THE HUMAN PERSON

MAN
What is a human person?
What is the nature of a human person?
How does a person attain his highest
potential that can create a positive
result towards society?
THE HUMAN PERSON: REVISITED
Aristotle and Boethius
→described MAN AS A RATIONAL BEING
→as rational being, a person is able to know, reason out and apply what he
knows
THE HUMAN PERSON: REVISITED
THEOLOGIANS
→describe a human person as a SUBSTANCE
OF PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL
*SPIRITUAL: man has a soul and is
created by a Superior Being with a divine
purpose
*PHYSICAL: a person is created with
body and faculty that correspond to his
relationship with society
THE HUMAN PERSON: REVISITED
Dictionaries define a human person as:
“A living, self-conscious animal or a thing”
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERSON
1. RATIONAL
▪ Every person is a rational being
▪ This is what distinguishes a person from all other
creatures in the world
▪ A person is free to think and has the capacity to reason
▪ He can distinguish what is right and what is wrong
because he has intellect
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERSON
2. FREE
▪ All human beings are born free
▪ A person has the freedom to do or not to do a specific
action
▪ However, every person must be responsible for his own
action
▪ A person can do whatever he pleases but not to the
extent of doing harm to his co-creatures
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERSON
3. UNIQUE
▪ Every person is unique
▪ Every person has his own identity such that no two
persons are the same
▪ Human beings have the same characteristics and physical
features and but no two persons are the same because
every person has its own perception, has different sets of
values and priorities in life
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERSON
4. SOCIAL BEING
▪ Every person is intrinsically a social being
▪ He cannot detach his “being” from others and all other
creatures in the universe
▪ Human nature is characterized by his togetherness and
relationship towards other creatures; be it a thing, object
or his fellowman
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERSON
5. SEXUAL
▪ All created living things are sexual in nature but the
uniqueness of expression of a person’s sexuality makes it
all different
▪ The expression of a person’s emotions, attitudes, feelings,
actions and thoughts in sexual activity best exemplifies his
uniqueness from animals
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERSON

HUMAN PERSON
ULTIMATE EXPRESSION of the
Supreme Being that has the
freedom, capacity and ability to
reason, reflect and relate to his
co-existence
THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON

“How are we going to maximize

these characteristics to be able
to create a positive result?”
THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON
The totality of the person is best explored in the field of
HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY
“Person’s behavior and relationship
with others is shaped by his inner
feelings and self-image”
THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON
ABRAHAM MASLOW
→THEORY ON THE HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON
1. Physiological Level
▪ biological needs such as food, water and clothing
▪ strongest needs because when a person is deprived of these, the
person will ultimately find ways to fulfill its satisfaction
2. Safety
▪ security and protection from physical and emotional harm
3. Social and Belongingness
▪ desire for affection, belonging, friendship can become active
▪ people seek to overcome feeling of loneliness and alienation
THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON
4. Esteem
▪ Self-esteem - achievement, mastery, confidence
▪ esteem the person gets from others - recognition, respect,
attention
▪ Self-confident and valuable as a person in the world
▪ When these needs are not met, the person may feel inferior, weak,
helpless and worthless
5. Self Actualization
▪ highest form of motivation
▪ reaching the person’s peak potential
THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON

A person must satisfy first

the other lower needs before
he can actually realize his self
worth and potential
THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON
▪Maslow theorized that self - actualization is the
driving force of human personality
“Artistic and scientific endeavours do not
flourish in a society where people must struggle
for food, shelter and safety. The highest motive -
self actualization - can only be fulfilled after all
other needs are fulfilled”
THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON
Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
→PERSON-CENTERED THERAPY THEORY
→every person has within him an inherent desire towards
a positive transformation and development of his capacity
THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON
PERSON-CENTERED THERAPY THEORY
▪ man is basically good and inherently possesses a seed of
goodness no matter how imprudent his actions are.
▪ Persons are the only ones able to change the direction of
their lives and which path to take
▪ Therapist’s role is to act as a “sounding board” while the
person himself explores and analyzes his problem
THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON

SOCIETY
“SOUNDING BOARD” of our reflections in life to be
able for the individual to realize his problem and
create his own solutions for it”
THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON
▪It is the individual who will eventually direct his own
life and not the people around him
▪To realize his problem and create his own solutions for
it
▪It is the individual who will eventually direct his own
life and not the people around him
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
Stages of Development
→patterned sequence
encompassing appropriate
physical, emotional and
cognitive tasks that the
individual must muster in a
struggle to adjust to the
demands of the social
environment