Per dev

Personal Development

Knowing Oneself

Unit 1 | Hazel Mae Palomo  | S.Y 2022-2023


“The whole is greater than the

sum of its parts “ - Aristotle

Holism - seeing things as a whole and as something that is bigger than the sum of their parts.

The mind and body dualism of Descartes
Rene 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. Examples :  separation of body and spirit/mind and body , yin and yang of the eastern culture, male-female gender, black-white characteristics.
Holism and Gestalt
General Jan C. Smuts, a South African statesman, wrote about holism as "the tendency in nature to form wholes which are greater than the sum of the parts through creative evolution.” Concept of Gestalt - something that is made of many parts and yet is somehow more than or different from the combination of its parts : broadly, the general quality or character of something  Example : in music, a symphony cannot be defined by one of its notes alone ,  A car is made up of hundreds of different parts.

The five aspects of human development

  1. Physiological or the physical attributes include the five senses.
  2. Cognitive or the intellectual functions of the mind
  3. Psychological or thinking, feelings, and behaviors interact and happen in a person.
  4. Social or the manner by which an individual interacts with ither individuals or groups of individuals.
  5. Spiritual or attributes to beliefs, values, and virtues.

Developing the Whole Person's Effect and Values

“ The whole is greater than the sum of its parts “ - Aristotle

Holistic Development

Feelings and Emotions

Paul Ekman of the University of California identifies six basic emotions that human beings experience :

  • Happiness, Sadness , Fear , Anger, Surprise, and Disgust

Feelings  - Results from emotions that were experienced

Emotions - Taken from the Latin word movare*,* which means to move or be upset or agitated.

  • Defined by Smith (1973) as a descriptive term referring to variations in the level of arousal, affective state or mood, expressive movements, and attitudes.

Attitudes - A persons thoughts ,feelings, and emotion about another person , object, idea ,behaviour , or situation

  • Result of a persons evaluation of an experience with another person,idea, behavior or situation based on their values and belief system.

Behaviour - Manifestation or acting out the attitude the individual has.

    Values and virtues

Values - A system of beliefs that adhere to the highest deals of human existence

  • They create meaning and purpose in a person’s life that often results in personal happiness and self- fulfillment

Virtues - A trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good.

  • Descriptions or adjectives that reflect a value

Values - Basic and fundamental beliefs that guide or motivate attitudes or actions.

  • They are usually nouns, whereas virtues are the descriptors that usually mirror the value they represent.
ValuesVirtues
PeacePeaceful, calm
IntegrityReputable,responsible,honest, trustworthy
LoveLoving, caring , compassionate , gentle, affectionate
RespectRespectful, civil
BalanceObjective, fair , harmonic

Universal Values from the UN :

  • Peace , Freedom , Social Progress , Equal Rights , Human Dignity

Ten Common values of people according to Shalom Schwartz :

 1. Self- Direction - Independent thought and action ; choosing, creating, and exploring
 2. Stimulation- excitement , novelty , and challenge in life
 3. Hedonism - pleasure and sensuous gratification for oneself.
 4. Achievement - personal success through demonstration of competence according to social standards.
 5. Power - social status and prestige , and control or dominance over people and resources
 6. Security - safety , harmony , and stability of society , of relationships, and of self
 7. Conformity - restrain of actions , inclinations , and impulses that are likely to upset or harm others and violate social expectations or norms
 8. Tradition - respect, commitment, and acceptance of the customs and ideas that traditional culture or religion provides.
 9. Benovelence - preserving and enhancing the welfare of those with whom one is in frequent personal contact

  1. Universalism - understanding, appreciation, tolerance, and protection for the welfare of all people of nature .

Motivational goals that characterize the ten values ( S. Schwartz )

  1. Openness to change
  2. Self-transcendence
  3. Self Enhancement
  4. conservation