

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A New Pride

by Charina Camposano

Recently, we’ve discussed in class Pierre Bourdiue’s concept of the Habitus. His knowledge gave light to the importance of the effects of habitual actions of people in their society. This concept, according to David L. Swartz in his article, The Sociology of Habit: The Perspective of Pierre Bourdieu, “is embedded in a theory of action” (Swartz, 2002, p. 61) or in other words, how we direct such actions to perform a task and how consistent these actions are. In class we were made to analyze the movie Billy Elliot, a story about a young boy from a very masculine family of miners, discovering his love for a feminine dance that is ballet. What we have discovered is that the main character’s love for the art of ballet was acquired through his mother and grandmother. In relation to this, Swartz identified in his article that the habitus of an individual is acquired through early childhood socialization. Thus, because of his mother and grandmother’s influence, Billy Elliot has acquired an appreciation for the dance and developed a know-how to it. But what was most striking about our findings in relation to Swartz’s article is how Billy Elliot broke away from the habit of his family, much more of his society. Coming from a masculine family, who’s main source of income is through mining (a very masculine career), it is odd enough for Billy to love something that is perceived as the complete opposite of what was expected of him.

However, before we presented our findings in class, I’ve realized that this concept of habitus is also applicable to another movie I have watched in the past. Although my intention of watching Pride was only for entertainment (also because my favorite actor, Andrew Scott, best known for his portrayal of Jim Moriarty in BBC’s Sherlock, was in the movie), I never realized that I would be able to apply it in our lessons. Pride is also set during the British miner’s strike where majority of British Miners are at risk of losing their jobs due to the government issuing the closure of mines. While Billy Elliot focused more on the internal struggles of the titular character, Pride was successful in showcasing the struggles of the miners, as well as the LGBT community at that time. In the movie, gay activists decided that it would be best to help the miners in their town who were also experiencing the same kind of oppression from the police. The correlation between the sufferings of the LGBT people and currently then, of the miners, paved the way for the formation of a campaign called the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. It is no surprise that the miners were reluctant at first, having been very critical and often violent towards the LGBT community. However, due to the need of support as well as their new found appreciation for the LGBT people, an unlikely alliance was formed that cemented the equality among both parties, and later grew into the widespread acceptance of the LGBT people.

I have given a brief background of Pride in relation to Bourdiue’s concepts during our presentation in class, but I would like to further expand my idea by further integrating notion of the habitus in this movie. Swartz acknowledges that the “dispositions of habitus are acquired informally through the experience of social interactions by processes of imitation, repetition, role-play, and game participation” (Ibid, p. 63). In this case, the habits of the miners, as well as their perception of things have become constant, but may be altered over time. Their violent perceptions towards the LGBT people at that time are rooted at the fact that the LGBT people do not follow their expectations. Because of this, the LGBT are ostracized for years and it has become known that a miner, whose masculinity is expected to be innate in him, should never be involved with a gay person who goes against their notion of an expected gender role. This habitus has continued for years for their people, and as Swartz suggests,

The idea of habitus holds that society shapes individuals through socialization but that very continuity and existence of society depend on the ongoing actions of individuals. (Ibid, p. 63)

However, he also explains that a change in habits may occur when previous habits do not go well with the constraints and the situation of the field. That may be the case with the miners whose situation is changed by the challenges of the government against them. Because of this, they are further restricted to their only source of capital. Applying this to Swartz’s idea that “habituses are formed with particular types and amounts of capital” (Ibid, p.65), there is no doubt that because of the oppression they experience, their habits may change. In addition to this, the LGBT community, who they previous do not associate with, offered more capital for the miners, as well as social and emotional support. Because of this, they are bound to accept their help in time of need. By doing so, they enter into a field, or “competitive arenas of struggle over different kinds of capital” (Ibid, p.65), where certain behaviors are required. Breaking away from their previous habit and accepting the LGBT community because of their need of the latter’s capital, they form a new habitus wherein they fully accept those who they previously deny.

Pride offers us a view of the history of the LGBT community and how they used their voices to help their fellow townspeople. It is fascinating that a group like them, who has been ostracized for the longest time, are still willing to help those who took part in denying them. In a way, they also broke away from their habitus, that is, to avoid those people who violate and question their rights. The movie showed us that the LGBT community realized that when the miners were subjected to the risk of losing their livelihood, they too are experiencing the hardships of their own. What is more amazing is that the story is Pride is based on true events and these events have become the base of society’s acceptance of the LGBT people. Today, we’ve developed the habitus of accepting these people and having no shame in involving ourselves with them, because after years of their struggles, we realized that we are all equal after all.

References Livingstone, D. (Producer), & Warchus, M. (Director). (2014). Pride [Motion Picture]. United Kingdom: BBC Films. Brenman, G., Finn, J. (Producers), & Daldry, S. (Director). (2000). Billy Elliot [Motion Picture]. United Kingdom: BBC Films. Swartz, David (2002). The Sociology of Habit: The Perspective of Pierre Bourdieu. The Occupational Therapy Journal of Research. 61-69 SA 21: Module 4

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the in-between

By: Belay (Isabelle Paulo)

     Very often do we hear of people talking about how family is the most important “thing” in the world. It is no doubt that family is indeed the basic unit of life. Family breeds life. Literally. For the lucky ones like myself, it is family who takes care of you and sees you through all the ups and downs of life. They are the first ones to see you take your first breath in this world, and possibly even your last. Family gives you a feel of home in this huge world. Family is everything. Family, however, like everything in the world, is not always perfect nor ideal. 

     Sabrina Koepke and Jaap J.A. Denissen’s “Dynamics of identity development and separation-individuation in parent-child relationships during adolescence and emerging adulthood–A conceptual integration” has a different take on the usual parent-child relationship studies. Unlike other researches, this one touches on the topic of how parent to child separation impacts the latter. Physician Margaret Mahler’s “separation–individuation theory of child development” is hugely talked about. This talks about the different attachment styles children have to their parents, as well as how this affects their relationship in the years to come. Parents play such a huge role in the formation of a child’s identity. So you can only imagine what the impact of not having parents around is like. 

     My dad was born and raised in the province to low-earning, divorced parents. My mom on the other hand, was born and raised in the city to a relatively well-off family, although her dad passed away in her teen years. When my parents got married, they mutually decided to stray from financially relying on family members—they wanted to raise a family and build a home on their own. 

     When my older (and only) sister was born, my mom quit her job as an optometrist to be a housewife while my dad continually worked hard as an engineer for a big real estate company. I entered the world, things were going fine. Using the money they have saved up, my parents were able to enroll my sister and I to a private, all-girls Catholic school. 

     While we were financially okay at that point, my dad was always looking for more. He wanted to give my mom, my sister, and I the life he did not have. His biggest dream was to own a property. I was not aware at that time, but my parents even considered migrating our little family to Qatar, where life could have been easier.

     When I was around 7-8 years old, the company my dad was working for was looking into expanding their brand to China, and they wanted him to be at the forefront of that. They offered him a 5-year contract that would pay him so much more and would bring him to Shanghai full-time. 

     Fast forward to today, my dad successfully tuned his dreams into reality; he gave and continually gives my family a great life. I am enrolled in a great university, live in a comfortable home, able to travel the world, among many others. All this however came at the price of not physically, and somehow emotionally having my dad around growing up. 

     When he first came back, I felt extremely awkward around him. I guess it was because I was so used to living my daily life without having him around. Who I was at that point in my life was shaped by the physical presence of my mom, and the absence of my dad. Up to this day, I always seem to catch myself thinking of how different my life would be had my dad stayed in the Philippines throughout. I wonder how different my personality, interests, likes and dislikes, among other aspects would be.

     Currently, I am slowly learning and adjusting to life with my dad given he has been home for five years now. We both try as much as we can to catch up on lost time. Although I cannot take back my childhood and pretend that he were there, I still have a life ahead of me in which I believe he can still play a huge role in.

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The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

By: Mitchie

From the earlier years of my childhood, I’ve always known that my brother could very well be attributed as a replica of my dad. They had the same features, mannerisms, but most of all, the same hobbies. Because my dad loves anything related to cars and racing, my brother ended up loving it as well. He’s been obsessed with automobiles for as long as I can remember. In fact, one of the first few words (if you could call it that- I think it would be more of a sound) that were added to his infant vocabulary was “vroom vroom” at the tender age of one year old.

Now that he is fourteen years old, there are so many things he can talk about and boast in the realm of cars and racing. In terms of knowledge, he is the boy who can pinpoint a supercar’s model and specs from across the road whenever we drive through Bonifacio Global Center. He can even talk about the engine type and transmissions (I don’t even know what this means). Something more impressive to me, however, is his actual experience with driving cars. Looking back at it now, I think it’s barely surprising to me how the boy who used to manoeuvre the car’s steering wheel at six years old is not the boy who entered a race competition in Clark Racing Circuit, driving an actual racecar. 

There are tons of things that my brother can do that I can’t. And even if I did try to catch up to him and outdo the things that he’s done, I know that I wouldn’t stand a chance because the things he knows are just so ingrained in him. It’s probably muscle memory to him now; it’s a part of who he is as a person. Perhaps more than an interest- an actual competence or disposition of his.

In “The Sociology of Habit”, Swartz discusses French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus. To elaborate on what habitus is, it may said to define a person’s structure of personality that is made up of several parts. These parts could be particularly factors such as lifestyle, values, dispositions, and expectations that have been acquired through exposure and socialization to various social groups.  As a very broad study, he attempts to encapsulate it as “deeply internalized dispositions, schemas, and forms of know-how and competence”. Simply put, it’s not just a routine, habit, or even built-in response. It’s more of an active reflection of one’s past experiences. By “active reflection”, I mean that it’s a reflection of the past that functions in the present or “now” that shapes perceptions, thoughts, and actions. Additionally, “past experiences” isn’t just what happened to you a few weeks ago, a month ago, a year ago, etc.  According to Bourdieu, it’s something that is part of one’s childhood. This can take in the form of socialization with others.

It is very clear to me that my younger brother has develop a kind of habitus that can be described as one having an affinity or linked to cars and racing. It’s something that is he is very much aligned to thanks to my dad, who has been exposing him to these factors so early on in his life. In the reading, Swartz makes an example about how if a child who was brought up in a family of athletes, he would be more likely to develop athletic abilities and dispositions as well as appreciate athleticism in one’s life. Much like his own example, my brother was brought up by a father who loved cars and racing. Because he really was more likely to develop the interest in pursuing racing or even just the disposition of learning bout cars, my brother eventually did form this internalized disposition thanks to the world that he lives in.

I’d also like to include in this blog post another concept that Bourdieu makes a point about. Following how people can develop internalized dispositions through exposure; he said that the same internalized dispositions could also generate new forms of action. By this, he means that they could also constitute and reproduce the worlds that they are brought up in.  When I think of this statement, I think about how some children will enter into competencies or mediums that aren’t particularly the exact copy of the competency or medium that his or her father is in, yet they still do because it’s something they’re familiar with. It’s something like how if a mom was a painter and her daughter was a digital artist, they’d still have that internalized disposition that leans to the arts. It wouldn’t be exactly the same, but the child’s reproduction of that competency generates a new world still influenced by the mother.

In my brother’s case, he has moved onto digital racing rather than real-life racing (at least for now). The new action that he has generated based on the internalized disposition he’s been exposed to paved the way for his interest, and perhaps even obsession, with arcade games about racing. He makes it a point to play these arcade games at least once a week, something that entails actually visiting a mall to play the game. Due to how his know-how and competence comes from past experiences, it still shapes the thoughts and actions that led him to this new medium.

Reference

Swartz, David (2002). The Sociology of Habit: The Perspective of Pierre Bourdieu. TheOccupational Therapy Journal of Research. 61-69

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中文的父母

By: Issa 

Translation of title: Chinese parents

      In Elli Schacter’s reading, Identity Agents: Parents as Active and Reflective Participants in Their Children’s Identity Formation, she talks about how certain role models we have in our lives can become “identity agents”, or those who actively interact with children and youth with the intention of participating in their identity formation, and who reflectively mediate larger social influences on identity formation. She explains how children have adults or elder figures that constantly interact with them and in turn, help them construct their own developmental niches and shape them into who they are today. I would like to discuss this reading in context of my own life, and how various elders or “identity agents” in my life have shaped and developed me into who I am today.

      To compare my own experiences with that of the reading, Schrater provides Jewish orthodox parents as an example for potential identity agents and I believe that being raised by a traditional Chinese parent has a very large similarity to this example. Growing up, the main parent figure I had was my father since my mother passed away when I was two years old. My father basically raised me all on his own and taught me everything he could so I could grow up in this world fully prepared. Since he was raised in a traditionally Chinese culture, he was expected to raise me in a similar way and did so. All the customs and traditions that were taught to his family by his own traditionally Chinese parents were passed down to his generation and were taught to me and my cousins in my generation. Examples of these customs and traditions that were (and still are) being taught to me by my father are: wearing red on birthdays or special occasions for good luck, practicing and speaking Fookien Chinese at home, respecting elders (specifically elderly males because they are respected more in Chinese culture), practicing offertory rituals and praying Buddhist prayers on All Souls’ Day and Chinese All Souls’ Day, and many others. There are also some values and characteristics that Chinese parents exemplify and teach to their children that are quite different compared to other cultures, with discipline being one of the biggest values that they wish to instill in their children. There are also the values of respect, courtesy, hard work, and obedience – these values are some that stand out for me as values that  Chinese parents teach that differ from values that are normally taught by other cultures because my family has always made it a priority that the younger generations exhibit these values (more than other values such as kindness, optimism, or compassion) because this is what their parents taught them, and these are values that the Chinese culture takes pride in.

      The Chinese culture really values continuing tradition and legacy, and sticking to their roots when educating their families, more specifically the youth. This is similar to the Jewish people (Jewish unorthodox parents were used as an example of parents as identity agents in the reading) valuing the preservation of their identity and their continued priority of creating a strong cultural commitment to continuity as a value in and of itself. Despite this value of continued tradition and legacy, Chinese parents and families are also open to other cultures and the continuing trend of globalization. With my family being a pure Chinese family but also citizens of the Philippines being exposed to various Filipino cultures and traditions, we like to stick to our own culture but also understand that we are around these cultures and are open to them while respecting them. I think this was also a big understanding that my family instilled in me while I was growing up – that I was supposed to stick to my family’s culture while being respectful and understanding of the cultures of the people around me. In my personal opinion, I think that this constant reminder from my family is what shaped me into becoming proud of my own culture while being more empathetic and knowledgeable of what other people are going through and how they behave with respect to what their culture is and what family they were born into. I also believe that the values that my family (specifically, my dad) taught me are what shaped me into who I am today – these values also influence my beliefs and opinions on various aspects of my life and have helped me make very important decisions that led me to where I am today, and can possibly lead me to where I can become in the future.

      Despite me sometimes loathing my father’s disciplinary, Chinese-based parenting style for being too disciplinary or overprotective, I’ve come to learn to appreciate the way I was raised because it shaped me into who I am today,  in terms of being more cautious when it comes to facing obstacles and problems, and more organized when it comes to working on tasks in my daily life.