MODULE 1 – Man as a Social Being
What is a Human Person?
 The notion of what a human person has been the
most problematic concept since time immemorial.
 The more we know ourselves, the more abstract
our ideas become
 the deeper we understand life the more
utilitarian we treat each other
 the harder we work for the betterment of our
society the more chaotic and death-dealing the
results become
 Experience, however, makes us wiser than ever
enabling us to understand, love, and hope for a
peaceful and humane world
Lesson 1: Man and His Self
Personality
 means the physical appearance or features of a
person;
 that is his abilities, his emotions, his social traits
and his interests and attitudes.
 In other words, personality means the whole of
a person's outstanding features.
 This refers to the characteristic ways in which a
person reacts to situations in life. It is also a
sum total of how one individual differs from
another.
 For all of us to be able to relate well with
others, there is a need for us to know what we
are made up of. This way, we will be able to
tolerate each other, live and work together in
peace to develop our homes and society at
large.
 If we can stay together as a family, to love
ourselves and promote peace; it will be very
useful for us to understand the concept of
individual differences. Being aware of our
individual differences, we will be able to
understand ourselves better and accept
ourselves the way we are.
 Knowing our individual differences, we can give
attention to them, understand other people's
problems and try to tolerate them.
 If we get to know what we are made up of, we
will not promote unhealthy competition but
rather try to promote a cordial atmosphere
where people can feel happy and comfortable
to work efficiently and effectively.
 In fact, the self-concept portrays who a person
is; courageous, wicked, intelligent, brave, timid,
lazy, honest, and popular and so on. This is also
known as the real self and the ideal self also
talks about how a person will become in future,
for example his level of education or his
position in the society. Many a time, most
people wish they were somebody else.
 This kind of attitude breeds hatred, jealousy,
envy, competition, bitterness, and at the end of
the day nothing gets done = NO
DEVELOPMENT!!! For this reason it is best to be
aware of yourself and accept yourself the way
you are so that you can tap your potential to
develop yourself and your nation.
 I hope most readers will bear with me that
sometimes some subordinates can stand boldly
to challenge their leaders, claiming that, “after
all what! If you are the boss and so what, we
are all the same, we are all human beings”.
 But if you know your level and you are humble,
there is likely to be some encouragement which
will lift you up instead of you staying at the
bottom and challenging your boss at the top. 
 It is very true that all human beings are the
same, having blood, nose, eyes, hands, legs and
so on, but as a separate person on your own,
you may have your educational level, different
attitudes; that is your likes and dislikes, the way
you think, the way you react to situations, the
way you feel, the position you occupy in society
and having your own name. This uniqueness is
what makes one an individual.
 The Individual traits therefore stem from the
growth and development of man from the time
that the ovum of the woman and the sperm of
the man fuse together in the womb up to
adulthood.
 These genetic factors from both parents make
the individual short, tall, beautiful, intelligent,
ugly, or dull. However, heredity factors can
change due to environmental influences.
Education and religion can also contribute to
mold innate factors the individual has inherited
from the parents. Both heredity and
environmental factors combine to make the
individual unique.
 The uniqueness of the individual is very
important in the life of the person.
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  Because of the different classes of people that
we have and what we have acquired and
inherited, these differences show up in every
aspect of our lives and we therefore need to be
tactful in dealing with people to avoid conflict
 For instance in the family, we may have
members who are shy, slow, dull, intelligent,
easy going, reserved, etc. therefore each
member should be treated separately.
 By so doing each member's nutritional needs
can be taken care of according to their various
differences. A parent must be able to observe
her children and know their likes and dislikes.
 A child may like cool environments and so will
be found constantly sleeping on the bare floor.
The parent of such a child must not force him or
her to sleep on a bed, but rather ensure that
they are clothed properly so that they do not
contract pneumonia.
 Some children are fast while others are slow but
they are able to perform their duties well. If
parents start to compare them, it may result in
rivalry. Parents need to know the differences in
their children so they can protect, guide and
encourage them.
 Just as we have different behaviors in the
family, so do we have them in the larger
society.
 People behave differently everywhere; in the
neighborhood, in the church, in the school, at
market places, at work places, in queues, and in
commercial vehicles, different people are seen
and they behave differently due to what they
have acquired and inherited. To be able to cope
for peace and harmony to prevail and also for
development to take place, there is the need for
each and everyone to know what makes him or
her different from the other.
 Basically, this discussion will give you a
background about the concepts of Man and
Self. On the first hand, the discussion will focus
on the different perspectives of man as an
individual. On the other hand, the discussion
will transition into man as a member of society,
that is, how we are related to each other and
the respective societies we belong.
SELF
 Images of the Self – Vibrant and varied
 Know yourself, Why? Knowing yourself is the
beginning of all wisdom. – Aristotle
 I am the Eternal “I” (the soul), that is both
unborn & endless & not the external “I” (the
body), that was made to believe all these years.
 The model can be looked upon as a
communication window through which you give
and receive information about yourself and
others
 The first pane – Open (Things I know, Things
they know)
 The second pane – Blind (Things I don’t know,
Things they know)
 The third pane – Hidden (Things I Know, Things
they don’t know)
 The fourth pane – Unknown (Things I don’t
know, Things they don’t know)
Self-Identity
 Refers to the global understanding a person has
of themselves.
 Self identity is composed of relatively
permanent self-assessments, such as
personality attributes, knowledge of one’s skills
and abilities, one’s occupation and hobbies, and
awareness of one’s physical attributes.
 Is not restricted to the present. It includes
selves and future selves
Self-Concept
 A person’s self-concept is his knowledge about
himself.
 Self-concept is simple the informational side of
things where you know facts about what you
are like.
 They can be influenced not only by observing
one’s own self and behavior objectively, but
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 also by observing the reactions that other
people have to you and your behavior, or
imagining what other people might think of you,
or what you would think of yourself if you saw
yourself from outside.
Confidence
 Is a pretty broad term and can be difficult to
define.
 Is a really personal thing that isn’t the same for
everyone.
 Different people have different levels of
confidence, but there are some signs of a
confident person which can give insight into
where confidence comes from.
Self-Image
 The way you think about yourself and your
abilities or appearance
 One’s conception of oneself or one’s role.
Conclusion
 So the above were the methods by which we
can understand ourselves and most importantly
no one can make you feel inferior without your
consent.
Lesson 2: Man as a Social Being
"Everyone of us needs to show how much we care for
each other and, in the process, care for ourselves."
- Diana, Princess of Wales.
ROLE OF MAN IN SOCIETY
 There would have beein no need for special
ethics if man were simply an individual with an
individual purpose; but mman is also a member
of society and as such, he has social aspect
which requires ethical considerations.
 The social dimensions of man is founded on
nature.
 Man needs society in order to live life
comfortably and safely.
 Against natural and other dangers, he needs
protection only society.
 Aline, he cannot arrive at the height of art,
music, literature, history, philosophy and
religion, etc.
 But the overwhelming proof of man’s natural
tendency towards social life is his capacity of
speech.
 The Social Obligations, however, is a general not
an individual command.
 The species of mankind has the obligation to
socialize or to form social units, but the
individual as individual is exempted from this
general obligation
 Under normal conditions, however, man needs
society and not as a mere convention.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
 In the Social contract claims that when man
enters into a society, he contracts his freedom
because he has to live with other free beings.
Thomas Hobbes
 In the leviathan claims that man’s need for
society is physical
 However, because of the lurking dangers that
such a social convention can cause, Hobbes
proposes that the monster who will exact
obedience and inspire fear among citizens be
created, somewhat similar to the biblical
monster, Leviathan.
 What Aristotle wrote in the politics is still true:
that man needs for society, and if he does not,
because he is sufficient unto himself, that man
is either beast or a god.
 Theoreticians, however, have pushed the idea
of man as a social being to an extreme, thus,
the concept of socialism and communism.
Socilism
 A system of society or group living in which
there is no private property: a system or
condition of society in which the means of
production are owned and controlled by the
state.
 Socialism’s mortal enemy is Capitalism.
Capitalism
 Capitalism has led to abuse because capitalist
could pocket the profit to the disadvantage of
the workers who, after all, were instrumental in
producing the goods sold in the market.
 As an offshoot of this abuse concept of
socialism.
It must be stressed at the outset that Socialism is a
beautiful theory:
 It is humane
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  Pro-poor
 Worker-oriented
 And very Christian in its perspective
 Socialist have peddled the idea of all forms of
production so that the profit accruing from
could go to every citizen and not to the private
capitalist.
Communism
 Is a doctrine, philosophy before it is a way of
life.
 Way of organizing a society in which the
government owns the things that are used to
make and transport products ( such as land, oil,
factories, ships, etc.) and there is no privately
owned property.
 It is more than mere ownership of goods.
 Communism is complicated doctrine which
includes a complex of:
o Atheism
o Evolutionism
o Historical materialism
 It has a methodology all it’s own according to
which the future ideal state can be attained
through;
o Revolution
o Dictatorship
o Suppression of freedom, etc.
 Fundamental Importance but not known to
many is the capital difference between –
Communist means, Communist ends
Communist ends
 Are situated in distant, very hazy and no less
mythical future.
 At that time, they claim, men will have become
so well educated they will no longer strive for
their individual welfare.
 There would be no more state, no police, no
coercion, no need of an international
organization to make people live in peace.
Communist means
 The final result or goal is a classless society
where there is no poor class.
 Where there is no entanglement between
capitalist and workers for they would now be
co-equal.
 Where there is no need for the police because
no one would steal or grab.
 Every having what he needs.
 All citizens would own the wealth of the
country.
Society in its smallest unit Is the family
 The father provides
 Mother supervise
 Children prepare themselves for live
 There is one authority and there are subjects of
that authority.
“Every man is three men: the man he thinks he is, the man
others think he is, and the man he really is.”
Real Self – that which a person must rationally admit to be
the actual
Ideal Self – that which a person would aspire to become
In an effort to understand himself, amn must
understand HEREDITY, ENVIRONMENT, and the SELF, since
these three shape him into the recognizable mold of human
beings.
Hereditary – Human life begins at conception when the egg
cell of the female is fertilized by the sperm cell of the male. At
that point, the human being receives a genetic inheritance
which provides the basic potentialities for this development
and behavior.
Environment – Man’s physical and socio-cultural
environment heavily influence the extent to which is genetic
potentials are realized.
The Self
 When psychologists refer to the self, they do not
think of some “little person” sitting in the brain, but
rather a concept necessary for aspects of you
perception, feeling, thinking and behavior.
 Observe what one has to say about the self:
o “I have an image about myself. Physically,
I’m slender; I have short hair; and I have a
preference for my clothing style. I am the
nervous type, that which I would like to
eliminate. But despite this, I can say that I
can still enjoy my life. I’m optimistic,
sometimes overlay so. Basically, I like myself
the way I am now.”