User:Alternativity/Mobile Sandbox/Sandbox Culture of the Philippines/Filipino Psych Sandbox/Utang na Loob


 * Content now transferred partially to Utang na loob

Utang-na-loob is a Filipino cultural trait which academics sometimes refer to as "reciprocity," and which transliterates as "a debt of one's inner self (loob)." It is also sometimes translated as a "debt of gratitude." In the study of Filipino psychology, Utang na Loob is considered an important "accommodative surface value," along with "hiya" and "pakikisama". That is to say, it is one of the values by which the Filipino accomodates the demands of the world around him, as opposed to confrontative values like "lakas ng loob" and "pakikibaka".

The essence of Utang na Loob is an obligation to appropriately repay a person who has done one a favor. The favors which elicit the Filipino's sense of Utang na Loob are typically those whose value is impossible to quantify, or, if there is a quantifiable value involved, involves a deeply personal internal dimension. This internal dimension, loob, differentiates Utang na Loob from an ordinary debt("utang"); being an internal phenomenon, Utang na Loob thus goes much deeper than ordinary debt or even the western concept of owing a favor. Filipino psychology explains that this is a reflection of the "kapwa" orientation of shared personhood or shared self, which is at the core of the Filipino values system.

Additional Reading

 * http://www.tingog.com/culture/utang-na-loob-grace-or-a-hindrance.html