Psychology cites legacy of professors
Bernice P. Varona
“The values instilled by Lagmay, David, and Enriquez to the UP Department of Psychology are hallmarks of a progressive academic unit,” said Dr. Elizabeth Ventura, the ninth and last speaker of the Rafael Palma Centennial Lecture Series. These three people, Ventura said, greatly contributed to the development of the department.
The lecture, held on November 26, 2008 at the Palma Hall room 400, titled “Extending the Vision: Lagmay, David and Enriquez and the Development of Psychology in the University of the Philippines,” was part of a series of lectures by each department of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy aimed at self-assessment and direction-setting. Focused on the history of the Department of Psychology since the mid-1950s, the paper studied the contributions and core values instilled by the three department chairs: Alfredo Lagmay, Fredegusto David, and Virgilio Enriquez.
In the mid-1950s, Lagmay returned to the country from Harvard University and shared what he had learned. Lagmay’s values, as explained by Ventura, consisted of openness to various ideas. David focused on the discipline of the mind and industriousness of the people. Enriquez emphasized the relevance of scholarship. The devotion and vision of these “pioneers” contributed to the development of the department, said Ventura, and will also continue to serve as an inspiration to the present faculty and students.
De La Salle University’s Dr. Allan Bernardo, an alumnus of the Department and past chairperson, was the reactor to Ventura’s lecture. He said that the different disciplines within Psychology are becoming more diverse–some moving closer to math and away from social science–and independent, which brought him to ask what role the Department has played in relation to these trends. To honor these “three fathers,” Bernardo said that the Department now has to define a new vision and mission to determine how UP will take the lead in the field of Psychology in the country, and in the ASEAN.
Ventura is Professor of Psychology specializing in Developmental Psychology, and is the current department chair. She was the dean of CSSP from 1998 to 2001 after being director of the Office of Admissions.
U.P. Newsletter:University of the Philippines Community Newspaper. Volume XXIX, Number 12, December 2008. Diliman, Quezon City.
http://www.up.edu.ph/upnewsletter.php