The Characteristics Of Humans Are Not Solely Based On Their Genetic Makeup

Chapter 3 of Essential of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach by James M. Henslin discusses the topic of socialization, which is the process by which people learn the characteristics of their group—the knowledge, attitudes, skills, norms, values, and actions thought appropriate for them. Sociologists try to determine how much of a person’s characteristics comes from “nature” (heredity) and how much from “nurture” (social environment). Studying feral, isolated, and institutionalized children, such as The Skeels/Dye Experiment, have helped them understand how “society makes us human.” The theories and research of Charles Horton Cooley, George Herbert Mead, and Piaget to explain socialization into the self and mind. Cooley’s looking-glass self theory focuses on how we believe others perceive us.

Individuality is the quality that people that makes each person unique and distinguishable from each other. It is important to remain distinct from others, even among groups of people that are classified as either the same or very similar. While individuality is a concept that many people agree with and want to ensure, the pressure from most people’s lives, including their environment and the people around them, forces individuals to lose who they truly are and morph in order to fit in. I strongly agree that individuality, while important, is difficult to keep because of outside factors, a concept that was presented by Logan Fey.

In Freeman Hrabowski’s piece, “Colleges Prepare People for Life,” he mentions the differing opinions between going to college and choosing another path. Many people find college too expensive, and once a student graduates, he or she will face enormous debt and potentially risk still being unprepared for the working world. Hrabowski acknowledges this, and also notices that many students who do attend college occasionally make the wrong decision in terms of choosing a school and major. But while the stakes are high, he argues that college not only provides financial stability, but also allows students to become more virtuous citizens in the long run. He does this by providing information to backup his claims, using a passionate tone to explain his beliefs, and paralleling college attendance with good intentions.

Since the beginning of time, the environment in which one is accustomed to provides them with the choices that lead down paths that make their legacy. This environment can be negative or positive, structured or chaotic, rich or poor, all which give a variety of choices. Regardless of the different trials and tribulations we face ultimately, it is the choices we make in response that make us the person we become.

The understanding of human nature is the concept that there is a set of inherent distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that all humans tend to possess (Winkler, 1996). My basic view of human nature correlates with

What were some of the economic and political motivations that lead to the idea of race and racial genetic differences?

The many determinants of one's attitude and personality surround a person from day one of existence and, therefore, slowly mold the person they will become later. The Power of Place informs the reader of places and regions that produce different aspects of personality. The tranquility of nature helps to reach the inner sanctum of personality as opposed to the monotonous routine of the concrete jungles of the city. Anything and everything that surrounds a person molds their personality to perform certain mannerisms and certain stimuli to the smallest routine activity.

Throughout our lives, everyone that we share bonds with and interact with on a regular basis, either forms or has some sort of influence on our identity. Consequently, the majority of us naturally find ourselves striving to fit in with these people, especially during the tough transition from childhood to adulthood. It is this part of the human condition that makes us feel as though we must forge ties with something outside of ourselves in order to establish a strong sense of existence and a clear understanding of who we are. Although most individuals are able to make these connections with others naturally, others who stray from the social norm might not be so fortunate, but rather than

As a human race, in most circumstances we all go through similar stages of development. What most also be taken into account when assessing development is our ranging variations of individualism. Our individual development is subject to a never ending list on influences. Some influences we are born with and some are due to our own life experiences. Our personality comes from all that we are; we feel; we do, either on a conscious or subconscious level.

As I went through the research process for this paper I conducted many interviews with former classmates who are now either attending a four-year university or a local community college. The original intent was to find out their reasons for attending the institution they chose to attend. As I accumulated information I began to see a glaring trend in the relationship between the social group the individual was a member of and the college they ended up attending. This then drove me to further examine the influencing factors in these students’ social lives, in a hope of identifying the degree to which they are influenced by each other. Thus, the first part of the paper explores

In terms of value structure, the morals I held close before I first came to the University of Georgia have only strengthened during my stay here. For example, keeping close ties to my family has always been important to me. My family is tight-knit and I will always feel a strong bond to them. Being separated by my attendance at Georgia has not only diminished our bond, but, instead has made it stronger. We appreciate each other more because I am growing into an adult who can communicate with them as an adult and accept adult responsibilities. They now see facets of my character that they have never truly seen before. My increased interest in academics is one of these changes. They seem very pleased by my eagerness to learn of subjects that, up to now, I have never been exposed to. They have seen this dedication in relation to football, but never with my studies. Though I am still not the student I hope one day to be, always finding the time to concentrate on my classes, I have certainly come a long way. Surely, from this perspective, college has affected me in only a positive manner.

Through the social connections of individuality and affiliation, we become who we are known as. Primarily, we start life with the influence of our elders. By the time we reach puberty, social awareness comes into play, and our own sense of originality takes flight with what we hear, see and touch and this, in turn, forms our connection with society. In sequence with this, our affiliation with friends and family form the backdrop of our existence, while our originality as an individual configures our personality. “Relationships

To support his argument, Gergen elaborates damages in the community and institution that nurtured independent self, the direct erosion to solitary self. In the pre-modern world, people due to the lack of communication and transportation tools, have fewer opportunities to get in touch with various people outside. Therefore, people form consistent relationships with others, which derive a strong sense of “being somebody” everyone is familiar with. However, the advances in communication enable people to move household often and be in contact with a wider range of friends leading to average weakening bonds with more and fast changing friends. As a result of the decrease in deep relationships, in Gergen’s notion, people receive less sense of identification. Moreover, the multi-voices raised today and the suspicions over speakers’ motivations confuse people from faith to distrust.

Human character and behaviour are not only shaped by the genes that encompass the individual’s genotype. Human character comprising mainly of personality, sexuality, morality and intelligence are the products of genetic determinism as well as external environmental factors. “Single genes can have surprisingly strong influences on particular aspects of behaviour.” (Frank., 2009)

Likewise, Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory derives on the premise that humans learn and develop accordingly to our environment and not our genetics. The Sociocultural Level of Analysis in psychology states that people retain an individual identity as well as a collective identity and therefore base personality on a combination of