Personality,education and society: A Yoruba perspective     

E.Ayotunde Yoloye 《International Journal of Educational Development》1983,3(1):97-104

Personality has been given several definitions. Nevertheless these may be classified into two categories, namely: (1) as an inner essential nature of man, and (2) as some outward appearance of man. The concept of personality held by the Yoruba people of Nigeria conforms to this dual pattern. The inner essence of personality is known as ori (inner head) while the external manifestation is iwa (character, behaviour). Two other components of the person are

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n (wisdom) and i

(work or skill). Ori is independent and the prime motivator of human action. It is conceived of as both the carrier of destiny and as a kind of guardian angel. It is not subject to education.

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n and i

on the other hand are the main objects of education. Much of iwa is determined by ori, but education for

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n may modify iwa.Yoruba ontology of motivation stipulates that three factors are responsible for motivating human action: (1) Ori; (2) Aiye — the psychosocial environment; (3) Orisa — the pantheon of deities. Traditional education is mostly informal but some West African tribes operate formal schools known as poro or sande. Curricula in these schools conform to the Yoruba aims of education, thus confirming that there are probably strong communalities in aims of traditional education among several West African tribes.Western education has often led to conflicts in the educated individuals. Such conflicts often can be traced to failure to take account of the traditional perception of personality. A closer study of such perceptions of personality in each community may prove fruitful for diagnostic and remedial purposes in educational reform.  相似文献