On the Formation of the Person: An Integractive Model of Personal Formation

When Charles Darwin wrote “On the Origin of the Species”, he wrote the most important idea in the history of humanity. He explained, with the scientific evidence of his observations, the process of the evolution of all the species. That evidence was collected for many years through experiments with animal species until the evidence was clear and the evolution theory was born. “On the Origin of the Species” does not only explain the evolution of animal species: it also explains the evolution of humankind as a specie.

But what happens if I tell you that the human person is not meant to only evolve as a specie? What happens if I tell you that the evolution theory explains only partially the evolution of humankind as humanity? Exactly: we are not meant to evolve only as human specie. As human persons, we are called to progress as living humanity and develop a progressively more human society as we keep forming as persons. Yes, we form as persons. We don´t only keep evolving as specie: we keep forming as persons. But… how the personal formation works?

Let´s first define personal formation: the process of becoming who we are, who we are called to be, and who we intend to be. This process begins from the moment of conception, and happens to every human being, to one degree to another. As far as we have human DNA, our personal formation is meant to progress throughout all our existence on this Earth as we also evolve and develop as a human specie and human culture.

How these personal formation processes are structured? If you observe several person´s progress through a lifetime, you will notice common patterns, elements that are common to every person´s process of becoming who they are, who they are called to be, and who they intend to be. I call those common elements “integractive model of personal formation”: a model to define common structures among the personal formation progress of all humans. This integractive model is like a DNA of the human personal formation: defines common processes of the human personal formation of every homo sapiens alive, each one according to their own natural dimensions.

Think about this for a moment. Through the years and centuries, science had developed many resources to study the human being as a specie, especially as a human body with medical sciences. The repercussions of the DNA structure in the human body are still being studied… but who studies our progress as persons, who studies how we all become through life the persons we are? This field needs deeper study because if you observe carefully, there are common elements in every person´s formation processes. There is a huge repercussion in structuring a personal formation model that defines these common elements, so we can provide person-centered perspectives in everything we do and research, from science, medicine and psychology to technology, engineering, and business sciences. As a matter of fact, the deepest social development crisis of our days is our lack of knowledge of the notion of the person, the notion of its inherent dignity and the fraternity that bonds us all as human persons.

Yes, there are revolutionary repercussions, in the good sense, in defining a common structure of personal formation. As example: a medicine that knows how to treat persons, not only patients, will affirm the dignity of the human being as it should, not using medicine against the personal formation structures and respecting those structures as the patient is treated, including the nature of the personal formation.

The model that I have structured on the formation of the human person is called “integractive model of personal formation” because the word “integractive” joins the words integration, action, realization and projection, the four first processes of this personal formation model. The fifth process, connection, is quite new. It has been structured with the help of both contemplation and observation of these common elements that we all share as we become who we are, who we are called to be and who we intend to be.

In the integractive personal formation model there are, as I have already mentioned, five main processes: integration, action, realization, projection and connection. The integration process is given by nature, or by God for those who believe in God. We can´t change the nature of personal formation, but the dimensions of personal formation do influence each other. The action, realization, and projection processes change progressively, as we keep maturing as persons. The connection process is a development process: it creates a culture centered in personhood, cherishing the gift that each person is, and how we are all called to perform in a way that creates a more human humanity for all. Let´s deepen each formative process.

Integration elements describe how we are informed according to our own nature, informed from within. Even in the biological sense that is true: we form from inside a womb. From studying and applying with all its consecuences the integration of the nature of the human personal formation we achieve a new humanization. There are common properties and principles in the information of the personal formation that can´t be violated or separated among each other, because they are necessesarily together, they influence each other. I have condensed these properties and principles in this table:

Integration (Personal Nature)
	Properties (orange sticks)		Principles (pink sticks)
	Organic Dimension	Onthological Dimension	Filial Dimension
1	Hierachical Property: every human body is ordered hierarchically.	Ens Property: every human entity is a being.	Humanization Principle: every human subject is called to become more human.
2	Nutritive Property: every human body is capable of obtaining energy that he or she needs to susbsists.	Res property: every human entity is a thing.	Autonomy Principle: every human subject is called to determine by himself or herself.
3	Regulative Property: every human body is capable of maintaining his or her internal equilibrium towards the environmental changing circumstances.	Aliquid Property: every human entity is something.	Equality Principle: every human subject have the same rights and duties.
4	Reproductive Property: every human body is capable of replicating himself or herself. Sexual reproduction requires a female gamete and a masculine gamete, and supposes a longer maturation time related to asexual reproduction.	Unum Property: every human entity is a unity.	Complexity Principle: every human subject is called to act according to what is determined by his own or her own discernment, departing from what they know from reality.
5	Evolutive Property: every human body evolves maximixing his or her survival.	Verum Property: every human entity is true.	Totality Principle: every human subject is responsible for the totality of their personal being.
6	Progressive Property: every human body grows, develops and matures progressively through life.	Bonum Property: every human entity is good.	Solidarity Principle: every human subject is called to contribute to the common good according to his or her possibilities.
7	Sensitive Property: every human body reacts to changes and interacts with the stimulus that surrounds them.	Pulchrum Property: every human entity is beautiful.	Subsidiarity Principle: every human subject is called to develop all his or her talents to the best expression possible, assuming everything that he or she can by himself or herself.

The second formative process is action. With action, the progress stages begin: these stages do change progressively, as the person matures through his or her life. As you study and apply with all its consequences this personal formation process, you help to do a “new domestication” that in the eclessial sense, it would be a “new eclessialization”.

To explain what I mean with “new domestication” you need to read the amazing quote of the Little Prince about it:

“To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you domesticate me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world…”

But if you domesticate me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life . I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the colour of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have domesticated me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat…” The fox gazed at the little prince, for a long time. “Please, domesticate me!” he said.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Our action as persons is conformed with certain common elements: factors and expressions. The factors of the actions are elements that conditionate the action. The expression of the action are traits of our conformation. Yes, our actions constantly conform us as we are, as we are meant to be and as we intend to be. For Christians, the role model per excellence of our actions is Christ: we conform all our actions more and more Christcentrically as we mature. For those who are not Christians, there are many and plenty role models to choose as conformation models.

Here is the table that enumerate the factors and expressions of the action.

Action (Personal Behavior)
	Factors (conditions of conformation) [3 axis]	Expressions (traits of conformation) [green sticks]
Factor 1	Thoughts: originating action according to your ideas.	Expression 1	Motivation: originating action with a purpose.
Factor 2	Emotions: originating actions according to your sentiments.	Expression 2	Disposition: originating action with an attitude.
Factor 3	Skills: originating actions according to your abilities.	Expression 3	Signification: originating action with a meaning
		Expression 4	Volition: originating action with a will

The next formative process in the integractive personal formation process is realization: after the action, we are realizing ourselves constantly as we keep transforming ourselves in who we are, who are called to be, and whom we intend to be, each one according to their own natural dispositions. The study and application of the implications of this formative process helps to grow a new fraternization: a reality where everyone is recognized as a brother and a sister, called to radiate as a person a unique light that no one else will be able to radiate. The realization of every human person has certain common elements: it has causes whose movements in unity have an impact in reality, in the reality context where the person is, and it has emanations whose directions keep transforming action. For a Christian, the realization of our personal formation is clear: becoming more and more the image and likeness we are, the living image of God-Love-with-us we are called to be and do intend to be with a holy life, being humble instruments of grace, growing together in direction communion.

This is the table with all the impacts and emmanations of the realization.

Realization (Personal Reality) [Axis movement, must move in unity, they can’t break the unity among them]
Causes (impacts of transformation) [organized movement of the three axis moving together in unity]		Emanations: directions of transformation.
Cause 1 movement	Creating Communion: generating gifts through sharing who we are.	Emanation 1 (horizontal direction)	Actuality: grow as who we are
Cause 2 movement	Creating Family: generating bonds through engaging ourselves as we are.	Emanation 2 (vertical direction)	Potentiality: grow as who we are meant to be
Cause 3 movement	Creating Fullfillment (Creating Joy): generating values through inspiring growthfullness through how we are.	Emanation 3 (circular direction)	Intentionality: grow as we consciously intend to grow.

The next formative process of the integractive personal formation model is the projection: creating a project of life that reforms us constantly as we become more and more who we are, who we are called to be and who we intend to be. Our life project is in constant reformation as we keep maturing, and so it keeps perfecting more and more as we reform more and more as persons. We will be reforming until our last breath, according to our inherent dignity. As we study and apply more and more the implications of the human person projection, we help to radiate a new civilization of Love, or seen with ecclesial view, a new evangelization. The common elements in the reformation of every person are the keys, which are the objectives of the reformation, and the emissions, the criteria of the reformation.

Here you have the table with the objectives and the emissions of the realization that keeps reforming more and more through the life.

Projection (Personal Vitality, Personal Project of Life)
Keys (objectives of reformation)  [the four cross extremes, the beige pieces at the end of each cross, the radiation of the crosses]		Emissions (criteria of reformation) [cardinal points direction of the radiation of the crosses´s movements]
Key 1	Vital Identity: cultivating yourself as a project according to what you love and dream	Emission 1	Primacy of Beauty: esthetic criteria, arts
Key 2	Vital Vocation: cultivating freedom projected as you serve in a concrete way	Emission 2	Primacy of the Right: ethical criterial, moral
Key 3	Vital Communication: cultivating self-giving that projects new life.	Emission 3	Primacy of the True: rational criteria, logic
Key 4	Vital Perfection: cultivating plenitude projected joyfully	Emission 4	Primacy of the Good: benefit criteria, pragmatics

Finally, you have the fifth formative process: connection, performing in such way that we are all connected in a new era of new fraternity as we perform the new fraternization we are called and intend to perform, in which the dignity of every person is affirmed and bloomed. This fifth formative process literally connects all the formative processes with formative tasks that makes possible that every person can achieve become the best person they can be, harvesting a new culture of the person, a new culture of life. As we embrace these formative tasks as formative duties, we connect society as a communion of persons. Its our duty to develop as a more fraternal society as we become the best persons we can be.

In this table are all the formative duties of the connected personal formation:

Formative Tasks (Community formation) [connection with other integractors]
Helping to Be	Integration	affirming the articulation, the revelation and the manifestation of the nature every human person, according to our inherent personal dignity.
Helping to Do	Action	affirming the orientation of the acts of every person according to our inherent personal dignity.
Helping to Grow	Realization	affirming the realization of the growth of every human person according to our inherent personal dignity.
Helping to Glow	Projection	affirming the transformation of the glow of every human person according to our inherent personal dignity, so everyone can become the light we are all called to be.
Helping to Bloom	Connection	Helping to bloom as we performing in such a way that we help every human person to be, to do, to grow and to glow according to our inherent human dignity.

Besides the five formative processes of personal formation, the integractive model has another very important element that brings cohesiveness to the whole model: the Universal Declaration of Fraternal Rights, or Universal Declaration of Love. Have you ever noticed that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights lacks the word “love”? We need an Universal Declaration that affirms the right of every human being of be recognized, progress, and develop fraternally, unconditionally loved as who we are, belonging to a family, all together part of the humanity as fraternal family. Although writing something like this would require collaboration of the competent authorities, this is an sketch of how these 14 fraternal rights could be written.  

Universal Declaration of Fraternal Rights [the 14 caps that give the whole structure cohesion]
Article 1	Family Institution (Definition of Human Family)	Everybody is called to grow in family, no one Will be denied to live and grow as family, growing unconditionally loved, according to his or her inherent human dignity.
Article 2	Family Planning
Article 3	Parenting (Raising Children)
Article 4	Family Constitution (dependant members of the family, old people, disabled, adults family members that live at the home)
Article 5	Family Home
Article 6	Family Education
Article 7	Family Health
Article 8	Family Economy (work, family subsidies, family support)
Article 9	Family Freedom (Civil Freedom, Religious Freedom, Freedom of Emigration, Expresión Freedom).
Article 10	Family Convivence (Domestic intimacy, social life, cultural life, domestic communications)
Article 11	Family Integrity (Security of all family members, including pets, guaranteeing the safety of domestic violence victims and vulnerable family members, either vulnerable minors or vulnerable adults)
Article 12	Family Patrimony (Inheritances, private property)
Article 13	Family Politics (Asociations and family representantion, participation in political life)
Article 14	Universal Application of these rights	These rights are going to be applied to every family, whatever its race, religious denomination, political afiliation, nationality, etc.

Until here, this is the whole integractive personal formation model. This is what I have contemplated and observed as common elements of the personal formation of the human being, how we all become who we are, who we are called to be, who we intend to be.

All that I have written in this text is an attempt to write a scientific text, without excluding faith, affirming my premises in both contemplation and evident observation. As John Paul II said: “Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes”. I am being as brief as I can because I know that something like an integractive personal formation model is something that must be discussed from many interdisciplinary perspectives in order to be published in its final form. So, this is an invitation to whoever reads this to defy their notions of personhood and reflect on the common elements in everybody’s personal formation and how to structure those common factors in a systemic way that also gives space to each person’s uniqueness and preciousness. Observe and contemplate carefully: how people become who they are, who they are called to be, who they intend to be?

I titled this text “On The Formation of the Person” mimicking the title of Darwin’s “On The Origin of the Species”. Why? Because I did this the same way he did: with very careful contemplation and observation of the “specimens”, but this time the specimens are not mere species: they are persons. There is a beauty and a grandeur in the dignity of the person that you can’t contemplate in any other specie. There is a beauty and sacrality in personhood that deserves to be preserved, known, and always respected and cherished as our most precious treasure as humanity. The survival of humanity doesn’t depend only on the survival of the species: it also depends in our progress and development as the most human civilization we can be, recognizing each other as brother and sister with equal dignity… and we can’t achieve that without making it possible that every person can become the best person we can be, growing together as human family that grows in more and more communion, embracing the personal formation’s processes in such way that we achieve as humanity the development we need to grow as the family we are, as the brothers and sisters we are called to be, as the new civilization of Love we intend to be. For doing this, it is essential to embark in a journey deep on the formation of the person, deepening as a structured model how we form as a person, so we can preserve for generations the legacy that can help us to become together the most human civilization we can be: the beautiful, sacred and fraternal dignity of the human person.

We are not only evolution: we are evolution and formation. We must fight not only for our survival as specie, but we must also work together to ensure that our children and kids can find a more human world than ours, a world filled with more peace, kindness, solidarity, empathy, joy, beauty, wonder and growthfullness, with less hate, violence, violation of rights, pride, selfishness, trafficking, inequality, indifference, wars, destruction…

So, do you want to join this journey on the formation of the person?