An analysis of the difference between Filipinos and Americans

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March 6, 2020
Tight and Loose – An analysis of the difference between Filipinos and Americans
Culture has always been a tricky subject. It has created an ongoing debate between scholars about how culture can interact with individual personalities, create norms between different sectors of society, and transmit those norms unconsciously from one person to another, among others. Interestingly, a book entitled Rule Makers, Rule Breakers, by Michelle Gelfand discussed about how these social norms are transmitted between one another, as well as how the inherent predispositions of specific cultures (whether ‘tight’ or ‘loose’) could lead to the homogeneity or heterogeneity of a society based on certain sanctions that it imposes. Upon reading Gelfand’s book, one of the things that came to my mind was the inherent differences between Americans and Filipinos when it comes to family ties and the disciplining of their children. Even though I haven’t lived in the Philippines, I was able to have a grasp of the Filipino culture from my dear friend, who was raised in the Philippines and then migrated to the United States. All in all, I realized how significant the effects of tightness or looseness of cultures when it comes to determining what is appropriate and acceptable, not only in the minds of society but also in the individual habitus of different people.
Family Ties
One of the main differences between an American and a Filipino family is the closeness of their family bonds. In the United States, it is a commonly held norm that children should already be independent by the age of 18 years old (or 21 years old). Even though there is no legal requirement that binds this, there seems to be an underlying expectation by society, that those who can find their own place, work for their expenses, and decide on their own career paths are more successful than those who “live in their mother’s basement” CITATION Bec16 \l 1033 (Beck). Accordingly, this underlying and subtle social expectation is manifest with the provisions of the American law that states that children who have reached 18 years old can already legally decide on their own, which also shows how ‘tight’ the American culture is.
In contrast to this, Filipinos could be seen as ‘loose’ when it comes to this idea. Even though children in the Philippines also attain the ‘legal age’ by 18 years old, cultural foundations would show that Filipinos 18 years old and above usually lives with their parents for a longer time. This is although society also views those who are independent at 18 years old to be successful. In fact, my Filipino friend ...