(NSTP I)

Our Almighty Jesus Christ…

Pray for us.

God, You are our strength…

Our Happiness Lies in You Alone.

AMEN.
How do you define a
“Human Person”?
Chapter 2
• Describe the Nature of the Human Person;
• Identify the Importance of person’ s ability and
capacity; and
• Describe the person’s unique qualities that
make him/her a productive social being.
 This chapter discusses the nature of the human person. It
answers these questions: What is a human person? How can
a human person attain his/her highest potential and
contribute to the common good? Even during the ancient
times, these questions have been relentlessly asked and
evaluated. Psychologists, philosophers, theologians, and
scientists have written in depth analyses of the human
nature using a wide range of theories and observations.
 It is essentially difficult to understand the human person,
human nature, and the possibility of achieving a productive
society through the highest potential of a person.

Eric L. Estanol (2007) defines the human person as having

physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual attributes, St.
Thomas Aquinas describes the human person as having physical
and spiritual substance, because he/she has a soul and is created
by a Superior Being with a divine purpose. Dictionaries define the
human person as a “self-conscious animal”.
 Eddie Babor (2007) discusses in his book, The Human Person Not Real But
Existing, the several characteristics of a human person namely:
1. A human person is a rational being.
2. A human person is born free.
3. A person is unique.
4. Every person is intrinsically a social being and cannot detach himself/herself
from other creatures in the universe.
5. All living things are sexual in nature, but the uniqueness of expression of a
person’s sexuality make him/her different.
 The human person has a superiority and dignity inherited from the Supreme Being.
According to the book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 26 to 27, God created man and woman
in his own image and likeness and made them masters of the fish of the sea, the birds, the
heaven, the earth, all the wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.

The Supreme Being entrusted to the human person the care of creatures on the earth,
aware of the possibilities, challenges, and difficulties he/she will encounter in his/her life.

Grace C. Agbuya (1997) states that “He/She (human person) is designated by God to
exercise dominion over other creature in his everyday use of freedom, search for
happiness, and openness to the world around him, and what makes him/her human is
his/her being a true person, which includes the special gifts and talents of thinking, loving,
longing for happiness and making decision. The human nature was patterned on the image
of God.”
1. Conservatism - Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy
that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional social institutions and
practices.
2. Liberalism - Liberalism is a political and economic doctrine that
emphasizes individual autonomy, equality of opportunity, and the
protection of individual rights (primarily to life, liberty, and property).
3. Socialism - Socialism is built around the assumption that man is a social
animal. As such, we seek to realise our goals on a collective basis and
thereby co-operate with others to serve the common good.
4. Fascism - a political system headed by a dictator in which the government
controls business and labor and opposition is not permitted.
 The early classical Greeks define the human person as “a rational animal”. An
animal’s vegetative sensory and rational element is integrated within his/her being
thus he/she is a material (body) and spiritual (soul) being. As a vegetative creature, the
human person needs to have food to develop and reproduce. As a sentient being,
he/she needs sensory perceptions to gain knowledge. As a rational animal, he/she
needs the power of thought, reason and cognition.
Due to a person’s nobility and his/her special place in God’s kingdom, it is through
him/her that the rest of creation enter into dialogue and relationship with the
Supreme Being. Because the human person is given free will to choose, decide or
shape his/her life, he/she is always responsible for his/her action.

A human person is capable of knowing, loving and believing which leads him/her
to be fully aware of his/her humanity.
1. Human persons are social animals. We need to cooperate with others in some way to produce
the social world in which we live.

2. The human person’s social behavior is learned, not instinctive. In this respect the argument is
that we have to learn, from the moment we were born, how to be not just a human being but
also a recognizable member of the society into which we happen to have been born.

3. To understand the human person’s social behavior, we have to focus our attention on the
groups to which people belong. These groups are many and varied, but the largest group to
which people belong is a society.

4. Sociology is a perspective that looks at the totality of relationships in an individual’s life.

Sociologist do not restrict their studies to a single dimension of an individual’s life
(economics, politics, history, geography, psychology and so forth). Although each of these is
significant and interesting to varying degrees, it is only by looking at how these relationship
affect each other that we can arrive at a complete picture of human social behavior.
 Abraham Maslow presented the levels of hierarchy of needs in his theory of
personality.
1. Physiological needs include the biological and basic needs, such as water and
clothing. These needs are immensely important because they are mandatory for
survival.
2. Safety needs include security and protection from physical and emotional harm.
3. Social needs include affection, sense of belonging and friendship, which people
seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation.
4. Self-esteem needs include achievement, mastery and confidence derived from
recognition, respect, and attention. When these needs are satisfied, the person
feels confident and valuable. However, when they are not met, the person may feel
inferior, weak, helpless and worthless.
5. Self-actualization means a person has reached the peak of his/her potential.
 Maslow’s theory points out that a person needs to satisfy first the lower
needs before realizing his/her self worth and potential. Accordingly, when the
lower needs are not met, a person cannot completely devote his/her time to
developing his/her full potential. Maslow states that self-actualization is the
driving force of human personality. Thus, a person cannot appreciate intellectual
and aesthetic learning when he/she is hungry or if he/she feels unsafe. Artistic
and scientific endeavors do not flourish in a society where people must struggle
for food, shelter and safety. Self-actualization can only be achieved after all
other needs are satisfied.
According to Carl Roger’s person centered therapy theory, every person
has within him/her an inherent desire toward a positive transformation and the
development of his/her capacities. He/she possesses an innate goodness no
matter how imprudent his/her actions are.
 Our Almighty Jesus Christ…
Pray for us.

God, You are our strength…

Our Happiness Lies in You Alone.

AMEN.