Full Person Concept - Essay Example

If an individual may be defined as an embodied social agent why is it that not all individuals are considered as "fully persons" by our society Studying Social Life 1 Medical Humanities Introduction Throughout the course of the history of humanity many people have been able to indelibly mark their names in the minds of those of us who have followed them on this earth; Karl Marx, Ghandi, Copernicus, David Beckham, Leonard de Vinci, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to name a few. Some are remembered for creating something, or doing something, that enhanced our civilization; while others are remembered for the inhumanness of their acts. The question then becomes, why do these people have their places in our minds instead of someone else Why are they earmarked by society to be remembered when others are forgotten Why are they considered today to have been successful in their works, ingenious in their thoughts, and adept at their skills In addressing these questions, this paper will utilize a three-prong process. First, it will deal with the concept of personhood and what defines a person and their life. Second, this paper will delve into the physical conditions and self perception of an individual and how these two concepts act to define who a person is. Specifically, we will discuss dementia and ageism, as well as, Professor Stephen Hawking in regards to failure of the body and self-perception. In the last section we will discuss the concept of the Full Person and the personhood of an individual in regards to the key measurement applied by society: performance in society. Concept of Personhood Personhood is defined as a social image attached to a set of roles which an individual performs within the framework of the society. For example, Joe goes to school top become an auto mechanic. He finishes school and lives out his days working on cars. Society, as a whole, defines Joe as an "auto mechanic," even though Joe has many other skills. He may play the piano; he may paint beautiful oil paintings; he might even be adept at pool. Yet, certain skills are valued more highly by society, so these skills define his person in society. The point here is that even though a person is defined by society as a "mechanic," or a "lawyer," or a "family man," etc there is a vast number of other skills that a person has that are not a part of his societal label as a person. From these examples, it is clear that the concept of personhood entails some idea of completeness and wholeness, in the sense of achieving full membership of society, the constituents of that 'being whole' are culturally prescribed. (Hockey, 48) In other words, a person is only deemed to be whole by society's standards. Individualism takes a subverted or back seat. The idea of personhood is a phenomenon of being a part of a large group. The concept of individualism calls for identification of the distinct abilities which a person may have in the society. These can be the special attributes with which a person stands out in the crowd. They can be small, negligible or large with lots of impact. Emile Durkheim has perceived individualism as follows: Durkheim conceived of the human being as homo duplex; on one side there was the biological and personal (comprising the individual body and with it, its material senses and appetites). On the other side the individual had a moral side (a conceptual and conscientious). The individual thus leads a double existence: one rooted in the physical organism and one (morally, intellectually, spiritually superior) in a social organism. (Rapport, Nigel and Joanna Overing,2004:180) The above paragraph suggests that for a person to become an individual they need to fulfill certain biological and societal requirements. The relationship between biological and societal needs is interdependent, each affecting the other to a significant extent. Individual needs and desires may need to be suppressed to conform to societal rules. For example, the hungry may be driven to steal, thus causing an individual to break societal rules. In this scenario the result of following the social rule will be dying hungry. Man can think about the society and others only when his basic needs are fulfilled. As with hunger there are several other needs and desires limited to one's self. However, these needs are still subjected to control by the societal rules. In regards to personhood, we are in constant conflict, and this conflict is a personal conflict. How each individual views the world and its rules is a person process. One person might perceive the world to be a beautiful, peaceful place based on his experience, his relationship with his family, and his view of society, etc Whereas, another person might view this same world as a place of evil, hatred, and pain, etc Anthony COHEN suggests that, although sociologists tend to examine how society determines individual behavior, we might better understand both self and society if we approach the relationship between self and society 'from the self upwards' by observing how individuals manage to maintain coherent identities. (Lecture 16) In order to understand our roles in society, we have to look at ourselves as a part of the society first. Our actions, our deeds, everything we do impacts society and on the self. We need to maintain a good balance between this self and the society. Throughout our lifetimes, every individual performs numerous roles in the society. In the early years an individual creates a position for himself in society through his actions, education, interactions, etc Then, for the rest of the person's life, all of his efforts are focused on maintaining that position, fulfilling that role, or improving on that role in order to achieve a higher "status" in society. In order to maintain his status within society as an "Embodied Social Agent" the individual has to show the ability to manage his position, impressions, and image he has created over the course of time. Failure of Body and Self Perception MEN have always debated whether the mind governs the body or the body governs the mind. (Adler Alfred, 1931) The debate is still on. If the body is healthy, the mind is able to perform. At the same time, if the mind is strong, people can do unexpected things and overcome weakness in the body. Even a healthy person sometimes feels low levels of energy and has the feeling of not being well. In either case, if the body or mind is not sound, the social performance of the person gets affected. When strong a person becomes highly active and engaged in the task at hand. Or, when weakened, performance levels decline; boredom or lack of interest can surround a person at any stage irrespective of his age or health. We all transition through active phases of life: childhood, adolescence, adulthood and the old age. Researchers have shown that the most challenging phase for people and society to understand or deal with is old age. A number of things regress or slow down with age: a persons' look, their activeness, their ability to remember. Metabolic rates go down. Mental or physical process slows down. A person's perception of the world changes as they grow older. In order to strive for a better understanding of this phenomenon this paper will now discuss the effects of two of the most debilitating effects of age: dementia and ageism. Dementia Consistent failures of the body can undermine a person's perception of self. Dementia is a severe and irreversible deterioration of mental abilities. (Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia, 2001 Vol. 6 97) Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder of the brain that is now considered the largest single cause of senile dementia. (Lexicon, 2001 Vol. 1, 320) A person with Alzheimer's disease will suffer from number of mental abnormalities, including infantilization. Infantilization is the process by where an adult is treated like a child and all of his activities are considered to be childish. In spite of being an adult, the person's mental age is considerably less and thus, the person is treated in accordance with their mental age. A person with this disease will be labeled by society and is in most cases treated differently by society. In some cases people will distance themselves from the person because of an inability to cope with the patient's mental affect. Others, while still attentive, react with pity on the patient. In both cases, the normal behavior of society is missed by the patient in the earlier stages of the disease. There is a sense of isolation, and a feeling of devaluation by society of the knowledge that the patient has. These are just some of the potential outcomes which people or society may give to those with a disorder like Alzheimer's disease. So, why is it that society has a tendency to treat these individuals different when the mind becomes weak Today's research is tapping into widespread concern amongst many older disabled people who feel that their needs- and even their existence- has been overlooked; many even describing themselves as being forgotten people. (Hockey, 29) This general problem is manifested in several ways: Lack of understanding of the medical/physical consequences of long-term disability; Lack of recognition of the needs of people who are aging with long-term disabilities in policy debate and service provision; Inappropriate services modeled on the assumed needs of older people experiencing disability as a consequence of the aging process; Lack of suitable/acceptable housing options; Inadequate benefit and pension provision and lack of recognition of the extra financial costs associated with ageing with disability; Lack of support fir ageing carers. (Hockey, 29) As a whole, all societies are, and have been, very cruel to failure. Any kind of failure, whether mind, body or task creates an environment where the individual is treated differently. According to Rapport and Overing, authors of Key Concepts in Social and Cultural Anthropology, most adolescents to adults have the same fear: a fear of growing old. When the vibrant and healthy person is around a person who they have been know to be functional, intelligent, and valuable, that shows mental deterioration, it arises in them the fear that if this can happen to this person then it could happen to them too! They fear and shun the person because of their fear of the outward manifestations of the disease. "Individuals are responsible for determining whether to attempt to surpass the conditions they construe around them, or to accommodate themselves to them." (Rapport, Nigel and Joanna Overing, 2004:191) Ageism Ageism is one of the harsh truths of human life and is perceived to be a threatening thing. The common problems which a person can face in his old age are loss of memory, consciousness, health, changes in looks, restricted social involvement, and eventually death. People at this stage are usually not working in a formal organizational setup. They are full of experience and knowledge of life, yet in a lot of cases this knowledge and experience are not valued by society. Far from approximating more closely to other people's views of them as "old" and "past it," some researchers argue that the elderly view the ageing process as a mask or disguise which conceals beneath it what they continue to perceive as an essentially youthful self. (Shilling, 87) There is a great variation in the extent to which people are hit by physical and social losses as they grow old. Some people are fortunate, some people are unfortunate. (Fay Fransella, 1982: 117) Each individual will endure an aging process that is unique to them. This process depends, largely, on their activities, attitude, and social involvement. Some people, even at what society considers old age, keep themselves engaged in the same activities and endeavors that they have done throughout their entire lives. In other words, they do similar jobs or activities and there is very little change in their lives. Yet, for a large number of the elderly, there is a gradual diminishing of their freedom of choice and many feel a deepening sense of loss of status as a person. (Hockey & James 1993: p49). One poem, which was found from the hospital locker of a geriatric patient, points towards this sense of loss: What do you see nurses What do you see What Are you thinking When you are looking at me A crabbit old woman Not very wise, Uncertain of habit With far-away eyes .. Then open your eyes nurse You're not looking at me. This poem covers the full life cycle of the writer; her young age as a child of ten, and her childhood full of expectations, her marriage, and her children and then her grand children. What she wanted to tell the nurse is 'She is all of these people, but the nurse does not see them.' (Fay Fransella, 1982: 115) The individuality is present in this woman. She has full expectations and tendency to look at the brighter side of the life. Even when her husband has passed away and she grows old, she holds herself with pride because she knows who she is as a person. She is not ready to take nurses looking for an old and alone woman. Example of Exceptional Achievements and Failure of the Body Our world is full of surprises. Every day we see people performing many tasks despite the failure of parts of their bodies or minds. They are disabled, physically challenged or facing old age. Yet, they still have the ambitions, hope, and a great will power, which makes them extraordinary and gives them the ability to perform a task better than a person who is physically fit but lacking in will power. One of the examples is Prof. Stephen Hawking. I am quite often asked: How do you feel about having ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). The answer is, not a lot. I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many. -Stephen Hawking, Author of 'The Brief History of Time' Professor Stephen Hawking is not just known for his writings and sharp brain but also for the disability he has, motor neuron disease. He knew that the disease would limit the years of his life; as well as hinder the possibility of him living what society deems is a "normal" life. Yet, that has not prevented him from excelling with the gifts that he has in a manner that places him with all of those who will be remembered for ages to come. Hawkings writes, thinks, takes classes, and travels the world delivering lectures and seminars. Hawkings embraced the battle with his disease and vowed to not let it defeat him. He gladly took the best that technology had to offer and fought with the disorder he had. His will power and faith in himself, multiplied with the support he got from family and friends created an example that will stand the test of time. What is interesting is how society has embraced him and others who battle their diseases or ailments. He has been perceived as close to a full person, a source of motivation and energy to bring change. Yet, why not a full person It is here that we will delve into the criteria of society for being a whole person or not. Note that this criteria often changes with person, time, customs, culture and technology. What It Means to be a Full Person After discussing the example of Professor Stephen Hawking, it makes one think that maybe body failure should not be a factor of deciding the 'Full Person'. Yet, it is still one of the factors due to the fact that not everyone can have the kind of will power, resources or medical facilities available that Stephen Hawking had at his disposal. Many people, even with the strongest of will power, lack the resources to receive the appropriate treatment. This leaves them untreated and they, subsequently, may fall into low self perception. Each day's internal battle and humiliation with their own body degrades them in their own eyes. As discussed earlier, an individual is always trying to fit himself into his societal roles. He is compromising his own individual needs or ambitions for the same. In order for a persons achievements to be deemed valid and valuable they have to be celebrated; either by the person himself, or by others. When an individual starts to feel less valued or degraded himself, and there is a lack of acknowledgement from society a downward spiral is created that lessens the person's ability to perform their roles in society. 'An individuals embodied discoveries or achievements cannot be readily verified or discursively celebrated without the assistance of knowing witness. Nor can embodied selves be easily generated or sustained in sport or dance without the presence or assistance of co participants.' (Noel, Dyck, and Archetti, 2003:10-11) Individuals are a part of society and depend on society not only for fulfilling our daily needs by receiving an opportunity to work and earn; but we also get social recognition which is as important as our basic needs. We like to be recognized, achieve, and grow in our society. We work towards these achievements. In some cases, we even subvert our individual needs in order to pursue social gratification. Embodied social agents are those who can act independently within the set of social constraints. These people need to have consciousness and memory and should acquire a legal status. These parameters, inherently, leave out children and old people suffering from dementia. What are the parameters for the full person And why and how can a person be considered a full person Being a full person is when a person is able to fit into all their social roles perfectly and is able to maintain equilibrium between the society and the individual's personal character. The following chart displays various components of society and individual where a person needs to balance equilibrium: There can be various conflicting situations in which the person has to choose between the "I" of their individual character and the "I" of the society. The roles the individual is in can also bring some situations which create a confusing state as well. For example: An assignment has a deadline for today and to meet society's ideal of professionalism it must be met. Yet, the student is also a father and has a sick daughter at home which would hinder him from completing the assignment and is part of his father role creating conflict. The only condition in which a person is considered perfect, or close to fully person, is when society deems that the person is able to deal with all these conflicting situations in the best possible ways. The issue here is that "the best possible ways" is subjective. Society as a whole has a view, but each individual within the society might have a slightly different view. In order to better understand social behavior, one must have some understanding of the individual factors which influence the social behavior of a person. Attitude towards himself and others A person with positive attitude and energy is more likely to succeed in their social roles as well. They are not in fear of adverse situations and they welcome challenge. Even in older people it has been shown that people who have positive drives are more active in their social life as well. Perception According to YourDictionary.com, perception is "the mental images an individual creates in regards to their environment and the situations within that environment." People perceive things based on their own experiences, others comments, and information they obtain from numerous sources. Perceptions have a great impact on ones decision making processes as they are the foundation upon which a person makes a decision. For instance, if a person as a child gets mauled by a dog, they might develop the perception that all dogs are mean and therefore, have an inherent fear of dogs. Whenever this person comes across any dog in the future their initial perception might be that the dog is mean, even though it may be unfounded. Needs/Desires A need is something that a person has to have in order to survive. For example, water, food, shelter. A desire is something that a person wants to make their existence better, happier, or to make their role in life easier. In the example of Professor Hawking the need was to achieve something that will endure past his lifetime and live with dignity. By meeting that need he has made his own place in the world of intellectuals, even with his disability. Views An individual's views towards many social and physical factors are also responsible for his performance as a person. An individual with a view against the societal setup and his ability to communicate the same with others can bring revolutions. This can be explained with the work of Carl Marx. Knowledge Knowledge can be knowledge of an art, a craft, science, technology, society, life, etc Knowledge becomes one of the attributes of a full person when he is able to communicate and share his ideas with other people. Confidence Confidence in ones self leads to achieving results for ones own deeds. Confidence is important in helping a person to "make their mark" in the competitive world. With confidence a person can fulfill his social roles effectively. Faith When one has faith in anything they gain inner strength. It can be faith in religion, science, the world around you, the legal system, etc Emotional setup Emotional setup is the internal emotional workings of a person that dictate how they will react in real world situations. An emotional setup has impact on individual nature and the social roles of an individual. A person who is able to cope up with adverse emotional stages and yet perform well in his social life will stand out. Stage of life cycle There are various stages of life where an individual learns the lessons that will help guide them through life in order to meet societal wants and regulations; infancy, childhood, adolescence, adult. Throughout these stages several societal institutions from the family to preschools, schools, college, church, etc strive to reinforce and teach these lessons that instill the social and moral values in the person. Once a person reaches adulthood, they become responsible for their actions in society. In order to be considered a full person, one must have a full grasp of these rules, regulations, and moral boundaries. According to society, an adult should be self conscious, mature and manage the impression they make upon others. Consciousness 'I think therefore I am.'- Rene' Descartes (1596-1650) This statement has brought the shift from the cosmos to the individual in the area of Philosophy. It is one of the bases of human behaviors studies. John Locke (1632-1704) adopted the new word 'consciousness' to mean: perception of what passes in an individual's mind. (Carrithers, 1992, 67) Consciousness is considered a state of mind that is ready to face any change in a person's surroundings, environment or life. (Rapport, 297) Memory Psychologists have identified two kinds of memory: short term memory and long term memory. Memory is the storage of information in an individual's mind. It is very personal and a person can recall it with the images and dialogues in his mind. The memory can be sharp, as in a person who remembers fine details. Or it can be weak, as in those that society deems forgetful. Ageism faces the problem of memory. Memory failure is prevalent in the older classes of people, and society judges accordingly. And in some cases, even those that are young face memory problems. Social Factors These are the societal factors with which an individual is abided. Those, who follow the rules of society and live in it as a member, receive numerous benefits. Society offers a sense of belongingness and security. It has common resources to be utilized by all. It offers competition. It gives opportunities to all to excel and make their own social identity. Following are the factors where an individual has to perform. It offers him a source of living, opportunity to gather facilities of life and get recognition. Membership Family This is the first institution of the society. Family gives root to a person. This provides a sense of belongingness and the basic introduction. It is the first institution where a child learns to deal and fulfill his basic requirements. It offers love care and warmth of the relationships. Friends This is the social circle an individual can have. People choose their friends according to choice, interest, and availability. It is here that a person begins to learn to share their feelings, wants, and needs. One also learns about support and coexistence, as well as conflict resolution in this circle. Neighbors This is a geographical group which consists of those living in the same area a person. Neighbors can also fit into the friend's category, but not always and have an impact on the personhood of an individual. Job This is an adult's key role in society. It provides a means to earn a living, as well as a role in society. If individual needs are not being met a person might switch jobs or go back to school to gain more education in attempt to better their job. Achievements The achievements of an individual are recognized in the society. Whether, it's a gold medal in sports or a genius certificate in the class. This is being recognized in a social setup. Once one achieves something, a person tries to maintain his level of achievement. Recognition Recognition is very essential for human beings. Any individual who is getting recognized for his achievements will be more likely to keep his performance to that level. It gives a source of motivation and at the same time builds up constraint to maintain that position. Status Status is a hierarchal position of a person in the society. It is decided by several factors like wealth, knowledge or skills. A person always tries to maintain his status or move beyond that status. It is human nature when moving upwards in society for a person to adjust to this new level very well. But, at the same time, if a person moves down in society, most of the time, it is difficult for them to adjust with the new situation. Social Values/ Social Norms Every society has its own social values and norms. All societies place some constraints on an individual to maintain social image. Here is where conflict arises in regards to the full person. One might think that they are meeting all of the requirements to be deemed a full and rightful person; yet, societal norms and values are subjective and society may deem them to not be a full person. Values and norms change; sometimes quite frequently. As societal norms and values change, a full person changes with society. Social Expectation People performing well in the society are expected to perform well by societies standards. In order to maintain their status a person must meet society's expectations by maintaining or improving their performance in their roles. Social Setup A Social setup is the structure of the society. A person's position in this setup is a deciding factor in regards to his voice and image within the society. The higher up a role is within the social setup, the more that person is held responsible than those at lower levels. For instance, the responsibilities of President or Prime Minister will be the more than the daily wage earner. But in both the cases, each has its own need and issues to look at. The above list of factors gives us an idea of some of the factors of a society and individual which can be a component of a person's success or vice versa. There are many other factors that contribute to the fullness of a person in society: the environment, the socio-economic conditions, the technology, the opportunities available, the bureaucracy, the leadership, etc All are social factors which have a great impact on an individual, apart from his own mental and physical abilities. Innumerable words have been written and uttered on the fundamental relationship between the person and society, many of them inspiring discussion of the social nature of the self. As Rosenburg summarizes, "social factors play a major role in the formation of the self. It arises out of social experience and interaction; it both incorporates and is influenced by the individual's location in the social structure" (Goffman, 183) An individual's life is full of uncertainties. No one can say what will happen in the very next moment. Individuals who are best able to maintain the balance between self and society are the one who can be considered nearest to the full person. Summary This paper has discussed various concepts of society and individual factors; striving to look at both from various angels. Physical disability, in any form, creates hindrances for individuals. Negative energy and inferiority complexes caused by a number of sources quell a person from becoming deemed full as well by society. Ageism follows the same principle. Following are four ideals in regards to raising the profile of ageing with disability on the social policy agenda out forth by J. Hocking: 1) There is a clear need to raise sensitivity and awareness amongst service professionals about both the objective needs and personal priorities of people who are ageing with a disability. 2) The experience of living with disability for most of their lives means that people in this sub-group of the ageing population are typically very self-reliant. 3) People who are ageing with a disability often fall through the net of existing service provision. 4) The research also highlights that people's support needs do not remain constant over time. In our society not all individuals are considered as 'fully persons' because they lack balance between their individual selves and the roles society has kept for them. They are not able to compromise with their social roles with the self. They need to maintain the impression of being full while working. In order to be full, a person needs to work within the framework of the society. Society creates the virtual boundary around them, and within this boundary a person is free to be independent. One needs to utilize abilities, skills and consciousness in order to better themselves as well as society. The bottom line is that no one will ever be full. We are all imperfect, and with those imperfections comes weakness. With weakness comes the deeming of society that one is not "full." Just by knowing and understanding this point, a person is closer to "fullness" than they have ever been. Because by recognizing one's own weaknesses, a person can better understand somebody else's weaknesses. And through this understanding can come societal change. 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