Tuesday 7 February 2012

Reciprocal Determinism



They suck the life out of you and cause sleepless nights. There’s more caffeine in your blood than there is blood… and when they finally leave you…they give you no sense of peace.
Can you guess what I’m talking about………
EXAMS! x__x …
My blog urges have been building up, so I’ve decided to use procrastination time in a somewhat constructive manner. 

Anyways… beautiful digital painting …by Vol-chan called “Peach Boy”
 http://vol-chan.deviantart.com/ ßher latest works here!

When I looked at this painting the first thing that came to mind (besides “someone gimmie a peach!”) was the different sides of the “self” that people reveal  to one another...hmm let’s get into this like a damn good slice of chocolate cake………

So it seems pretty obvious that in society good looking people are treated in a somewhat nicer way than unattractive people. It seems like the better looking individuals go through life thinking that people in general aren’t that bad, while the unattractive people might find others a little apathetic (this is obviously a huge generalization…). The point I am making is not that pretty people have it easy. What I am saying is this: that their external looks affect their external environment. We can say this about anyone. But what if we extend this past the physical looks and think about personality. Quite obviously ones personality affects their external world, but not just in the subjective way that they view it. Also in the way that they treat others and thus how others treat them which ultimately determines their own environment. We might also take it even further and think about the genetics that underlie personality and the basic temperaments, like: sociability, extroversion/introversion, emotionality, empathy and activity preference. Because of my horrid English I never feel like I get my point across effectively so here’s an example: 

A mother who would normally be a relaxed and caring parent has a child with massive anger problems. So she would most likely bring up this child accordingly. She would probably be stricter and maybe even get quite angry herself. The way she acts becomes the environment in which the child is brought up. What’s interesting is the child then responds back to that specific environment, which when you think about, he created without even knowing. (oh ma gawd!)

So I was reading about this in one of my developmental psychology textbooks and it’s a phenomenon
called reciprocal determinism. Pretty cool if I may say so myself… So it seems like a simple concept but when you think about it you create your own environment without even knowing. So my question is this: how different is my world from yours? If people’s environments are ultimately a product of their own personalities then people are living in a world that they create and influence. I know super self-centered idea right…but think about it, it’s so true. You live in your own head for God’s sake…humans are self centered.

So cool, interesting idea…and it gets slightly complex when you take note of the fact that other people are influencing their own environment as well …so what happens when two people who are simultaneously making their own environment meet up? (which is basically anyone you talk to) You feed off of each other. Do you ever meet someone and act slightly more reserved than you actually are, or maybe you’re louder, more confident?

I think as people, we are constantly trying to “read” others…trying to figure out who they are so you can see if they’re “you’re kind of person”. Everyone does it …seems kind of like a defence mechanism. But what I find interesting is how two people change and adjust according to one another.
Person A influences person B to act more reserved.
Person B notices person A seems judgmental so he acts more reserved.
Person A’s all like… “dude he’s so boring”… little does person A know that his judging caused person B to feel like he shouldn’t speak as much in fear of being judged himself.  
Person B is then all like… (all like totally…) …sorry. *cough*
Person B’s quiet behaviour influences person A to stop busting out certain jokes (that we all know are terrible)
Person B’s like…jez person A “has no energy…he sucks the life outta me”
Then the two realize they don’t jive with each other… *awkward stare*

Anyways … interesting how people act different according to which side is brought out in them and all from mixed environments of the two that they create for themselves. And what’s even cooler is the fact that the environments they make for themselves growing up constitutes the experiences they go through and becomes the rout for their personal development and growth…you’re the root of your..own roots O_o….ummm well certainly does make me wonder…what side I bring out in people…hopefully a side where they feel like they can be themselves…<3  I hope I bring out the hearts and sheit…

~YEE YEE!

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