The Human Tendencies

The Human Tendencies

February 2, 2013

Humans were given the gifts of intelligence, love, reason and will. We have the power to modify and adapt to any environment based on our needs. Human beings evolved in a unique way and are endowed with intelligence, instincts and movement. There were three elementary needs to keep us alive: food, shelter and clothing. Our early ancestors found a means to sustain these basic needs on the first day of their existence. The ability to satisfy the need for food occurred because s/he looked, found and experimented with that which was necessary to stay alive. To survive with humanity we are motivated by our tendencies, universal, fundamental, unchanging, inherent potentials at birth which
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direct our action allow us to adapt guide our understanding of behavior ensure the satisfaction of our needs put us into contact with the environment and meaningful work develop the physical, social, emotional and spiritual fields in an interconnected way

Deep in mankind is their own needs and tendencies. These needs are valuable to understand as a guide and a parent. The needs and tendencies of mankind place humans in their unique position in the cosmos. A number of scholars assert that the inborn tendencies of humans were implied when the writer of the Pentateuch asserts that “God created man in his image.” The way mankind meets our basic needs allows mankind to be creators in this world. At the core of the creative spark in

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The Human Tendencies

February 2, 2013

humans are the universal needs inborn into mankind. The potential that each child is born with is imbued and strengthened by the collective knowledge, understanding, and expectation of their particular culture. There are basic needs in each person which have provided for the survival of the human race. These needs are universal but the expression of these needs vary from culture to culture. The universal needs of man are:
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self-preservation orientation order communication imagination movement/ transportation logical/quantitative processing social connection nurturing self-perfection

The needs of mankind have provided for the rise and fall of individuals, families and cultures. Inside each child are the potentialities to succeed in meeting their needs or to fail in their attempts. The six to twelve year old is beginning to face the possibilities of failure in a society. This realization must be observed as the teacher contemplate the proper way to help the student become successful.

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The Human Tendencies

February 2, 2013

The way we help children meet their needs in the six to twelve plane of development is based on a thorough understanding of these basic human needs. Speaking strictly of the classroom, if the teacher finds ways for the child’s human tendencies to be expressed and successfully operate, then the teacher has become the guiding nurturer of the child’s potential. Conversely, if the needs are suppressed or their expression is thwarted then the human child will not grow into the full potential that would have been possible. Each culture reaches for its ideal of perfection as defined by their uniquely emphasized areas of the needs of man. To do this a culture finds valued tendencies and encourages people in the culture to meet their needs by utilizing their tendencies. Unfortunately, the tendencies of the individual may not be valued as deeply by one culture as by another. I regardless, the innate drive for mankind to use his tendencies to advance cultures is impressive. Montessori describes tendencies as ‘life forces’ or ‘natural guides’ which drive man towards activities which aid his needs for survival, and fulfilment. Montessori argues that man’s needs are not only physical, for clothing, food, shelter, but also spiritual, culture, are, social networks, the desire to think, explore, reflect and contribution and emotional, the needs for love, protection, security, freedom, respect and to be able to listen to others and be heard. To ensure that these needs are met all humans experience innate tendencies, which are the same throughout histories, cultures, and nations, they are an essential ingredient in being human, while they correspond to an animal’s instincts they have an unconscious creative potential.
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In each person the tendencies manifest
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The Human Tendencies

February 2, 2013

differently a unique blends of different strengths of tendencies lead to the manifestation of different action and as one tendency is strengthened it makes it more likely that other, related ones, will emerge into expression. In different

cultures certain tendencies are more highly valued and more likely to be expressed in typical ways. They link us together as a social network while making us unique. Mario Montessori explains that unlike physical drives mental tendencies give, ‘suggestions, inspirations and problems [which] give no peace until they are satisfied’ (M. Montessori, Human Tendencies and Montessori Education, p.25), thy are hungers encouraging us to develop throughout our lives in order to construct an integrated personality and self-actualize, which is in harmony with our particular place, time and local culture. All humans are born with a tendency towards Order and Orientation, to adjust to their physical and social environments and to acquire a basic self-knowledge, security and independence. To develop the tendency of order exploration led by curiosity are needed, the desire to move, touch, crawl, handle objects, taste is led by a wish to understand the environment and the individuals in it, seeing the people the child’s tendency to imitate comes forward, helping to co-ordinate the body the child watches, imitates and later perfects with her own style behavior’s needed for survival and to contribute to the culture of her local group, doing so she builds muscle, skill and obtains social recognition. This process is known as work, in which the tendency emerges to repeat an action observed to gain exactness and in doing so a feeling of satisfaction emerges which helps her to perfect and gain selfcontrol. The action is not simply copying but based on the tendency towards

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The Human Tendencies

February 2, 2013

creative imagination, where reality observed is not only mimicked but also abstracted and then subject to imagination it can change to be used with artistic finesse or as a technology to aid respond to new situation. The ability to abstract and exactly copy is due to the innate tendency of the Mathematical Mind which can judge distances and co-ordinate. Here are the tendencies of humans as defined by Maria Montessori: 1. Order The tendency for order helps in the understanding of one’s surroundings. For a child it means s/he has the need for predictable events in her/his life; for example, an ordered environment where everything has a certain place. As educators, we provide an ordered environment with things in a well-defined place. 2. Orientation This tendency is the ability to orient oneself in new situations. For a child it means that s/he needs to know where and how s/he fits into a particular time or environment and how to adapt. As educators, we must give the child the freedom and the information necessary to his/her orientation without too much guidance. 3. Exploration

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The Human Tendencies

February 2, 2013

This tendency is the curiosity leading to explore and the desire to understand. It renders living better materially and spiritually. We are all potential explorers with a tremendous desire to learn, research, read and travel. As educators, we can easily see that children are the best explorers and they must have the freedom to explore as rich an environment as possible. 4. Communication This tendency is the ability for living beings to understand each other as well as to be understood. This takes the three forms of speaking, writing and reading. As educators, freedom of speech, listening, and storytelling help enable speaking. Research and creative writing help to develop writing. Reading by the child is nurtured through reading to the child by the adult, as well as preparatory exercises in the classroom. 5. Activity It is the ability to move which involves both the mind and body. A child is restless and needs constant activity which seems purposeless to the adult. As educators, we must give the child the freedom to move around. 6. Manipulation It is the tendency to touch and to handle one’s surroundings to give control over an activity. A child has the need to touch, feel and to experience the physical world. As educators, we must give the child this experience through Montessori materials in language, math and science.

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The Human Tendencies
7. Work

February 2, 2013

The tendency to work is related to the tendencies of activity and manipulation. It is the ability to put into reality what the imagination suggests. It enables independence and dignity as well as a feeling of rest. As educators, we realize the child’s need for his/her self-construction and we must therefore never judge or stop a child’s work, realizing that his/her goals are different than ours. We must also give the child the freedom to work at her/his own pace in a stimulating and appropriate environment. 8. Repetition This tendency is the ability to do over and over again an exercise in order to reach perfection and to experience the joy of increased control and understanding of one’s world. When a child is not satisfied with her/his performance in one activity or does not get any joy from it, s/he will repeat the same exercise several times. As educators, we must provide materials that are easily accessible and allowable to be used over and over again. 9. Exactness It is the desire to be precise and constant so that things are objective. It is a necessary tendency to survive (to maintain stability and prevent accidents). As educators, we give the child the freedom to repeat an activity until it reaches a point of exactness. He/she is shown exactly how to properly use the materials.

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The Human Tendencies
10. Abstraction

February 2, 2013

It is the ability to reason beyond the limits of the concrete as well as to generalize and interpret. This tendency will not develop in a child unless s/he has had enough concrete experience. As educators, we must allow concrete experiences through the materials in order for these to provide a solid understanding of the concepts intended. 11. Self-perfection It is the development of the person to a point that is satisfying to the person himself. As educators, it is the aim of the Montessori teacher to teach the children so that they can control themselves and this is done through the environment itself. Spend time noticing these tendencies in your child as well as yourself!

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