SAMSON ESUDU

ID: UM34177BIN42751

COURSE NAME: THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

TOPIC: Environment is responsible for Personality

ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

AUGUST 2015
1 Table of Content

1. Table of Content …………………………………………………………..2

2. Introduction………………………………………………………………...3

3. Background…………………………………………………………………4

4. Personality…………………………………………………………………..5

5. Environment………………………………………………………………...6

6. Advantages of environmental influence on personality……………………11

7. Disadvantages of environmental influence on personality…………………12

8. Conclusion………………………………………………………………….14

9. Bibliography………………………………………………………………...15

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 2 Introduction

This essay is concerned with personality as influenced by environment on both natural,

geographical, social, that has a bearing on human personality. It is through emphasis of

environmental as being responsible for behaviour change where it sets limits to personality

and provide opportunities to development. As a result of differences of person’s attitudes,

characters, tendencies, ways of thinking, inclination, temperament etc develops changes in

personalities. Children copy from their close surrounding environment more especially from

their parents, friends and what they observe, hear, which has taken their understanding and

behaviour to different levels in the present century as compared to previous centuries. The

young generation criticise the previous generations in terms of what has taken their attention

and understanding. Given example of respect, many young people these days have low

respect to elderly. When they meet elderly persons outside their relatives, they have limited

respect to them as compared to what was happening during the early centuries. They call

themselves dotcom generations meaning modern generation of computerised technology. The

essay therefore intends to understand what personality is according to other theories,

understand what the environment is or the surroundings of an individual, how the

surroundings have always influenced persons behaviour and created impact. I will also

identify advantages and disadvantages of environmental factors that have always influenced

personal behaviours.

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 3 Background

Personality is a thought, feeling and behaviour that make an individual unique from others.

Behavioural theories suggest it as a result of interaction between individual and environment.

Meanwhile psychodynamic theories are influenced by Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stage

theory where Id, Ego and Superego are components of his personality. Humanist theories

emphasis on free will and individual experience in the development of personality meanwhile

Trait theories believe in a relatively stable characteristic that causes an individual to behave

in certain ways. It therefore implies that the relationship between the entire environment

factors with individuals influence how persons behaviour according to behaviour theories.

Other theories like Sigmund Freud, Trait theories, Humanist theories and Psychodynamic

theories had their explanations about personality. However, Behavioural theories have more

reasons and truth about personality. They dwelt on observable and measureable behaviours

which rhyme with current generation whose personalities are being influenced by current

technological world of computers as compared to early generations. What they see, listen,

feel is what has made them to be what they are in the current generation on personality

behaviours. They have turned their backs against traditional system of living, thinking,

respect, talk, eat etc. to be precise, Children who grow up from rural locations have different

behaviour from those who live in urban settings of current generations. Meaning urban grown

up generations are more exposed to current information technology than those in rural

locations. Meaning their personalities differ from each other. Urban grown-up children are

exposed to a wider cultural learning from different backgrounds through information

technology than that from rural setting who is limited with an understanding from knowing

how other cultural backgrounds behave. Meaning what they see and hear around them is what

influences the behaviour.

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 4 Personality

Personality means the way an individual behaves. According to behavioural theories which

suggests that interaction between individuals and environment that makes individuals behave

in the way they behave. Individual behaviours have always been observed and measured.

Personalities have the following characteristics; quiet, polite, talkative, emotional, brilliant,

dull, aggressive, analytical, authoritative, defensive, shy depending on the way individual is.

This has been tagged to tribes where some tribes have been categories as shy category of

people for example in Guyana, Amerindians are categorised as shy tribe nationwide. This is

because of the environment they stay away from exposure-hinterland locations far from

economically busy areas as most of the urban busy areas are concentrated in Northern part of

the country along the coast in towns like Georgetown, Berbice, New Amsterdam, and Linden

which are developed as compared to hinterland locations where Amerindian tribes are.

Meanwhile Afro-Guyanese are categorised as aggressive with more exposure as they are

concentrated along the coastal locations of Guyana with Indians who are well-known for their

business personalities. Indians are categorised as authoritative, emotional and aggressive who

rank the highest in criminal cases followed by Afro-Guyanese and Amerindians rank the

least. Individual lives come from roles that explain why some groups of society behave in a

similar way for example students in school will usually treat their teacher with respect than

say another student. When they leave school, they act differently to other people depending

on their role in the situation. Personality is mainly influenced by the environment

contributing the highest percentage and impacted differently to individuals that has

influenced them to behave in the way they are. In current generations, personalities are

influenced with what they see and hear around is what has captured their attention

influencing the way they are now.

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 5 Environment

Environment is described as social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a

population. That includes other people’s behaviours, what they read from internet,

surroundings like plants, weather, animals and infrastructure like roads, buildings etc. these

are all environment to human kind. Individuals grow up from different environments with

different behaviours and personalities. Individuals are exposed to a variety of environmental

factors that exert pressure on personality formation that include;

Gene Inheritance; Most people believe that personalities are genetically acquired from

parents to children or from relatives depending on cultural believes. Parents because of the

combination of genes and more importantly the nurture that parents to a large extent raise

children in their image and characters. However, in other words nurture might not apply

because adopted children don’t resemble adopting parents. Therefore in this case, biological

children are the ones who inherit parent’s personalities. In this case, they have much time

with their parents and to learn from them as their guiders. As children grow up with their

parents, they also learn from peer groups from different parental guide. Environment then

plays a big role as heredity in shaping personality.

Plants despite the fact that they don’t speak but the interaction between individuals with

natural resources contribute an influence to certain behaviour in personality. For example

excess use of marijuana influences aggressiveness among users leading to violence and high

crime rates. Fruits that we get from plants give us food values that influence certain character

among individuals like mangoes, oranges, passion fruits, etc. They respond differently in

body systems according to science hence responsible for behavioural changes in personality.

Poverty; Children raised within impoverished environments have challenging behaviour

problems because they frequently living in neighbourhoods where there are limited positive

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role models for appropriate social behaviours. These children are more likely to be exposed

to community violence both in home, community and school.

Culture is one of the influences to individual behaviour; individuals live amidst multiple

cultures with different norms that influence different behaviours. For example, I come from

the culture with norms that condemn wearing short pants before elders for both girls and boys

(Uganda) whereby I am now in Guyana where wearing short pants is common influenced by

hot weather so I have found myself in the same behaviour of wearing short pants. However

going back to my home environment will cause me revert back to a personality I was before I

came to Guyana.

Rapid Population Growth; The swelling population of young people globally has higher

influence to cash economy as they have generally been attracted by wants. Wants which

include luxury goods and services over weighing needs. World population of young people

between the ages of 16 and 24 is 1.8 billion and they are the fastest growing category

especially in developing countries according to United Nations Population Fund report 2014.

The fast growing population of young people has a personality of increased demand for

luxury goods and services like driving expensive cars, using expensive mobile applications,

smoking, drinking, having accounts in multiple banks etc. despite the fact that there are

scarce job opportunities in the world market associated with high rate of unemployed school

leavers and their income and lifestyle options in the spheres of the informal waged economy,

the informal unwaged economy and the criminal economy.

Growing Demand; As a result of growing population, there is increasing growing demand

for goods and services that has contributed to changing trends in personalities among

individuals. In early centuries during labour based economies when the population was still

small, there was adequate supply of goods and services whereby there was communal sharing

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and contributions of goods and services meaning personalities were based on togetherness as

the supply was adequate. Unlike in the current 21st Century where Cash economy of

technology has override the supply of goods and services there is increasing demand creating

personalities of individualism or selfishness among the current generation. Implying Cash

economy has led diversification of personalities among the young generation.

Insecurity; despite increasing population that has raised the scale of demand, it has created

room for violence and aggressive personalities resulting into high global crime rate.

According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Mid-2015 survey report index per

country, Venezuela ranked the highest globally with 85.19% crime index while 14.81% was

safety index while South Korea ranked the least with 16.90% crime index and 83.10% safety

index. While other countries fall in between. Therefore this insecurity is driven by forces of

demand as the supply is low and many young people in the current generation of 21st Century

are involved in illegal acts in order to have quick access and that’s the personality they are

involved in this cash economic dispensation. Giving an example of insecurity across the

warring nations like Somalia, Southern Sudan, Iran etc.

Education; This is one of the factors responsible for personal behavioural change among the

young generation. The literacy rate among young people has increased globally from 83% to

91% between the periods of 1990 to 2015 according to United Nations Development

Programme report signifying that with this achievement, behavioural change has been

realised among young people. In school, many children’s behaviour changes as they get

accustomed to school social life where they will be socialising with other children. There will

be an element of copying personality in class or rejecting other personalities. For example,

my son Moses was so playful before joining secondary school in 2010. As soon as he joined

secondary, First term holidays my son’s personality had changed by being polite and

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committed to his books most of the time and when I asked about his behavioural change, it

was due to competition for good grades as he didn’t get good grades that same term and he

was then determined to out compete his classmates. Till now he is ever committed to achieve

his aims of passing with good grades. Therefore education is responsible for behavioural

changed.

Drugs; The abuse of drugs like cocaine, marijuana by current young generation in the 21st

Century has changed personalities among young people. Many criminal cases in courts are

associated with drug trafficking and use. For example the United States has more record on

Guyanese drug trafficking according to local newspaper ‘Kaieteur News’ September 29,

2013. This involves many young people involved in drug trafficking and use which has

propelled different personalities among young people in Guyana. Most cases of drug abuse

are involved in domestic violence, medical complications, sexual abuse, which social

problems are associated with drug abuse. Therefore drug abuse elicits certain personality as

drug trafficking and use has increased the driving force.

Corruption; This is one of the topics mainly discussed across the board. Corruption has

changed personalities among the individuals to be liars who are mainly associated with the

use of cash. The prevalent cash use is country by country basis where correlations between

cash usage and other points of known data. Looking at the level of cash usage alongside

measures of corruption, a strong link emerges between the two. In many parts of the world,

preference for a payer or a payee is driving in order to operate in an economy where bribery

is part of life which has changed person’s personalities. For example job seekers go to the

extent of bribes in order to acquire an opportunity and as the trend continues, the cycle goes

round hence has become part of life.

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Games and Sports; This has attracted the attention of the public where most people have

more interests in games and sports activities. If one doesn’t participate directly, he/she may

be partial participant who boosts moral of participating individuals. This impact personality

on behaviour change many ways where if participate in school sports for example, person

develops a variety of skills. Engage in friendly competitions with school mates and win

games, person gains a sense of accomplishment which shapes self –esteem. Meanwhile those

children who grow up without having active participation in physical activities are most

likely to grow inactive adults. As games and sports has taken the world largest population

interest in the 21st century which also claims a certain percentage of personality among the

current generation.

Entrepreneurship; This has played a critical role in behaviour change on the 21st century in

the development of economy as this is the key contributor to innovativeness and product

improvement where young generation is trained on business skills which has influenced

personalities. It’s one of the ingredients to the creation of employment and the building of

communities in ways of offering jobs opportunities. Contributing to local charities, taking

part in business, investing in projects and participating in entrepreneurial activities develops

communities in different ways and characters especially young people. This environment

factor has created a huge number of people being involved in business behaviour.

The more connections our brain makes to something surrounding us, the more likely

everyday thoughts are to lead an individual there. Once behaviour has been repeated a lot,

especially if the person does it in the same setting, person can successfully change what

people want to do.

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6 Advantages of Environmental Influence on personality

Environmental influence on personality or behaviour changes has always been evident among

human kind both physical and psychological. It has both advantages and disadvantages of its

influence where has led man kind to different levels of behaviours. The advantages of

environmental influence include;

Social behaviour; like any other, environment has always influenced positive changes

among individual life like at school, children develop personality that has more social attitude

as they always become familiar to each other in classrooms, sharing ideas, opinions, and cope

up good behaviours. This social environment creates positive changes among children when

join school. Given example of children whose parents don’t allow child to get mix up with

other children at home but when the child joins school environment, they get mix up and

most of his or her time, the child’s environment is full of other children whom s/he is

conditionally influenced to break parents rules by getting close to other children and learn

other behaviours. Therefore social environment is one of the advantages of environmental

influence in behaviour or personality change.

Exposure; Environmental behaviour influence exposes an individual to a wider knowledge

environment. This is as a result of individual interaction with environment. The more the

person moves from destination to another destination, the more s/he gets exposed to a wider

knowledge of other behaviours or personalities. This widens research and study environment.

Given example of myself that I left Uganda coming out to Guyana where I got exposed to

different cultural backgrounds with different behaviours that are both positive and negative in

my life. This expose has widened my knowledge of creativity in that I can now manage to

handle people of different behaviours unlike when my environment was limited to Ugandan

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cultural environment which was also limited in its own way. This exposure has diversified

my behaviour of social, political, religious and economic approach.

Unity; Environment personality influence leads to united forces. Due to different

backgrounds, behaviours, religions and colours where through environmental influence that

will contribute towards united force for target goal as people come from different educational

professions but by through influence from environment that we all needed to achieve the

goal, we are forced to unite in order to contribute our talents or skills in order to achieve a

common goal. Given example of political campaigns where people are always influenced by

others to elect specific leaders of their choice. Therefore this unity is caused by

environmental influence in order to create change.

7 Disadvantages of Environmental Influence on personality

Despite numerous advantages of environmental influence on personalities, it’s also evident

that there are disadvantages of environmental influence on personalities among people.

Environment has also influenced people to behave in unwelcoming manner from other

categories of people as shown below;

Criminal behaviour; This is influenced by environmental behaviours from others that leads

one to criminal offences. Given example of legalised drug trafficking where some people are

involved in trafficking drugs. Others will be influenced by individuals involved due to may

be much money involved hence as a person is new in the act, the risks of being caught by law

enforcement agents are high hence z person is tried due to drug trafficking. This affects most

children who are mostly used and as they get addicted, they become criminals at an earlier

age and as they grow, being a criminal among them will turn to be a pride in their

personalities.

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Violence; violent environment influences violent acts. People have always being influenced

to be violent under violent environment behaviours. Given example of families that are

always violent. As their children grow from the same violent influenced environment, they

will also be violent where some children’s violent behaviours is always been reflected by

their parent’s violent behaviours. This violent influenced environment affects peaceful

influenced environment that is conducive for certain category of people.

Violation of rights; This always been evident in that due to influence environmental factors

like poverty, it has influenced abuse of human rights. For example child labour is due to

different root causes which may be that inadequate food influence leads to involvement of

children on labour force which according to the rules. Due to influence of attraction leads

men to rape young girls.

Despite all the advantages and disadvantages, environmental influence has done more good

than bad.

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8 Conclusion

There has been enough evidence that Environmental influence among the individuals plays

most important role in the outcome of personality or behaviour. That includes factors like

rapid population growth, poverty, insecurity, cultural factors, drugs, corruption. The opposing

viewpoint of environmental factors is not without its doubt either as to being the prominent

factor influencing antisocial or criminal behaviour of an individual. In this essay there is

more evidence elaborating environmental factors that have contributed but does not mean

environmental factors are only responsible for behavioural change. Genetics have also

determined people personality traits to a certain degree. Person has no context outside the

inner impression. In other words decision to be who person wants to be in personality is

directed through relationship with the surroundings and experiences that existed before. Other

areas have also shown prove of their influence towards personalities.

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9 Bibliography

United Nations Population Fund report 2014

https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/statistics/crime.html

Guyana local Newspaper ‘Kaieteur News’ September 29, 2013.

United Nations Development Programme MDG report 2015.

Freud’s psychosexual stages of Development by David B. Stevenson

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