Where someone resides greatly affects personality type. Nobody can live in a vacuum, and that is where we begin to learn and unlearn some things depending on the culture and values that are exercised. Environment establishes attitudes, norms, values and perceptions to a person. Traditions and cultures get imprinted into the person making them comprehend for example different senses of what is wrong and what is right. Therefore it should be noted that family, school, place of work and friends among others play a role in determining personality type.
The social environment has been emphasized a lot in personality development by psychologists to mention Erich Fromm & Kazimierz Dabrowski. It is said that intuition plus personal experience greatly verify need of social environment in personal development.
Theories tell us that we largely are a sum of circumstances subjected upon us. Yes, genetics determine personality traits, up to a certain degree, but it should be noted that people do change so as to adapt to immediate needs they are placed on. These needs or demands are dynamic and could fall under financial, emotional, social and or physical needs but not limited to these alone. Regardless, quality and types of people an individual is surrounded with will be a great determinant on how they choose to meet the confronted needs. The reason is because, an individual do not have a context outside own inner impressions, thus will seek to draw their past impressions and experiences of how others met those confronting needs successfully. What this informs us is that decisions we make are directed in relation to things we learned and lesson therein which are always due to circumstances faced and people knew that far. This affirms the reason why we internally justify actions we take and boldly satisfy desires through those means we emulate.
Also, it is argued that opinions we make are formed by impressions of others’ opinions. This is so because whenever we think that a person satiates desire we experience, psychologically we justify imitating behaviors they demonstrate. This social environment factor is double edged sword. On one hand, values we assume get dictated to us by societal norms and then our ideas into assuming those values is internalized based on impressions of people we choose to emulate.
To further explain how the environment may inform actual actions a person may undertake, consider this practical example. Imagine, a young boy seeing a man driving a nice and expensive sports car. The machine is “cool” and this impression is positive due to initial childhood experiences of the young boy. When the young boy meets people, he or she may explain how “cool” one will be if they become wealthy by being able to own such wonderful luxurious cars. The youngster will make it his own initiative, that to lead a successful and happy life he needs to be wealthy. The decisions that would steer the boy or girl’s life would be oriented around that goal making life to have specific desires. Notice that the boy is destined to become wealthy in his mind. However, influences of people who are around him have the power to dictate the way he would try to fulfill the objective even though it may still vary significantly with change on people he surrounds himself with. If the child comes from a poor neighborhood, actions such as selling drugs would be a way of achieving his objective, or rap music if people around there do that. On the other hand, if the boy comes from a rich neighborhood, he may choose a good career path advised by the parents as well as adults the big looks up to achieve his objectives towards leading a good life.
It should be acknowledged that individuals do have highest and attainable levels of personal development. Surprisingly, we fail most of the time in transcending the influences of the social environment in a bid to achieving true autonomy, enlightenment, and self-actualization. Positive or negative events in life trigger self-reflection on personal development matters. A person may be forced to progress because inner turmoil is unbearable as a result of repeated mistakes.
Environment matters! Surround yourself with the right people.
TUPEANE SAUTI
Author: Duncan Mnyogha
