We begin a new series dedicated to three essential themes: relationship, freedom, and human maturity. On this occasion, Professor Graciela Soriano invites us to a deep reflection on how bonding and commitment become authentic paths of personal growth.

In a context marked by relational fragility, it becomes urgent to recover a richer understanding of freedom—not as self‑sufficiency, but as openness and self‑gift to others. From a psycho‑anthropological perspective, this series explores how personal bonds sustain identity, guide decisions, and nourish moral and emotional maturity in such decisive areas as family life, education, and the spiritual dimension.

In this first article, we delve into a reflection inspired by the thought of Leonardo Polo, which sheds light on the difference between person and personality, and its implications for life, education, and interpersonal relationships.

Beyond Classical Psychology

In everyday life, we often speak of “personality” as if it were the deepest part of who we are: a set of traits, behaviors, or ways of reacting to others. However, according to Leonardo Polo, a 20th‑century Spanish philosopher, the most fundamental aspect of the human being is not personality, but the person.

This distinction may seem subtle, but it changes the way we understand ourselves. Personality is what we display throughout our biography: how we act, what temperament we have, what abilities we possess, or even our psychological wounds. The person, by contrast, is a deeper level: it is our being—irreducible, free, and open to encounter with others and with God.

The Person: Someone, Not Something

We can summarize the difference this way: personality describes how we are; the person points to who we are.

Personality can be studied, classified, even measured in certain aspects. But the person cannot be exhausted by any description. A person is unique, unrepeatable, always open to growth and capable of giving more of themselves. This is why Leonardo Polo affirmed that “the person is the only being capable of unrestricted growth” [1].

This horizon opens a great hope: we are never completely determined by our history, our traits, or our limitations.

What This Means for Life and Relationships

The distinction between person and personality has very concrete consequences:

• In personal life: no one is reduced to their mistakes or temperament. There is always a possibility to begin again and to grow.
• In family and education: recognizing the person in each child or student means seeing them as someone with unconditional dignity, beyond their performance or behavior.
• In psychotherapy and accompaniment: respecting each patient’s freedom and inner life is essential for the process to be truly human and not merely technical.

A Way of Seeing That Generates Commitment

When we understand that each person is more than their personality, a different way of relating emerges: we no longer reduce the other to a “what” (what they do, what they achieve, what they appear to be), but discover them as a “who” with whom we can establish a stable bond.

This opens the horizon of commitment: the person is not only capable of relating, but of doing so freely and steadfastly, giving their life in lasting relationships.

Graciela Soriano

[1] POLO, L., La persona humana y su crecimiento, in Obras Completas, Serie A, vol. XIII, Eunsa, Pamplona, 2015, p. 17.

See book in Spanish about Leonardo Polo: Filósofo, maestro y amigo