Philippine Journal of Psychology

December 2000, Vol. 33, No. 2

Philippine Political and Peace Psychology
Special Issue Editor: Cristina Jayme Montiel

Contents

Political Psychology in the Philippines: An Update
Cristina Jayme Montiel and Ma. Elizabeth J. Macapagal

Filipino political psychology studies the psychological processes and behaviors of Filipinos involved in power situations. Due to its context-sensitive nature, the field of political psychology evolves in different ways, depending on the historical and political context within which it is embedded. The historical embeddedness of political psychology is thematic in this review. Philippine political psychology has been enriched by the colorful politico-historical changes in the country. Philippine research from the early 60's until the 1980's show the close relationship between psychological processes and political situations, in studies on: kinship and political power, political socialization, social conflict, democratic transition, and public opinion surveys. As the new democracy stabilized, new fields of Philippine political psychology developed, such as: Filipino electoral behaviors, political influence of the Church, political personalities, peace psychology, ideological groups, women in politics, corruption, and people's empowerment. The future of Filipino political psychology can be strengthened by teaching more college courses related to this field, building a strong research-based body of knowledge, and mainstreaming the discipline so it becomes less marginalized in the dominant discourses of political science and psychology in the Philippines.
The Social Cognition of Human Rights
Ma. Cecilia Gastardo-Conaco

This study re-analyzes the Philippine data of a 35-country survey research on the social representations of human rights. In the paper, acceptance and willingness to do something to ensure the upholding of the thirty articles of the Universal Human Rights Declaration were related to various personal experiences. These included political participation and involvement, awareness of Philippine social and political realities, perceptions of inter-group tensions, and experiences of personal and social injustice. Differentials among the three respondent categories, social science majors, science majors, and police cadets indicate links between human rights-related social cognitions and one's personal, social and political experiences.
Managing Social Conflict: The Philippine Peace Zone Experience
Madalene Sta. Maria

This research looks at how victims of conflict engage in peacemaking. The respondents lived in the Sagada Peace Zone in the Mt. Province, the Tulunan Peace Zones in North Cotabato, and the Cantomanyog Peace Zone in Negros Occidental. Their efforts at conflict management included patterned activities undertaken to avoid the consequences of armed conflict between the New People's Army and the Philippine Military. Peacemaking accounts showed that efforts at managing conflict include the preservation and declaration of unity, enforcement of peace through community-based coordinating structures, a communal stance of neutrality, and the enforcement of peace through community moral agents.
Philippine Political Culture: A Conceptual Framework
Cristina Jayme Montiel

This paper constructs a theoretical framework for the study of Filipino political culture. Political culture involves all subjective experiences and objective items that are shared by a group of people involved in political activity. The variable of political culture mediates between an individual's political dispositions and political systems. Filipino political culture has been shaped by a history of colonization and dictatorship, where the holders of political power neither needed nor prioritized the interest of the majority in the process of governance. The paper ends with a list of various research methods that can be used to investigate Filipino political culture.
The Cantomanyog Zone of Peace: The Role of the Grassroots Church in Local Peacemaking
Adelfo V. Briones

The role of the grassroots Church or Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) in local peacemaking was investigated within the context of the protracted war between the Philippine government and the New People's Army (NPA). This study looked into the political psychological variables that may have contributed to the local peacemaking process, the shifts in the predisposition of key actors, and the transformation of the community's social organizational structures and interpersonal interactions of its members. The theoretical assumption was based on Greenstein's (1992) comprehensive map for the analysis of personality and politics. The participants were mostly the residents of the Zone of Peace (ZOP) community in Sitio Cantomanyog, Candoni, Negros Occidental. The descriptive research design was utilized. The qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. The results showed that the political psychological variables were the BEC formation and orientation of the local community, the impact of violence on their lives, leadership style, the emphasis on collective decision making, and the cognizance of being empowered. Peacemaking behaviors of key actors modified the community's social organizational structures and emphasized closer interpersonal interactions that, in turn, further reinforced such behaviors. Salient among these behaviors are the residents' respect for reflection and process, participatory decision making, promotion of positive values, spiritual and moral integrity, deep awareness of divine presence, and a perspective of the ZOP as a legacy to future generations. These findings are congruent with the study's theoretical framework. In conclusion, policy recommendations are proposed for the government and for the Catholic Church.