Philippine Journal of Psychology

December 2004, Vol. 37, No. 2

December 2005

Contents

Exploring Music Therapy for Filipino Autistic Children
Marisa V. Marin

This study explored the use of music therapy as a means to enhance the therapeutic processes with autistic Filipino children. Using a clinical-descriptive and phenomenological approach, five autistic children were purposively selected to attend 12 individual music therapy sessions. Findings show that music therapy can be considered as a therapeutic intervention for children with autism because it addresses their primary concerns such as making connections, developing eye contact and verbalization, facilitating expression of feelings and modifying stereotypic behaviors.
A Construct Validation of the Tagasalo Personality Using the Panunukat ng Pagkataong Pilipino (PPP)
Rizason L. Go Tian

This study sought to run a criterion validation of the Tagasalo Scale using the Panunukat ng Pagkataong Pilipino (PPP) as criterion. The study also sought to investigate gender as a significant variable. The scales were administered to 212 sophomore students (107 males, 105 females) taking General Psychology (age range = 17–19 years old). Statistical analyses were performed and three factors of the tagasalo trait emerged: Dependability and Affiliation (DA), Anxiety in Social Situation (AnxSS), and Responsibility (Resp.). Correlations between factors of the scale and PPP dimensions were small to moderate. Validation of the scale was not established but the gender variable was significant in that females showed higher tagasalo trait than males did.
Dissociative Symptoms in Filipino College Students
Heather J. Davediuk Gingrich

Dissociative disorders are not commonly diagnosed in the Philippines. This article defines dissociation and summarizes how dissociative experiences are commonly viewed in the Philippine context. Qualitative data from a larger study entitled Dissociation in a student sample in the Philippines (Gingrich, 2004) is used to illustrate how the dissociative symptoms of amnesia, depersonalization, derealization, identity confusion, and identity alteration are experienced by a some high dissociators in a sample of Filipino college students. These participants fit DSM-IV-TR criteria for either dissociative identity disorder (DID) or dissociative disorder not otherwise specified (DDNOS). Implications of these findings for the prevailing view of dissociation in the Philippines are then discussed.
Culturally-Rooted Beliefs and Learning: Exploring the Relationships among Social Axioms, Achievement Goals, and Learning Strategies of Filipino College Students
Allan B.I. Bernardo

An exploratory study was undertaken to explore the relationships among (a) culturally-rooted social beliefs or social axioms, (b) achievement goal orientation, and (c) learning strategies of college students. Some 284 students in a private sectarian university in Southern Philippines were asked to indicate their social beliefs using the Social Axiom Survey of Leung et al. (2002), their goals in the Achievement Goal Questionnaire by Harackiewicz et al. (1997, 2000), and the strategies they used in studying in the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire by Pintrich et al. (1993). The results were analyzed using correlational analysis. The results indicated some expected trends consistent with hypotheses relating the specific nature of the social belief with the adoption of particular achievement goals and/or the use of particular learning strategies. However, many unexpected results suggest that there are still conceptual and theoretical gaps in how these three constructs are related. The results are discussed in terms of how the influence of socially-rooted beliefs on different psychological aspects of the educational experience may be studied further.
Technophobia and the Filipino Worker
Regina M. Hechanova and Manuel C. Dioquino, Jr.

A survey of 137 workers in five Philippine organizations was made to determine the manifestations and antecedents of technophobia. Technophobia was measured in terms of computer anxiety, thoughts and attitudes. In terms of computer anxiety, 31 percent of workers had scores that would classify them as highly or moderately technophobic. However, in terms of computer thoughts, only 3 percent reported high technophobia. A matrix was developed classifying individuals into: technophobes, computer skeptics, reluctant users and computer enthusiasts. Regression analysis was conducted to determine predictive ability of the significant individual and contextual correlates. None of the variables predicted computer anxiety. However, computer thoughts were predicted by years of computer use and training hours. Computer beliefs were predicted by gender and years of computer use. The results suggest the importance of computer exposure and training. In addition, a contingency approach in dealing with technophobia is proposed based on gender and the nature of computer reactions.
Relational Aggression among Filipino On-the-Job-Training Students
Moisés Kirk De Carvalho Filho, Ma. Aurora R. Purugganan and Marinela Jessica B. Sanchez

This study assessed the effects of different social environments (school vs. workplace), degrees of friendship (friends vs. acquaintances), and sociability levels (high vs. low) on on-the-job-training students’ likelihood of adopting different types of relationally aggressive behavior. By means of two questionnaires, on-the-job-training students from different universities in Manila were assigned to one of two sociability groups and assessed by their likelihood of adopting different types of relationally aggressive behavior in situations involving a friend or a simple acquaintance, occurring in school and in the workplace. Results revealed that: 1) individuals with low sociability are more likely to use backstabbing than individuals with high sociability; 2) social environment is an important factor in determining individuals’ likelihood of adopting specific relationally aggressive behaviors such as spreading rumors and silent treatment. However, these results were qualified by interactions with sociability and degree of friendship; and 3) no differences were observed concerning the excluding behavior. Results are discussed focusing on the findings’ practical applications.
A Preliminary Survey of Middle Adulthood Sexuality
Aggie Carson-Arenas

This is a preliminary and an exploratory study conducted to determine the sexual enjoyment of middle-aged college faculty members from an educational institution in Angeles City vis-à-vis studies done abroad. The present study surveyed 36 full-time faculty members coming from different colleges: 26 females, and 10 males all within the age range of 40 to 55 (mean age is 46.81). The results suggest that sexual enjoyment is generally conceptualized as being for the young. Both genders in the present study also suggest they are not enjoying sex in their current ages, contrary to findings abroad. Somehow women tend to offer contradicting responses, thus leading to contradicting results. For instance, to the statement “menopause connotes or means decrease in sexual activities” many strongly disagreed, likely implying that they are sexually active after all. Women also gave more ‘undecided’ responses in almost all the options in the questionnaire.