Here to Stay

Every step counts. We carry on. I'm here to stay.

Forget the Games

Nobody ever dreamed of being less. Nobody ever dreamed of settling for what is unjust. Let us be serious for a moment and leave playing politics to politicians. The world is far bigger than scoring a few points against somebody else. In real life, words mean things and actions have consequences. And what truly matters at the end of the day is choosing to be better. It is never about being perfect, but always about trying to set our sights a little higher and working harder towards what we truly find significant. The words may be plain, but plain words ought to be enough.

The Cult of The Status Quo

Psychology as a discipline today is merely going around in circles. It has its head in the sand. People who call themselves psychologists merely flaunt the additional letters after their name or collect good noodle stars to climb the academe ladder while rubbing elbows at expensive conventions and exchanging silly jargons. In truth, they are blind and deaf to the needs of those who need psychology most.

People suffer and die from mental illnesses. People different from the norm, living in outlier conditions, seek help from so called experts expecting real and meaningful advice, but receive only empty platitudes, truisms, and fluff from those who only care about the next line to pad their bloated CVs or the next big payout. I know for I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears the condescension and ignorant arrogance they throw so casually around, and I want nothing to do with it.

They will say that there is a time honored process within each discipline to carefully and meticulously gather evidence and build ideas to progress it, but maybe in truth, it is merely all about building a "name" for yourself, a "brand". It is this brand that you can sell for profit and make yourself comfortable with. So comfortable that you begin to forget the soul of your valued discipline and embrace and protect the status quo like a cult. You become so sensitive to any different voice and ready to attack any alternative. But this time, you are already within the establishment and you have all its tools at your disposal to silence new ideas which you do not think "fit" with your dogma.

But I do believe in psychology as a discipline -- as a tool to advance the welfare of those who may find the status quo distressing and lacking, and those who feel like there should be more than just trendy catchphrases or run-of-the-mill journal articles or just another infantalizing therapy program to the practice of psychology. 

Psychology can be integrative and reflective of the present, as well as, of the future. But, to be able to expound on the complex, we must start with something simple. Let's try to cut through the noise. I do not need recognition. I need to get an idea across to those who will see value in it, here or in the future. So here's the way I see it: I think all current dominant paradigm in personality psychology have already hit on certain truths that need to be accepted as such, so psychology can move on from its current predicament of eating its own bloat. We need to start with certain assumptions to hold true in order to start any meaningful research, that is the scientific way. This would take conviction on the part of a researcher, but convictions are exactly what is weakened when you worship the cult of the status quo.

I see Freud's unconscious as explainable by and tied to biological personality traits and evolutionary drives and instinct. In addition, the Id likely contains not only destructive forces, but also creative forces which can be the source of human beings' potential for genius. Ego is explainable by and tied to the concept of cognitive awareness. The SuperEgo is future-looking and possibly involves the construct of optimism. The model may be visualized as involving an x and y axis, where instead of a hierarchical structure for Freud's personality model of Id/Ego/SuperEgo, they can be placed instead on a spectrum on the x axis. The y axis may be for the concept of time/life events. The corresponding reaction of the outside environment/social setting, facilitated by actions/overt behaviors, forms a loop which feedbacks into the x and y axis. This personality model in action can develop as either an adaptive personhood or a maladaptive one.

The psychological construct of "Kapwa" is the superodinate construct as the goal of human development is to move towards a better version of itself. As much as we would like to get up in arms and assert that morality has no place in a scientific discipline, the truth is that psychology deals with human beings and human beings do not behave like neat, abstract, experimental, and isolated scientific constructs; we deal with ourselves and others, and the consequences of these dealings feedback into each of our personhood. Kapwa encompasses the self and others. I think that when we lose ourselves and only conform with others, we lose the sense of Kapwa and form a maladaptive personhood. When we lose others and only think of ourselves, we also lose the sense of Kapwa and form a maladaptive personhood. Only when we are able to function with full regard to others as we regard ourselves do we move towards the goal of forming a healthy personhood. I visualize this concept with Kapwa in the middle, and on two opposite ends are Walang Pagka-kapwa. Both ends represent a maladaptive personhood, and only the center represents adaptive personhood.

And, finally, here are two things to ponder: One, I think that Freud was one of the pre-eminent feminist of his time as he was the only medical professional in the field to value women enough to actually listen to them, and take them seriously enough to actually publish his findings on their psychological conditions. Yes he had difficulties understanding women, but that is only because he actually tried to. Two, Dr. Virgilio Enriquez had already unearthed the essence of the Filipino psyche. It is Kapwa. What is a Filipino and how do we explain his psychology? A Filipino is someone who puts the highest value to the act of seeing others as he sees himself; fair and kind, but knows when to draw the line when their very personhood is maligned. A Filipino is someone with dignity and pride in their culture, and the tempered intellect to know the difference between merely pakikisama and true pagka-Kapwa.

More Than The Sum Of Its Parts

Normally, in a world where everything is known, a set of definite givens can only yield to a set of definite outcomes. In this world, holding on to convictions is unnecessary.

But, life is strange. 

In life, a set of definite givens may yield something more than its sum total. Something new can come out of the old. From darkness there can be light. And out of what seems to be nothing, something can exist.

Such is the curiosity we all take part in when we choose to live and see life through. What we know, we know. But things are not always what they appear to be.

I think living means always trying to understand things a little better, always trying to see things a little clearer, and most of all, choosing to stand by what one believes in, especially in the face of the unknown.

Man Does Not Live By Bread Alone

There are baseline needs. There are common needs. We can choose to focus on these. But, different things happen at the same time. 

Basic needs are not all that is of genuine interest to all of us. It is not enough to not neglect. We must also know how to nurture to truly nourish.

A starved psyche is starved not only of food and water, but more importantly, it is starved of its own dignity, dreams, and aspiration.

And genuine character does not come with what you can purchase, nor with what you can bargain for. It comes in full and it is already there for the taking.

Carrot and Stick and Freedom from this Cycle

This is nothing new but still worth repeating.

It used to be that forcing someone to obey through brute force was the primary option. Now that has become unsophisticated. So instead, incentives are used to keep those in captivity to remain captive. 

Being a captive is made to look and feel fun and trendy.

It used to be as well that captivity was overt and physical. Now it is more and more covert and psychological. You get a generation of paranoid nervous wrecks. 

But the story does not end there. 

Just as brutal suppression and physical captivity has become less and less effective, so too would psychological and subliminal coercion become a relic of the past. 

Our minds constantly evolve. They say to see is to believe and I believe in freedom because I have seen it.

The Future of Socialization

The future is less social, not more. 

While the broader reach of social media and the increasing capacity for online connectivity allow us to reach people from across boundaries, the quality of our connection with each other will be more purposeful and personal.

The value of reaching out only to those with whom we can forge a more rooted, more meaningful, and lasting bond will be greater. 

It is from here that we can build resilient communities and not erase our personal character in the process.