Developing The

Whole Person
What is Holistic Development?

 Mind and Body Dualism of Descartes

 Rene Descartes influenced much of
mankind’s thinking with his theory of
duality or understanding the nature of
things in a simple, dual mode.
 Holism and Gestalt
 General Jan C. Smuts 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 and Evolution).
 Christianvon Ehrehfels introduced the
concept of gestalt which 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 general quality or
character of something.
The Various Aspects of Holistic Development of
Persons

 Five aspects that make up a complex

organism:
1. Physiological – physical attributes
2. Cognitive – intellectual functions of the
mind
3. Psychological – how thinking, feeling and
behaving interact and happen in a person
4. Social – manner by which an individual
interacts with other individuals or groups
of individuals
5. Spiritual – attribute of a person’s
consciousness and beliefs
Example

 For the past three nights, Therese has not been getting
enough sleep from her usual eight hours 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, 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
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 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.
Analyze and Reflect

1. If you were one of Therese’s classmates, how would you

feel and how would you react to what you are witnessing?
2. Identify and explain the five aspects of a whole person in
relation to the details of Therese’s story.
3. What is your conclusion?
Basic Drives and Affect

 Basic human drives – such as hunger and

thirst
 Affect – various emotional experiences
 Feeling and Emotions
 Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions that
human beings experience:
1. Happiness
2. Sadness
3. Fear
4. Anger
5. Surprise
6. Disgust
 A recent study conducted by the Institute of Neuroscience
and Psychology at the University of Glasgow and published
in a journal, Current Biology, has concluded that there are
only four basic emotions:
1. Happy
2. Sad
3. Afraid or surprised
4. Angry or Disgusted
 Emotion is taken from the Latin verb,
movare, which means to move or to be
upset or agitated.
 Smith (1973) defined it as a descriptive
term referring to variations in level of
arousal, affective state or mood, expressive
movements and attitudes.
Attitudes and Behavior

 Attitude – a person’s thoughts, feelings and

emotions about another person, object,
idea, behavior or situation.
 Behavior – manifestation or acting out of
the attitudes an individual has.

 Can attitudes be changed?

Values and Virtues

 Values – a belief system that adheres to the highest ideals of

human existence which creates meaning and purpose in a
person’s life.
 United Nations listed the following universal values:
1. Peace
2. Freedom
3. Social progress
4. Equal rights
5. Human dignity
 Robert L. Dilenschneider listed the
following corporate values:
1. Integrity
2. Accountability
3. Diligence
4. Perseverance
5. Discipline
 Shalom H. Schwartz wrote in his report, Basic Human
Values: Theories, Methods and Application, the findings of
his research, the ten basic values that can be characterized
by describing their central motivational goals:
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
demonstrating 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 – restraint of actions, inclinations and
impulses that are likely to upset or harm others and
violate social expectations or norms
8. Traditions – respect, commitment and acceptance of the
customs and ideas that traditional culture or religion
provide the self
9. Benevolence – preserving and enhancing the welfare of
those with whom one is in frequent personal contact
10. Universalism – understanding, appreciation, tolerance and
protection for the welfare of all people and of nature
 Themotivational goals that
characterize the ten values he
identified were:
1. Openness to change
2. Self-transcendence
3. Self-enhancement
4. Conservation
 Virtues describe positive and desirable
qualities which usually mirror a value it
represents.
Values Virtues
Peace Peaceful, calm
Integrity Reputable, responsible,
believable, honest, trustworthy

Love Loving, caring,

compassionate, gentle,
affectionate
Respect Respectful, civil
Balance Objective, fair, harmonious