Week 9

I think that who we are as people is very largely influenced by our environment from the day we are born. As children, we soak up the words and actions of those around us. Our mind are very mallable as we do not have much experience in life or the full ability to think critically and make our own decisions. Much of what children believe and think spawns from the opinion of someone around them. Often, this is the family of the child because they spend most of their time with family. As an education major, Ive worked in several classrooms of several different ages and this is largely the case; especially from kingergarten to fifth grade. With age, I think we develop the abiility to create our own ideas and opinions, straying from those of our families. However, our absorbtion of our environment does not stop. Through friends and relationships, I think we all find bits and pieces of our personality. Location plays a role in it as well. Someone from California wont have that similar of a personality as someone from Georgia. So many factors play a huge role in who we turn out to be.

Despite that most of our personalty develops from external factors, I do not think that takes away from our actual person. We do each have a “true self” even through it is developed from things outside of ourselves. Everyone is different, and while we do influence eachothers personalities, its in a different way for everyone. My siblings and I grew up in the same environment and because of this have a couple similar personality traits, but are for the most part very different from eachother. I believe this is the case for everyone with family, friends, relationships, and location. We all may absorb the same environment, but we process differently and therefore develop different personalities; our true self.