Extreme Personalism. Filipino view the world in terms of personal relationships, and the extent to which one is able to personally relate to things and the people determines the recognition of their existence and the value given to them. There is no separation between the objective task and the emotional involvement. Thos personlism is manifested in the tendency to give personal interpretation to actions, i.e., “take things personally.” Thus, a sincere question may be viewed as a challenge to one’s competence or positive feedback may be interpreted as a sign of special affection. There is in fact some basis for such interpretations as Filipinos are quite personal in criticism and praise.
