Role of Environment on Personality Development

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However, sometimes, a hostile environment may play as a motivation for some people. It will inspire and drive them to work hard to make the dream come true. According to Jaques Lacan’s concepts, “Jaques Lacan raises this concept to a higher level. His concepts of the ‘other supposed to know’ and ‘the other supposed to enjoy’ clarify the way in which we internally justify our decisions and choose to satisfy our desires. Through careful analysis, Lacan identified the structure of desire and the way the individual attempts to satiate it. To explain briefly, Lacan argues that our opinions are formed by our impression of the opinion of others. If we think a person is successful in satiating a desire we experience, we can psychologically justify imitating their behavior. By pursuing a similar path to (what we believe to be) their success, we aim to satiate our desires and reach our goals.” He also used the New York City rap artist—Diabolic’s case to support his view that a person with high developmental potential who faced a pretty hostile environment could be inspired by the negative social environment itself. He wrote his emotional struggles and battle with material poverty into his songs. At last, Diabolic succeeded. For him, negative social environment plays as the positive motivation to his success. In other words, bad things (like material poverty, disappointed love, etc.) in a person's life can arise her or his self-reflection and personality development.

Moreover, another factor of the environment—culture plays an important role in an individual’s personality development. That’s the main reason why people from different countries or places have different traits like lifestyle habits, eating habits, and so on. Because from the moment of a person’s birth the culture and customs of the place where s/he is born shape her or his personality, experience, and behavior. Examples would be, Muslims don't eat pork, British love to eat potatoes, and so on. Besides eating habits and lifestyle habits, the culture also plays an important role in shaping one’s emotion and affects the expression of emotion. People’s expression of emotion is significantly affected by their culture and environment surround them. For example, western people are more likely to express their emotion. While Asian people (like the Chinese) are more introverted. Because the Eastern and Western cultures are very different. Like forthrightness, some news reports show most people’s impression of the Eastern and Western cultures. “The West is known for its openness and the ease with which several topics are discussed across generations. Discussing something as basic and important as child birth or sex is still a taboo in the East while that is done with much candor in the West. The lack of openness and conservative outlook is in fact one of the hurdles in making sex education a must in the East while the same proceeds almost without any hindrance in the West.” That’s the main reason why people come from Western countries are much more open-minded than Asians. It sufficiently explains why American people and the Chinese show totally different attitudes towards the same thing (like sexual issues). Therefore, from my point of view, the cultural context significantly affects the way that human behavior is different or similar.

In conclusion, some environmental factors (like family, peers, culture, background, and so on) play important roles in an individual’s personality development. Because they significantly affect people’s life experience and this life experience will shape one’s personality. And all these factors consist a whole—environment which makes a person become a unique individual all over the world.

Work Cited

Varron. (May 14, 2011). “Personality, It is Hereditary or an Environmental Effect?” Wikinut.com. Via internet. http://guides.wikinut.com/Personality,-It-is-Hereditary-or-an-Environmental-Effect/1i5yjgt6/>

Sheldonkreger. (January 24, 2012). “The Importance of the Social Environment in Personality Development.” Sheldonkreger's Blog. Via internet. http://personality-development.org/content/importance-social-environment-personality-development>

Admin. (January 31, 2014). “Effects of Heredity and Environment on our Personality.” Psychology Discussion. Via internet. http://www.psychologydiscussion.net/essays/effects-of-heredity-and-environment-on-our-personality/546>

Simone Hoermann, Ph.D., Corinne E. Zupanick, Psy.D. & Mark Dombeck, Ph.D. “Early life Experiences and the Development of Personality Disorders (Nurture).” Sevencounties.org. via internet. >

Nabanita Dhar. “Top 10 Differences Between Eastern and Western Cultures.” TOPYAPS.com. via internet. http://topyaps.com/top-10-differences-between-eastern-and-western-cultures>