How much does environment shape & dictate what an individual becomes?
Well, what is a person’s environment? An environment consists of location; family; peers; accepted views, standards, & codes; socioeconomic status; beliefs; & culture. All of these factors form the environment which plays a role in how people think & act, what they desire, & how they see the world. Yet, a person’s environment doesn’t have the final say-so on all that a person will become; nor does it comprise the totality of all that a person already is.
Yes, initially We all start off as products of Our environments (i.e., the way We’re raised & who We’re around), but as We approach Our twenties We begin to make choices for Our Selves. So by the time We’re I Our mid-late 30’s, We’re now more so a product of the decisions We’ve been making for the past decade plus.At this stage, the environments We’re in still play a role in how We behave, but the difference is that now Our environments are more a reflection of Our own way of thinking, rather than vice versa.
Normally, at 24-25. years of age, the prefrontal cortex of the brain finally fully develops & people can truly begin to understand, & appreciate, the long-term effects of Their actions. Now, We’re more inclined to question why We do the things We do as We start to comprehend consequences/ramifications on a larger level (I.e., seeing the bigger picture). Until then, We mostly focus on the immediate effects & whether or not they’re beneficial to Us.
So, what will You choose to focus on today?
SEAN BROWN
DOC #1083630
I question whether we can actually change how we behave to any great degree. Or how we feel. But then perhaps it is just me who can not change, perhaps others can. I have made changes but they have not been too alien, too remote from my innate nature and character.
I have managed to behave in a way I consider “better” over the past few years. Less condemnatory, hopefully a bit kinder and more considerate. I have had far greater difficulty with my “qualia” – my emotions, how I feel, pain and sorrow and happiness. And depression.
in effect I think we are all victims in one way or another. Of evolution, primarily, which has made us fight and claw our way through life to survive. We are every bit as savage and dangerous as every other animal – more so because of our brains.
I hope technology will change this in time. Perhaps we will eventually be able to choose what we are and how we behave.