Psychology Research in the Philippines:

Observations and Prospects"

AJlan B. I. Bernardo
De La Salle University, Manila

The paper is an attempt to take stock of the state ofpsychology

research in the Philippines. In particular it seeks to describe the
research culture, the problems, and opportunities characteristic of
it.' Toprovide a stimulus for this assessment a survey ofpsychology
publications was undertaken. The results ofthe survey were used
as a springboardfor making observations about substantive concerns
and level of analysis ofpsychology research in the country. The
paper traces limitations ofpsychology research to the lackofa real
research culture and identifies some opportunities that could lead
to the development ofsuch. The paper ends with some recommen-
dations regarding how psychology research can grow and playa
more important role in the life ofour nation.

• This article is based on the paper of the same title presented during the 34th Annual
Convention of the Psychological Association of the Philippines, July 3-5, 1996, Philippine Social
Science Center, Diliman, Quezon City. Preparation for this paper was supported in part by a Spencer
Fellowship awarded to the author by the National Academy of Education (USA). Correspondence
regarding this article should be addressed to the author at the Psychology Department, De La Salle
University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila; E-mail: [email protected].

38 Philippine Journalof Psychology Vol. 30, Nos. 1-4(1997):38-57. •

 More and more psychologists in the Philippines are recognizing the
value of research in the discipline. What used to be the concern of only
a small sector of academic psychologists is now of interest not only to a
wider range of academic psychologist, but also to a growing number of
psychology professionals and practitioners. Even individuals, institutions,
and other organization outside the discipline ofpsychology are now more
frequently seeking out the services of psychology researchers. But what
is the status ofpsychology research in the Philippines? Are the researches
being conducted advancing the frontiers of scientific understanding of
human behavior? Are these promoting better practice in the discipline?
Are these facilitating more active efforts at applying and using
psychological knowledge for the pursuit of the goals of our society?

In this paper, I will attempt to take stock of the current state of

psychology research in the Philippines. The goal of this exercise is to
have some determination of the general state of psychology research
being undertaken by Philippine psychologists, and of the problems and
opportunities characteristic of the same. For this paper, I will define
psychology research in a "minimalist" sense: Psychology research is a
careful, systematic, patient study and investigation of some psychological
• phenomenon. I will also assume that the broad goals of psychology
research are (a) to explain human behavior, and (b) to give humankind
the power to understand, predict, and control human behavior for
society's benefit. These broad goals cover the objectives of both basic
and applied researches. I also wish to clarify that in using the word
"explain," I take explanations to mean the attempt to relate phenomena
to something other than themselves, for example, to causes or predictors.

A Survey of Psychology Publications

As a springboard for my discourse, I undertook a survey of Philippine

publications in psychology from 1986 to 1996. By surveying the
publications, I assumed that I would get a broad overview of the types
of researches being done. I wish to clearly state that the survey I undertook
was not intended to be an exhaustive one (although I believe that I was

• 39
able to survey an overwhelming majority of the publications), neither
are the results intended to be a definitive representation ofthe psychology
research environment in the Philippines. The survey was/done to provide
a stimulus for the discussions and analysis of the state and future of
psychology research in the Philippines.

For the survey, I used the following selection criteria: the published
work should have a Filipino as the first author who should be presently
or previously based in a' Philippine institution. Using this criteria, a
•
-

total of 151 books, monographs, and journal articles were included in

the survey.

The books and monographs were publications of the Ateneo de

Manila University Press, the De La Salle University Press, the University
of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies, the
Philippine Psychology Research and Training House, and a few foreign
agencies. Textbooks, edited books, and proceedings were not included
in the survey.'

The journal articles were published in the following periodicals:

Philippine Journal of Psychology (published by the Psychological •
Association of the Philippines), Social Science Information (Philippine
Social Science Council), Philippine Journal of Educational
Measurement (Center for Educational Measurement); Sikolohiya, UPDP
Reports (both U. P. Department of Psychology), Layag (Psychology
Department, DLSU), Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology
(Counselor Education Department, DLSU), Philippine Social Science
Review (D.P. College of Social Science and Philosophy), Edukasyon ...
(U.P. Education Research Program), Philippine Journal ofIndustrial ~
Relations (U.P. School of Labor and Industrial Relations), Philippine
Journal of Public Administration (U.P. College of Public Admi-
nistration), and a few international journals. Articles published in edited

1 The books of Tomas Andres and Margarita Go Since-Holmes were not included because the
former does not consider himselfa psychologist, and the latter's books are actually compilations of
published newspaper columns. The book of the current author was also not included in the survey.

40 •
•
books were not included in the survey; unpublished papers were also
not included.'

The surveyed publications were first assessed in terms of the

substantive area of psychology of the research problem or topic. A
particular publication was classified in at least one category, some were
coded in more than one category. The frequency of publications per
• substantive area of psychology are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1. Frequency of Research Publications for Different Areas of Study in

Psychology

Area of Psychology N

Social Psychology 63 41.7

Child Psychology 19 12.6
Family Psychology 15 9.9
Health Psychology 13 8.6
Clinical Psychology 11 7.3
Counseling Psychology 8 5.3
Industrial and Organization Psychology 8 5.3
General Psychology (Historylfheory) 5 3.3
Methodology 5 3.3
Educational Psychology 4 2.6
Cognitive Psychology 4 2.6
Psychological Measurement 3 2.0
Cross Cultural Psychology 1 0.7

The publications were also assessed in terms of the type of research

involved in terms ofthe type or level of analysis. For example, a research
maya descriptive research study or a research may involve development
oftheoretical models. A few researches were classified as involving more
than one type of research analysis. The frequency of publications per
type of research are summarized in Table 2.

2Thejournal articles of the current author were not included in the survey.

• 41
 •
Table 2. Frequency of Research Publications according to Type of Research

Type of Research N %

Descriptive 78 51.7
Theoretical Analysis 19 12.6
Review Of Literature 18 11.9 ~
Experiment 16 10.6
Theory DevelopmentIModel Building 12 7.9
Program Development./Evaluation 10 6.6
Statistical Analysis 4 2.6
Test Development (ReliabilitylValidity) 3 2.0
Historical Analysis 2 1.3

I used the results of these two classification schemes as the stimulus

for making observations which I describe in the following section.

Observations

The first important observation I made was that the publication is ~

not a very good indicator of research activity. In particular, it seems
that publications underreport the amount of research being done. For
example, the survey of publications shows that a very small number of
researches are being done on psychological measurement. However, a
recent still unpublished study of Ortega and Lapeiia (1996) indicates
that there are many research efforts directed at test development, which
involves, among others, studies on the validity and reliability of the
psychological measures. Clearly the outputs ofmost ofthese researches
do not see print. There are also a growing number ofpsychology research
studies being conducted in various organizations related to business and
industry, and in the political domain. These studies are mostly
commissioned researches and hence the research reports are not for public
circulation. (An exception is the paper of Lapeiia, 1996, which addresses
some methodological issues in the conduct of public opinion surveys
during elections.) Finally, though the number of student theses and
dissertations is growing, as suggested by the emergence of more graduate

42 •
•
programs in psychology, very few ofthese research efforts are published.
All these suggest that a huge majority ofresearch efforts are not published
in forms that are accessible to the larger psychology community.

The survey also showed that a big proportion of the studies were on
topics related to social psychology. If one considers that at least some
of the researches in industrial and organization psychology, health
.. psychology, psychological measurement, and family psychology could
be subsumed under social psychology, a clear majority of the studies
would be related to social psychology. There are several possible reasons
for the large share of social psychology researches. First, there is more
support (institutional and financial) for researches in social psychology,
particularly for the applied areas like gender studies, migration studies,
among others. The substantive concerns of social psychology also overlap
with the concerns ofother basic and applied social sciences like sociology,
political science, public administrations among others. Hence, there are
wider opportunities for interdisciplinary research efforts. Related to the
two points is the fact that there are more venues for publication of social
psychology research (some of those surveyed were published in non-
psychology journals).

However, a clear majority of the publications in social psychology

report researches are not very sophisticated theoretically. About 68%
ofthe social psychology publications involve descriptive researches; that
is, the report merely described some sociopsychological phenomenon in
some specific sample, without any attempt to draw some theoretical
implications from the data, or even to relate the data to some theoretical
framework.
• But the same observation can be made for all the other areas surveyed.
In general, most researches published were not directed towards
developing new or more advanced explanations of psychological
phenomena. Indeed, most of researches surveyed do not go beyond
reporting the data- gathering process and the data obtained. In most of
these researches there was no attempt to relate the data to even the
simplest conceptual or theoretical frame. Most of those that attempt to
explain or make sense of data patterns do so by appeal to existing

• 43
~..J,

theoretical models developed by foreign psychologists. It would not be

inaccurate to say that most ofthe researches published were atheoretical.
Only in very few cases was data used to advance theory even in the
slightest way. Psychology research in the Philippines seems to be largely
viewed by many researchers as involving only data-gathering and data-
description. Theory seems to play no major role in the research enterprise;
researches do not lead to theory, and theoretical considerations do not
motivate the choice of research variables, method, design, or data
explanations.

An interesting observation I made was related to papers published

by the proponents of Sikolohiyang Pilipino and the papers of other social
psychologists. The observation regards the lack ofany marked difference
in the theoretical (or atheoretical) stance ofthe two sets ofpapers. Papers
in social psychology and in Sikolohiyang Pilipino in the past ten years,
all tended to be descriptive in nature, made token appeals to theory or to
theoretical frameworks, and often did not lead to new theoretical insights
about the phenomenon being studied. There are some difference in the
methods used to gather data. In particular, Sikolohiyang Pilipino papers
tended to be a little less quantitative than other social psychology papers,
although the latter also included a lot of descriptive and qualitative data
and analysis. The Sikolohiyang Ptlipino papers also tended to be more
"self-conscious" about the choice of the method and took greater pains
at describing and justifying the method. Indeed, if it were not for my
knowledge about the publishers of the paper, and of the "affilitations"
of the authors, it would have been very difficult to distinguish between
the Stkolohiyang Piltpino papers and those that were not, at least in so
far as the publications of the past ten years were concerned (see related
observations raised by Sta. Maria, 1996). •
Another significant observation was the very narrow range oftopics
addressed in the papers published. The researches were very similar in
concern. A sizable proportion of studies were on stress and coping,
perceived problems, attitudes, and beliefs. These topics are certainly of
interest to psychology readers all over. However, the apparent fixation
on these topics does not bode well for research in the Philippines because

44 •
•
it suggests that researchers have implicitly set rather narrow boundaries
on the range oftopics that psychologists can investigate. The boundaries
certainly do not reflect the diversity and complexity of the discipline/
profession, nor the lively and dynamic intellectual activity characteristic
ofresearch in other broad areas ofpsychological research. Pragmatically
speaking, the greater loss is the fact that the narrow range of topics also
do not reflect the range of social and other practical concerns to which
• psychological theory and knowledge is pertinent.

Overall, it seems that most of recent psychology research in the

Philippines is not making as strong an impact on psychological
explanation and theory as it could. If this is so, we can also wonder
about how much psychology research and knowledge is being used to
analyze and understand social problems, to advance psychological
practice, and to strengthen advocacy on important issues.

The Absence of a Research Culture: Some Sources of Difficulty

The apparent vapidity in most of recent psychology research and

• publication are not without causes. In this section, I will speculate
regarding the various possible causes ofthe state of affairs, and most of
these causes can be related to the general absence of a research culture.
Lack 01research resources. The most basic factor that brings about
this lack of a research culture is the lack of available and accessible
resources for research. By resources I am referring to sustained financing
for researcher initiated projects, access to literature, new ideas, methods,
• among others. Even in the most developed psychology research
communities in the major universities, such resources do not compare to
those in our neighboring countries, much less to the centers of research
excellence in Europe, North America, and East Asia. But aside from
this most obvious obstacle to developing a research culture, there any
many others that are or equally gravity. These other factors are discussed
in the following observations.

• 45
 •
Research as a Marginal Activity. Many Philippine psychologists
do not perceive research as being continuous with their primary functions
as psychologists, that is, being either in professional practice, teaching,
or advocacy work. Many practitioners are not inclined to do research,
some probably even have some level of disdain for research which is
implicitly expressed in exclamations of the value of actual experience.
Most faculty members of different colleges and universities do research
and publish mainly to enhance their academic status and/or to augment
their income. In other words, many faculty members try do research and
try to publish papers to get promoted and/or to attain higher scholarly
status among peers. Others may engage in research to supplement their
meager salaries with research honoraria that can be quite sizable in some
cases. Finally, psychologists who do advocacy work often do not
effectively draw from research to advance their causes. Yet if one thinks
about it and if one looks at how research has greatly enhanced practice,
teaching, and advocacy in other countries, research ought to be integral
to all psychology functions. Still, none of the major sectors of the
Philippine psychology community truly perceives research as being
essential to their functions, and many of those who do research may be
doing so not for all the right reasons nor with the right motivations.

Most researches are actually done by students as part of degree

requirement or by faculty members who are full time teachers and/or
•
administrators. Most students do not have time and disposition to re-
write thesis for publication nor to sustain research efforts. The research
activity is a one-time ordeal that one needs to complete to get the desired
degree. It is not uncommon to hear graduate students who do not wish to
have anything to do with their thesis or dissertation, or with research in
general, after they submit their bound copies. (One wonders what their
professors have done to develop such an aversion to the research process. •
Or maybe we should think about what professors are NOT doing to
develop the students' appreciation for their research efforts.)

Unlike the students, most faculty members will actually claim to

value research. However, we all know that most faculty members do not
have time and resources to do research because of the time and ~nergy

46
•
•
required for teaching and other school activities. So those who manage
to do research do so as an auxiliary to teaching.

Random andIsolated Efforts at Research. Because ofthe condition

of faculty researchers, their research activities are often not
programmatic. Research efforts, even of one researcher, remain isolated
individual efforts that do not build on each other. In some cases, the
.' choice of research topic is determined by exigencies like the availability
of research funds. So a faculty researcher might do a research project
on sexuality, then shift to a project on peace, then shift to overseas
contract workers, as research funds become available in each of these
areas.

The non-programmatic nature of research is an important impediment

to the advancement of knowledge, practice, and advocacy through
research. Significant, substantive contributions to the discipline almost
never emerge out of singular research efforts. It is through sustained,
disciplined, and thoughtful inquiry on a particular research topic or on
related research questions that meaningful insights emerge. Indeed, among
the works that I surveyed, the ones that do make substantive contributions
to understanding of psychological phenomena and practice in the
Philippines are those that seem to be part of larger research programs.
Examples of these would be the researches of Carandang (e.g., 1987,
1993) on related aspects of the well-being of Filipino children, of Tan
(1997) on factors that shape choices across the lifespan, of Montiel (e.g.,
1995, 1997) on related aspects of Philippine political life, of Torres
(1997) on the interfacing themes related to gender and labor, of Clernefia
(1993) and of Villar (1997) on counseling practices in the Philippines,
• and of Samonte (1992) on acculturation problems of migrants and other
sojourners. Ifone looks further before the ten years covered in the survey,
other notable examples would be the works of Fr. Bulatao, and the late
Virgilio Enriquez. Unfortunately the research programs of these
individuals are the exceptions rather than the rule.

Lack ofa Critical Mass and Peer Review. Another possible artifact
of the lack of a research culture is the absence of a critical mass of

• 47
 ..
researchers that are necessary to initiate and maintain a peer review
system of research outputs and to push for theory development. I
sometimes feel that the level and quantity of psychology research in the
Philippine is still such that a true peer review system might kill what
little enthusiasm and energy there is for research. There is that feeling
that one needs to be sensitive to the impoverished environment for
research. However, peer review need not be viewed as a mechanism that
is aimed at cutting down to pieces all works that are deemed below p a r . .
Instead, the peer review system can be used to maximize whatever
substance and potential impact reside in current work. In other words,
we can also adopt a more relaxed peer review system, rather than the
nearly cut-throat system that is operating in advanced research cultures.
But basic to this peer review system is the willingness to accept
constructive criticism in one's work (and not regard such as affronts to
one's professional status or personal worth) and the beliefthat peer review
. will lead to improvements in one's scholarship. I still do not see this
willingness and belief as being an integral part of our present culture.

Myths about Psychology Research. Speaking of beliefs, there are

also many misperceptions and myths that many psychologists hold about
research that create unnecessary obstacles to research activity. For •
example, many believe that one needs an advanced degree like a Master's
degree or a Ph.D. to do research. Whereas it is true that working for
these advanced degrees will provide one with more extensive training on
research methodology and exposure to a wider range of theory, such
. degrees are not necessary requirements for doing research. At the risk
of committing.a logical fallacy, the irrelevance of such advance degrees
are underscored by the fact that a good number of psychology Ph.D.s
that I know show very little proficiency in research. I base my assertion •
on the notion that research is essentially about ideas. Having an M.A. or
a Ph.D. does not endow one with ideas. Anyone can have ideas, and the
research skills come into play when these ideas need to be developed..
systematized, and verified.

Another beliefthat I often hear from Filipino research psychologists

is that before one can develop theories and models of some phenomenon
one needs large sets and tracks ofdata; or that one needs to have volumes

48
•
of observations before one can begin constructing theory. Theory is
assumed to be derived from these large masses of data by induction.
But if one looks at the history of how many important psychological
theories are developed, one will not find these large tracks of data. The
process of deriving theory comes from an interesting mix of inductive
and deductive processes, creativity and speculation. Again, theories are
about ideas; ideas can come even from single observations.
• The previous myth is most likely related to the unusual sort of
empiricism I observe among research psychologists. This empiricism
takes the form ofletting the data speak for itself. Often I think Philippine
research psychologists think that data gathering IS research, and that
the research process ends with a description of the data and some notes
on data patterns. This point is certainly verified by the preponderance
. of descriptive researches among the publications surveyed. This type of
empiricism (which might be vestiges of the atheoretical empiricism of
radical behaviorism) will lead to lots of data, but almost surely will
never lead to understanding of psychological phenomena. In the history
of most sciences, data have never spoken for themselves, scientists have
always had to use their wits to discern what these data can say about the

• things that hold their interest.

Having sat in a number of thesis and dissertation panels, IT also

observe a common belief that large sample sizes are needed to make
one's research meaningful. The larger the sample size, the more
meaningful one's research is. Fortunately, we have access to the theories
and publications of many clinical and counseling psychologists who have
amply demonstrated the usefulness and fruitfulness of small sample or
• even single subject designs. Of course, sample size is a consideration
that needs to be reckoned with depending on the specific ·research goals
and methods.

A more apparent fascination among academic research psychologist

is that about method. It is not uncommon to see and hear even senior
academic psychologists who speak of methodological restrictions as if
they are part of the ten commandments. In reality, the assumptions of
different methods are negotiable and are negotiated within the community

• 49
 •
of researcher scholars investigating a topic. It is easy to adhere to this
mistaken belief, if one is not part of an active research community. The
tendency is to think that the tenets described in the research textbooks
should dictate actual research practice. But if one is truly immersed in
a sustained pursuit of answers to important questions, one realizes that
mejhods are tools that one needs to deploy using careful discernment
and judgment. The recent ruminations of Torres (1997) on her research
activities is most consistent with this last point.

In summary, the absence of a viable research culture is not solely

defined by the absence of certain elements (like research resources, peer
review system, or programmatic research agendas). Rather, from the
above discussion, we can see that the absence of this viable research
culture is defined by the existence of features in the current culture
(beliefs,' attitudes, perceptions of psychologists, and structures in the
organizations of the different sectors of psychologists).

Prospects and Opportunities

So far, this paper has sounded like a series of cynical complaints ..

and supercilious remarks. But I do not wish to.simply decry the state of
psychology research in the Philippines. I also see many bright prospects
and opportunities for growth in psychology research. These opportunities
will not only lead to greater research activity, but also to a greater impact
ofresearch activity on the advancement oftheory, practice, and advocacy.

For example, there is a clear and visible increase in demand for

research leading to theory/models from non-academic sectors. Some •
industry researchers, who previously would have simply wanted accurate
profiles of their target markets, now want to ground their strategies on
'sound, and if possible, verified theories about Filipino behavior.
Advocates and community workers in many Non-Government
Organizations have seen their various efforts bear fruit in some cases
but not in others, and now want some theoretical understanding of why
these things happen. These demand for theoretical understanding could
 prove to be an important force for advancing psychological theorizing
in the Philippines, if the Philippine psychology researchers decide to
respond to the demand.

. Another bright spot is the fact that there seems to be a little bit more
funds for research from various non-academic sectors. Industry,
government, non-government organizations, private foundations, among
• others also fund various specific types of research activities. But I do
not wish to give the impression that the research community is awash
with money; there is a little bit more out there and that can go a long
way if we plan and program our research activities rationally.

Likewise, college and university administrators are quickly

recognizing research as integral to higher educational functions. Even
the Commission on Higher Education (CHED, 1995) explicitly
articulated their belief about the value of using research as means to
improve higher education. As a result, colleges and universities,
particularly those who are concerned with accrediting their programs,
are now channeling some parts ofthe budget for faculty researches. It is
also not coincidental that in the proposed minimum requirements for
e· B.A. and B.S. Psychology programs, research courses take up a good
chunk of the required number of units (Intal, 1997). Notable, there is .
also an increase in the number ofvenues for publication and presentation
of research outputs. These venues are usually initiatives of different
colleges and universities.

An important development is the easier access to new information

afforded by the electronic media, particularly the Internet. A researcher
who has access to Internet service will have a valuable pass to a large
library of information (the problem will be muddling through the mass
of information) to supplement whatever library resources are available
in the nearest university. The availability of Internet services is significant
because the cost ofthe hardware and services required to have access to
large amounts of information is quite inexpensive compared to the costs
of acquiring the range of journals and books that would cover the same
range of topics. The reasonable costs could provide an opportunity for

51
organizations with limited financial resources to allow their staffto have
access to the latest information about the discipline that would be very
expensive in other forms.

Probably related to the development of electronic media, there are

currently more opportunities for collaboration with foreign researchers.
Aside from the easier means of communication provided by electronic
mail, there is also a growing interest in cultural, cross-cultural, and also ~,
interdisciplinal research efforts all over the world. Lest I be accused of
catering to foreign interests rather than local ones, I wish to clarify why
these opportunities for international collaborations are important. First,
I think that any form of collaboration is valuable and a potentially rich
source of intellectual advancement for those involved. This is particularly
so if the collaborating parties come from different perspectives,
frameworks, and experiences. Such meetings ofdifferent minds is always
a fertile ground for insights to grow. If participants in the collaboration
have co-equal status, the intellectual reward in such a collaboration will
most likely be. mutual. Second, many foreign researchers have more
access to research funds, simply because their countries have long decided
that research is a worthwhile long term investment. However
opportunistic this may sound, collaborating with such researches will .-
allow us to benefit from their bounty, so to speak. Third, many foreign
researchers also have more access to research literature, research tools
like software, equipment, and others. Many also have active research
laboratories or research teams which provide communities for peer review
of works in progress. Many also have access to venues for publication
and dissemination of research findings. Hence, collaborating with such
psychology researchers will give Philippine psychologists a chance to
enhance their research skills, shape their own values about research work,
and draw from the existing research supports and resources available:

The final window of opportunity I note is the increasing number of

collaborations among practitioners and academics. In recent years, I see
more joint efforts between psychology practitioners in government, in
industry, in schools, and in private practice on the one hand, and
psychologists in academe. This cooperation between previously
autonomous sectors (see Dayan & Bernardo, 1997) will most definitely

52
 only lead to good things. The rich insights of practitioners from the field
can only complement the analysis of scholars in academe. This
complementationwill not only serve as the onus for many research efforts,
but can also ensure that research ideas and findings are pushed to their
fullest implications and applications.

Again, I have to put caveats to my assertions, for I do not also wish

to sound too optimistic. The various prospects and opportunities I just
described are still rather restricted in scope. I do not think and envision
major changes that will alter the research milieu. Indeed, it seems to me
that the people or sectors of the psychology community who can take
advantage ofthe opportunities described are those who are already ahead
in the research game. In particular, the research psychologists in the
three major universities: Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle
University, and the University of the Philippines, Diliman, and those
who work with these units, would have the research track record that
would necessary to attract the support from different sectors who wish
to do research, and to establish linkages with foreign researches, and so
on. They will be in the best position to benefit from these windows of
opportunity, and the reality is the almost everyone else will be at a
• competitive disadvantage .

Conclusion: Challenges and Exhortations

,J I did not paint a very rosy picture ofthe psychology research culture
in the Philippines. Many of the limitations characteristic of psychology
research were traced to a lack of a viable research culture in the
psychology community. There are a number of Filipino research
psychologists who have been making.contributions to the development
theory and practice in Philippine psychology. However, their efforts
cannot mask the larger reality in which the pursuit of new ways of
understanding the Filipino experience is viewed as a poor cousin of the
other functions of psychologists: practice, teaching, advocacy. There
are also important developments that open windows of opportunity for
creating a research culture in the Philippines, yet the reality is that only
a small proportion of the total population of Philippine psychologist

• 53
and ofpsychology institutions have the wherewithal to compete and take
advantage of these opportunities.

Ifwe wish to develop a research culture from the status quo, I think
the leading psychology institutions need to play a major role. The
psychology departments of the major universities, those that already
enjoy relatively stronger research support and capabilities should strive
to develop effective research cultures in their own institutions. Individual ~
psychologists in these institutions should define their research agenda,
and work within these programs of research. The collective mass of
psychologists in this unit should create a critical mass that will put in
place a peer review system. These psychologists should also strive to
showcase what psychological research can contribute to improving
psychological understanding ofimportant personal and social phenomena,
to advancing psychological teaching, practice, and advocacy. These ~
small-scale communities of researchers can serve as models for other
institutions and individuals who wish to engage in meaningful and
substantive psychology research. More important, these communities of
researcher can serve as centers of psychology research around which
smaller institutions can link up and network. Little by little we can develop
larger scale communities of researchers who will advance the pursuit o f .
new psychological understanding.

Professional organizations, like the Psychological Association ofthe

Philippines, can also play an important role. These organizations should
-j
provide more venues for dissemination and discussion of research outputs.
In particular, the organizations should encourage the presentation of
research findings and also the public commentary on the worth and
usefulness of such research findings. These professional organizations
should serve as a resource for accessing information (research literature,
. available funding, opportunities for collaboration, etc.). Many individual
psychologists have no real access to these resources, even in, their
colleges, universities, offices, and other organizations. The professional
organization can be a 'major source of these resources, or at least a
clearinghouse for information about these research r~sources.

54 •
 Finally, all psychologists should (re )think how research can
complement their primary functions. Research is not only for those who
have Ph.D.s (but it would also be good if we have more well-trained
Ph.D.s), nor only for a selected number ofendowed individuals. Research
and systematic inquiry about the human experience can be and should!
be a responsibility of everyone who wishes to be a psychologist.

lit It is true that we now know much about the psychology of many
aspects of our existence. We know enough that we can present coherent
theoretical accounts ofmany phenomena in our psychology courses. We
know enough to make a difference in the lives of our clients and in the
efficacy of the different organizations we service. We know enough to
make strong positions on issues that concern us. But we do not yet know
everything we need to know about human behavior and the factors that
affect it. There is so much that we still need to find out and understand.
The context within which human experience is developing is constantly
changing, forever expanding the range of human experience that need to
be understood.

The Filipino psychologist needs to take a more active role in

• developing substantive and functional knowledge about of the
psychological life ofthe Filipino people. The Filipino psychologist needs
to do research that will lead to a meaningful understanding of this
psychological life. The culture in which the Filipino psychology
researcher exists is an unsupportive one. But there are opportunities,
and we must take on the challenge.

• 55
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• 57