Developing the Whole Person PDF

QR CODE I.2 UNIT I, LESSON 2 Developing the Whole Person ELICIT What is your understanding of the phrase, “whole person”? ENGAGE How are your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related? How do they interact? What is your understanding of universal human values and how do these affec...

QR CODE I.2 UNIT I, LESSON 2 Developing the Whole Person ELICIT What is your understanding of the phrase, “whole person”? ENGAGE How are your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related? How do they interact? What is your understanding of universal human values and how do these affect a person’s thinking and behavior? EXPLORE WHAT IS HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT? The key phrase in this lesson that you have to pay attention to is the “whole person,” emphasizing the complete aspects of a person or his or her totality. In order to understand what it means to perceive a person as a whole organism, we will discuss philosophical theories, such as dualism and holism. Mind and Body Dualism of Descartes René Descartes, one of the modern philosophers of our time, influenced much of mankind’s thinking with his theory of duality or understanding the nature of things in a simple, dual mode. Hence, you are familiar with the separation of the body and spirit in western religion, and of the mind and body in the study of human sciences. People perceive things as dual in character. Western philosophy’s early understanding of duality is one that regard opposites as rigidly the negation of the other, like black or white, good or bad, life or death, mind or body. For example, for a long time, medicine saw the body as separated from the The Yin-Yang Symbol mind, and doctors then only treated physical ailments as such. Today, a person who is physically sick may also receive counseling or psychological therapy. Whereas Eastern thought differs in their understanding of duality. To the Eastern mind, duality is a continuous and dynamic (cyclical) movement of these opposing forces, like the yin-yang symbol where each of the two elements is in a balanced state, coexisting with each other, and can change or transmute into each other. For example, when they see a person as bad, there is also a good side to the person, and there is a possibility this person can change to somebody better. Examples of this are Darth Vader from the Star Wars movie series and Professor Snape from the Harry Potter movie series (in the case of Professor Snape, people are debating whether he was really evil from the start, or was just being tormented by his childhood experiences). LESSON 2 DEVELOPING THE WHOLE PERSON 1 Holism and Gestalt In 1926, General Jan C. Smuts, a South African statesman, military leader, and philosopher, wrote about holism in his book Holism and Evolution. He introduced the academic terminology for holism as “the tendency in nature to form wholes which are greater than the sum of the parts through creative evolution.” (“Holism,” 2018) Earlier in 1890, a German philosopher and psychologist, Christian von Ehrehfels, and later on supported by psychologists Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Kohler of the Berlin School, introduced the concept of gestalt. This is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “something that is made of many parts and yet is somehow more than or different from the combination of its parts; broadly, the Gen. Jan C. Smuts general quality or character of something” (“Gestalt,” 2018). This theory continues to influence much of psychology and education today. An example of holism and gestalt is evident in music. A symphony cannot be defined by one of its notes alone. Even the clusters or sums of these different notes do not make up the whole symphony nor characterize the whole symphony. The interaction and fusion of the different notes in a symphony produce something bigger and greater than the notes themselves. Another example is a car. A car is made up of hundreds of different parts. Separately, these parts do not represent the car, but when put together and made to work with each other, these parts produce a new entity entirely different from its parts. The parallelism between a symphony, a car, and humans in terms of being a unified entity follows the principle of holism. In understanding humans, it is important to see the person in his entirety and not just his parts. Think of another example of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONS When we consider a human person and what various aspects make up this complex organism, five aspects come to mind: Physiological or the physical attributes including the five physical senses; Cognitive or the intellectual functions of the mind: thinking, recognizing, reasoning, analyzing, projecting, synthesizing, recalling, and assessing; Psychological or how thinking, feeling, and behaving interact and happen in a person; Social or the manner by which an individual interacts with other individuals or groups of individuals; and Spiritual or the attribute of a person’s consciousness and beliefs, including the values and virtues that guide and put meaning into a person’s life. When you look at a person and try to understand this individual, it is always good to consider these five aspects and what it is about this person that makes him or her unique from yourself and from others. Understanding a person holistically means that one aspect cannot be seen in isolation from the whole person. For example, to judge a person because of behavior alone is not balanced. One must see how the interplay 2 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT of all five aspects occurs within an individual. This holistic approach in viewing a person is emphasized in education, medicine, spiritual development, relationships, and one person’s overall wellness. How do these five aspects interrelate and affect each other? The following example illustrates this: For the past three nights, Therese has not been getting her usual eight hours of sleep because of her forthcoming final exams. Today is the day of her final exams. She wakes up feeling drowsy and with a headache. Her body feels like a ton, and she has to literally drag herself out of bed to get up and prepare for school. She takes a shower, dresses up quickly, and bypasses and ignores her sister Christine, who is looking at her quizzically, and her parents at the breakfast table. Immediately, the family gets affected by Therese’s behavior. Christine is thinking her sister is having a bad mood; she thinks Therese woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and therefore ignores her as well. Her mom thinks she is uptight about the final exams, mentions about it, but was just given a stare by Therese who mumbles that she is okay but just tense about the exams. Her dad simply looks at her, gives some comforting words of support, and continues with his breakfast. In school, all the noise and chatter, and the pressure of taking the finals so early in the morning agitated Therese. She is not smiling today, which is very unlike her usual self. Her temper is short, irritable, and she is giving nasty looks at people who continue to annoy her. She goes over her notes and book, tries to memorize some phrases and concepts, but her throbbing headache makes it almost impossible to cram. She thought of taking some pain reliever earlier, but decided that a can of her favorite caffeine-laden carbonated cola drink would help, but this is providing her very little relief. She slams the book and lays her head on the table. Therese feels miserable. She feels unsure of herself and unhappy. She is tense and nervous. Her seatmate stays away from her, although her seatmate tries to strike up a conversation, Therese just moves her head in response. However, deep inside, she knows what is affecting her and tries to put things under control. She starts to pray silently, and when the bell rang, she raises her head and faces the day and the final exams. Although still feeling drowsy, she calms herself down and mentally prepares for what is up ahead. If you were one of Therese’s classmates, how would you feel and how would you react to what you are witnessing? Identify and explain the five aspects of a whole person in relation to the details of Therese’s story. What is your conclusion? LESSON 2 DEVELOPING THE WHOLE PERSON 3 BASIC DRIVES AND AFFECT Psychologists often refer to basic human drives as those that are biologically related, such as hunger and thirst. Affect, on the other hand, is the various emotional experiences, such as emotions, moods, and affective traits (Feist and Rosenberg 2012). Feelings and Emotions Feelings, moods, and emotions do not exactly mean one and the same. Paul Ekman of the University of California identified six basic emotions that human beings experience: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. However, a recent research study (2014), conducted by the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow, and published in the journal Current Biology, has concluded that there are only four basic emotions, these are: happy, sad, afraid or surprised, and angry or disgusted. Emotion is taken from the Latin verb, “movere,” which means to move or be upset or agitated. It is defined as a descriptive term referring to variations in level of arousal, affective state or mood, expressive movements, and attitudes (Sanchez, Abad, and Jao 2002). In a state of strong emotion, the person’s physiological responses include a faster heartbeat, profuse sweating and dilation of eye pupils, higher blood pressure, and muscular tremors, affecting the nervous system in general. What are the equivalent terms of these emotions in our language? Happy is masaya or maligaya; sad is malungkot or malumbay; afraid or surprised is natakot, nasindak, nagulat, or nabigla; and angry or disgusted is galit, suklam, naririmarim, or naaalibadbaran. Do you think our interpretations of these four basic emotions capture their real meaning? Are feelings the same as emotions? In an online article of Scientific American titled “Feeling our Emotions” (Lenzen, n.d.), the author interviewed noted neurologist, Dr. Antonio R. Damasio, about the distinction between feelings and emotions. According to Dr. Damasio, from a neuroscientific approach, feeling arises from the brain as it interprets an emotion, which is usually caused by physical sensations experienced by the body as a reaction to a certain external stimulus. An example of this would be the emotion of fear which produces a feeling of being afraid. Seeing a snake, for example, gives rise to the emotion of fear as the snake is perceived as a danger or threat to one’s life. We then feel afraid to move, because the snake might be poisonous and might bite us. ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR Attitudes are a person’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions about another person, object, idea, behavior, or situation. Attitude is a result of a person’s evaluation of an experience with another person, object, idea, behavior, or situation based on his or her values and belief systems. Beliefs and certain values, therefore, affect the attitude of a person. Behavior is a manifestation or acting out of the attitudes an individual has. Take a look at the situation on the next page to illustrate how attitude and behavior are related. 4 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT  Riding an overcrowded Metro Rail Transit (MRT) or Light Rail Transit (LRT) train and experiencing all sorts of physical sensations such as heat, smell, and body contact can create an unfavorable attitude that riding the MRT is an unpleasant and abhorring experience. As a result, the individual with this attitude will express this disgust by either avoiding the MRT or totally shutting down and becoming oblivious to the unpleasant condition, or becoming aggressive and hostile to other people while on board the train. If this individual continues to ride the MRT with the same attitude and corresponding behavior, other people will get affected by this individual’s behavior, who in turn, will act out a similar aggressive or uncivil behavior onboard the train. This may affect other commuters and a chain reaction will follow. Can attitudes be changed? Yes. There are ways to change our attitude. Behavior can change attitudes (Stangor 2013; Jhangiani and Tarry 2014). If the person riding the train changes the way he or she behaves, like remaining calm, smiling, and avoiding jostling and giving dagger looks at those that irritate him or her, then that person’s attitude will be different the next time he or she rides the train. If that person can accept the fact that the train ride is not exactly a joyful and pleasant ride, but not necessarily a life-threatening situation, then that person can take an attitudinal change by preparing for what is ahead and creating a more pleasant picture of the people riding the MRT. VALUES At the core of every person lies a system of beliefs that adheres to the highest ideals of human existence. These ideals create meaning and purpose in a person’s life. These ideals are called values. We will refer to values in this lesson as the universal human values that transcend culture and race. There are different sets of values identified by different people and organizations, depending on what their order of priorities are and what they intend LESSON 2 DEVELOPING THE WHOLE PERSON 5 to achieve. These are not in conflict with each other, but rather, a ranking in the order of importance over what set of values they prioritize. The United Nations, for example, listed the following universal values: peace, freedom, social progress, equal rights, and human dignity. These values are enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Business organizations also have corporate values that guide them in conducting their businesses. Here is an example: If you check out the corporate values of Facebook, you will see these five core values: 1. Be bold 2. Focus on impact 3. Move fast 4. Be open 5. Build social value What do you think do these five core values really mean and represent for Facebook as a social media entity? Do you see these values being reflected in the way Facebook as a company operates? What values are of priority to you right now? What values do Filipinos commonly adhere to? Find out the core values of your school and reflect on them. Are your personal values aligned with that of your school’s core values? If not, what do you need to do to harmonize them? Some Questions to Help Clarify Your Values 1. What things are important to you? Are these things worthy enough for you to risk your future, your relationships, your career, or even your own life? 2. What are the things that are important to you that when taken away from you, or were not honored by other people, will make you angry or feel hurt? This article states that there are two aspects of our being that defines us: personality traits and values. Find out more. How Do Personality Traits Influence Values and Well-being? By Art Markman, PhD posted on October 7, 2019 in Psychology Today website accessed on August 17, 2021 https://www.psychologytoday. com/us/blog/ulterior-motives/201910/how-do-personality-traits-influence-values-and-well-being 6 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT VIRTUES In the Catechism of the Catholic Faith, virtue is defined as “a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself or herself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n.d.). The Catechism teaches four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. While values define what is important to us which provides influence and direction in our decisions, virtues are the dispositions in conducting good deeds. Our values develop virtues. For example, the value of integrity develops several virtues, such as being honest, trustworthy, and responsible. Go online and watch the video: A Life of Purpose by Rick Warren presented at TEDGlobal 2006 on February 2006 accessed on August 17, 2021 at TED.com website https://www.ted.com/talks/rick_ warren_a_life_of_purpose (Refer to Activity 2 of the Exercises.) Go online and watch the video: In Search of the Man Who Broke My Neck by Joshua Prager presented at the TEDGlobal 2013 on March 2013 accessed on August 17, 2021 at TED.com website https://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_prager_in_search_of_the_man_who_broke_my_neck (refer to Activity 2 of the Exercises.) PRACTICE YOUR OBSERVATION SKILLS Observe some behaviors (positive or negative, pleasant or unpleasant) that you see every day around you. Describe the behavior and figure out what could possibly be the attitude behind the behavior. What value/s do you think is/are being projected or is/are lacking in the behavior? For example, a fellow student throwing away bubblegum on the floor. The attitude here is one that says “I do not care.” The value that is not being upheld is respect for others or cleanliness. EXPLAIN Identify and define the five aspects of a person. As an adolescent, which of the five aspects are you having the most difficulty with? Describe the difference between emotion and feeling. How does your physical development affect your moods and behaviors? How do your feelings and emotions affect the way you think and behave? Cite some personal examples. What are values and how are they different from virtues? Give some examples. ELABORATE Share with your group, family, guardian, and friends how you are developing as a person based on the five aspects of holistic development (psychological, physiological, cognitive, social, and spiritual). LESSON 2 DEVELOPING THE WHOLE PERSON 7 EVALUATE Watch this video on Ted.com (refer to Activity 2 of the Exercises): http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_ prager_in_search_for_the_man_who_broke_my_neck 1. What did you learn from the video? 2. Do you agree with what the presenter said? Why? 3. What values were being extolled in the video? EXTEND Form a group among your classmates (five members or more, depending on the size of the class) and produce a short video (three to five minutes long only) on one of the following topics selected by a draw. Note that this project may take some time to accomplish. (Refer to Activity 4 of the Exercises.) 1. A video showing the physiological, cognitive, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of a person and how these aspects affect a person’s attitudes and behavior. You may use the stories in this chapter as your references. 2. Filipino Values and Virtues a. A negative behavior or a set of behaviors that you think needs to be corrected. An example of a negative behavior is the crab mentality among some Filipinos. b. A set of values that will help improve our society that Filipinos need to own and uphold. c. A message to our public servants on how we expect them to behave based on values we would like to see in them. An example would be integrity. Additional video that is useful to watch: TED: How Do You Explain Consciousness by David Chalmers, at https://www.ted.com/talks/david_chalmers_how_do_you_explain_consciousness Holism is about seeing things as a whole and as something that is bigger than the sum of its parts. To understand people better is to know them in their totality. There are five aspects of a whole person, these are: o Physiological – It refers to the physical body and how this affects the other aspects of a person. o Cognitive – It refers to the thinking process of a person. o Psychological – It refers to a person’s way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. o Social – It refers to the relationships a person has with other people. o Spiritual – It refers to the higher ideals, beliefs, and values a person adheres to, which help guide the person in achieving personal happiness and self-fulfillment. 8 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT  Basic drives are the biological instincts that humans experience, such as hunger, thirst, and the like. Emotions are usually caused by physical sensations experienced by the body as a reaction to a certain external stimulus. Feelings are the result of the emotions that were experienced. Attitudes are a person’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions about another person, object, idea, behavior, or situation. Attitude is a result of a person’s evaluation of an experience with another person, object, idea, behavior, or situation based on his or her values and belief systems. Behavior is an outward manifestation or acting out of the attitudes an individual has. Values are a system of beliefs that adhere to the highest ideals of human existence. These ideals create meaning and purpose in a person’s life that often results in personal happiness and self- fulfillment. Virtues are dispositions to do good deeds. LESSON 2 DEVELOPING THE WHOLE PERSON 9