4 - AGENTS OF CHARACTER FORMATION

Question 1

The 10 Agents of Character Formation

Answer 1

1. the family and home environment
2. social environment
3. culture & language
4. history
5. the education system
6. religion
7. the economic environment
8. the political environment
9. mass media
10. leadership and role models

Question 2

the main components of the home environment (3)

Answer 2

Childbearing practices, family relations, and family attitudes and orientation

Question 3

Childbearing in the Filipino Family is characterized by (3)

Answer 3

-high nurturance
-low independence
-low discipline

Question 4

what leads to low independence?

Answer 4

growing up in an atmosphere of affection and over protection

Question 5

what leads to low discipline?

Answer 5

rigid standards of behavior or performance are not imposed

Question 6

what contributes to crab mentality?

Answer 6

Subtle comparisons among sibling used by mothers

Question 7

Ten Big Ideas for Raising Good Children:

Answer 7

-Morality is Respect
-A morality of respect develops slowly, through stages.
-Foster mutual respect
-Set a good example
-Teach by telling
-Help children learn to think for themselves
-Help children take on real responsibilities
-Balance independence and control
-Love Children
-Foster character development and family life at the same time

Question 8

Main components of the social environment:

Answer 8

1. social structure
2. social systems (interpersonal religious and community interactions)

Question 9

The social environment of the Filipino is characterized by

Answer 9

a feudal structure with great gaps between the rich minority and the poor majority

Question 10

social systems of Filipino

Answer 10

• dependent on relationships
  THUS:
  -Restrained from making criticisms no matter how constructive – standards of quality are not imposed
  -Having difficulty saying NO to requests
  -Pressured to favor our family and friends

Question 11

Characteristics that are part of our culture and are reinforced by all socializing forces:

Answer 11

-warmth
-person orientation
-devotion to family
-sense of joy and humor

Question 12

Socializing Forces:

Answer 12

-school
-family
-peer group

Question 13

Filipino culture is also characterized by openness to the outside which ____

and this is related to __ and____

Answer 13

-easily incorporates foreign elements without a basic consciousness
of our cultural core.

-This is related to our colonial mentality and to the use of English as the medium of instruction in schools.

Question 14

Our colonial history is the culprit behind? (2)

Answer 14

-lack of nationalism
=We do not identify with the government and are distrustful and uncooperative towards it.

-colonial mentality
=colonial power is superior and more powerful.
= Americans set up a public school system where we learned English and the American way of life

Question 15

Problems with the educational system:

Answer 15

-inherent in the use of a foreign language in our educational system
-lack of suitable local textbooks and dependence on foreign textbooks
=force Filipino students as well as their teachers to use school materials that are irrelevant to the Philippine setting.

Question 16

Religion is the root of: ( Positive effects)

Answer 16

-Filipino optimism
-Our capacity to accept life’s hardships.

Question 17

Religion also instills in the Filipino: (Negative Effects)

Answer 17

-Attitudes of resignation
-Preoccupation with the afterlife

Question 18

Religion causes us to become vulnerable to:

Answer 18

-opportunism
-oppression
-exploitation
-superstition

Question 19

The Economic Environment– filipino traits are rooted in:

Answer 19

Poverty and Hard Life

Question 20

difficulties drive us to

Answer 20

take risks,
impel us to work very hard, and
develop in us the ability to survive.

Question 21

Poverty has also become an excuse for (2)

Answer 21

graft and corruption

Question 22

The Philippine political environment is characterized by a

Answer 22

centralization of power

Question 23

centralization of power (2)

Answer 23

-Political power and authority is concentrated in the hands of the elite
-Participation of most Filipinos often is limited to voting in elections.

Question 24

Filipino traits derived from political environment

Answer 24

-The absence of government enhances our extreme family- and even community-centeredness.
– The fact that political power is still very much concentrated in the hands of a few may lead to passivity.

Question 25

Filipino traits derived from mass media (2)

Answer 25

Colonial mentality (use of Caucasian models and emphasizing a product’s similarity with imported brands )

Passivity (The tendency of media to produce escapist movies, soap operas, comics, etc., feed the Filipino’s passivity. Rather than confront our poverty and oppression, we fantasize instead.)