4.2. Harmonious development of personality as a goal of education

Traditionally, the general goal of education is understood as the formation of a harmoniously developed personality, the essential and substantive characteristics of which at different stages of society’s development were interpreted differently, in accordance with the model (model) of a harmonious personality as a set of stable concepts specific to different cultural and historical eras.

The ancient idea of ​​the harmonious development of personality, which serves as one of the most common standards, is based on the idea of ​​the optimal ratio of the components of the physical and mental nature of man, which form an ordered inner unity. In ancient consciousness, the standard of harmonious development is “beauty” and “proportionality”, which are in a certain (“correct”) relationship, and the nature of this relationship in the philosophical currents of antiquity is defined differently.

The ancient ideal of harmonious development is most fully revealed in the “Dialogues” of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato (428 or 427 BC. E. - 348 or 347), where it correlates with the multivalued concept of “kalokagatia”, which is a fundamental characteristic of “noble”, “beautiful” and the "perfect" person (kalokagata). The agreement of soul and body in the interpretation of Plato is not some unattainable ideal, but a necessary and natural condition for the existence of man.

In accordance with the principles of harmonious existence, ancient culture developed specific techniques for individual “work on oneself,” in particular:

• test procedures involving self-restraint and curbing needs in various areas of life;

• the practice of introspection, or “reasoning about deeds” - daily self-reports on the vicissitudes of the past day with a careful analysis of one’s own actions and actions;

• work of thinking on oneself - deep reflexive practice, self-reflection (for example, the famous “Reflections” by Marcus Aurelius).

The mechanism for achieving the goals of harmonious existence in ancient philosophy is “catharsis” (literally “purification”). It most fully expressed the ancient idea of ​​the spiritual and world drama of redemption, the outcome of which was seen as the restoration of a disturbed first order in the world and in the individual soul.

Thus, if we reduce the ancient concept of harmonious development of the personality to several basic principles, then it can be represented as follows:

- harmony is associated primarily with the internal structure of a person, the internal consistency of his physical and mental manifestations;

- harmony is interpreted as health and proportionality, implies a balance of opposing forces that determine the livelihoods and activity of the subject;

- to be harmonious means to consistently follow one’s own nature and the general nature of things;

- harmonious life is achieved when a person, guided by reason, lives in complete harmony with his own nature, without distorting it and not opposing it;

- the basic spiritual qualities of a harmoniously developed person are sanity and self-control, due to which he rules over his own passions;

- turning to oneself is a necessary condition for a healthy and full-fledged existence, since the “fulcrum” should be sought not outside, but in oneself;

- the internal structure of a harmonious person is similar in structure to a perfect device of the universe and is the embodiment of the “Universal Higher Order”.

The ancient concept of harmonious existence is also reflected in medieval philosophy, from the standpoint of which harmony is achieved thanks to a proportionate and harmonious combination of basic elements and processes that ensure the vital activity and activity of the subject. Only by complementing and limiting each other, the components of human nature are in balance and harmony, forming a coordinated unity. Constant maintenance of such a state leads a person to harmony.

Echoes of ancient wisdom are heard in German classical philosophy, natural philosophy of the XIX century, science of the XX century. The ancient notion of equilibrium, harmony, or the optimal ratio of the heterogeneous components of human nature seems to be a necessary link and explanatory principle in interdisciplinary, complex human studies.

At the present stage of development of pedagogical science, the humanistic model of the harmonious development of personality is widespread. The analysis of this model requires a detailed consideration of the basic ideas of humanistic pedagogy and psychology, in which the harmony problematics found the most complete reflection and turned out to be at the center of most theoretical constructs.

The fundamental provisions of the humanist model began to take shape in the Renaissance. Many of the provisions that formed the basis of the humanistic model were formulated by such great thinkers of the past as Dante, Petrarch, Giordano Bruno, Janbattista Vico, Thomas More, Michel de Montaigne. Following this tradition, humanistic pedagogy and psychology emphasize the uniqueness of the human person, the need to search for moral values ​​and the meaning of existence, as well as to gain inner freedom, expressed in self-government and self-improvement. The fundamental principles of this scientific direction can be expressed in the following provisions:

• the person is whole and should be studied in its integrity;

• each person is unique, so the analysis of individual cases is no less justified than statistical generalizations;

• a person is open to the world, the experience of a man of the world and himself in the world is the main psychological reality;

• human life should be considered as a single process of its formation and being;

• man has the potency to the continuous development and self-realization, which are part of his nature;

• a person has a certain degree of freedom from external determination due to the meanings and values ​​by which he is guided in his choice;

• man is an active, creative being.