Loob
In Philippine Culture, Loob or Kalooban refers to one's inner self, or, more specifically, to the internal dimension of a person's identity. Its external counterpart is labas - the physical, outward appearance.[1] Loob is a core concept in Filipino Psychology, a field which is unthinkable without both the internal and external dimensions, "loob"/"labas".[2]
Loob or kalooban has been compared to similar concepts in other Southeast Asian and Oceanian cultures, such as the Indonesian concept of batin or kebatinan.[1]
Concepts whose expression involves "loob"
The word Loob, simply taken as 'inside' and not a construct, is also used for "looban," which means an interior compound, or community; and for the term "manloloob", which means 'robber', literally 'someone who enters'.
As a core concept of value, Loob and its variants are a critical aspect of numerous Filipino value constructs, of which the following are examples:[3]
| Concept | Definition | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Utang na loob | Debt of gratitude | 'Borrowed inner self' |
| May utang na loob | A good person, a person who understands what it means to owe a debt of gratitude | 'With an inner debt' |
| Nakikingutang ng loob | To seek a favor from someone | 'To borrow one's inner self' |
| Ipagkaloob | To entrust | 'To put inside someone's inner self' |
| Lagay ng loob | Mood, one's state of mind or feeling | 'State of the inner self' |
| Lakas-loob | Courage | 'Inner force' |
| Tibay ng loob | Inner strength, resilience | 'Durability/strength of the inner self' |
| Tining ng loob | Clarity of thinking, feeling, volition | 'Calm of the inner self' |
| Kababaang loob | Humility | 'Lowness of the inner self' |
| Kabutihang-loob | Good naturedness | 'Inner goodness/kindness' |
| Kagandahang loob | Generosity, noblemindedness | 'Inner beauty' |
| May kusang-loob | One who does his work without prodding | 'With inner direction/volition' |
| Payapang loob | A calm person, to be at peace, to accept | 'Inner peace' |
| Mapagkaloob | A generous person | 'One who shares his inner self' |
| Mahina ang loob | A coward | 'Weak inner self' |
| Malakas ang loob | A daring person, can be positive (to be courageous) or negative (the phrase Ang lakas ng loob mo! is often synonymous with the English rebuke 'How dare you!') | 'Strong inner self' |
| Malamig ang loob | An indifferent person | 'Coldness of the inner self' |
| Pikit ang loob | One who is blind to injustice | 'Closed inner self', 'Shut from the inside' |
| Mabigat ang loob | The state of being sad, heavy-hearted | 'Heaviness of the inner self' |
| Maluwag sa loob | A state of being willing, cheerfully ready | 'Loose from the inside', 'Inner openness' |
| Wala sa loob | A state of being unwilling | 'Not to have it in oneself' |
| Tapat na kalooban | Sincerity, loyalty, trustworthiness | 'Truth of the inner self' |
| Masasamang-loob | Criminals | 'Those with bad inner beings' |
| Kapalagayang loob | Confidante, intimate | 'One you would entrust your inner self with' |
| Pampalubag-loob | Consolation | 'Salve for the inner self' |
| Kagaanang-loob | Grace, something to pacify intense emotion such as anger | 'Lightness/Lifting of the inner self' |
| Saloobin | One's inner thought or inner feelings, attitude | 'The entirety of the inner self' |
| Masama ang loob | To hold a grudge, to be angry with | 'Feel bad inside', 'Sickness of the inner self' |
See also
- Culture of the Philippines
- Filipino Psychology
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mercado, Leonardo N. (September 1994). The Filipino Mind: Philippine Philosophical Studies II (Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change Series III Asia). Washington, D.C.: Council for Research in Values and Philosophy. pp. 226 pages. ISBN 1565180631.
- ↑ de Guia, Katrin (2005). Kapwa: The Self in the Other: Worldviews and Lifestyles of Filipino Culture-Bearers. Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, Inc. p. 378. ISBN 971271490X.
- ↑ Enriquez, Virgilio (1992). "Unit 15 - Kaugalian, Halagahin, at Pagkatao (Customs, Values & Character)". From Colonial To Liberation Psychology: The Philippine Experience. Quezon City, Philippines: University of the Philippines Press. ISBN 971-542-002-8. Retrieved February 5, 2008.