What makes a person act the way they do?

[Pengent]

Ok, this is an age old question and can lead to very in depth and wonderful debates.

What makes someone act they way they do, what builds a person's character? Is it their upbringing and their experiances growing up? Perhaps it could be their genetic make up. Here is a place for people to debate this age old topic, have fun, be respectful, and for the love of all things holy please don't type any ignoent jargon.  

[[Kegan]]

the wrinkles in your brain that develope over time, mostly at a young age.  

[Duchessa]

That will depend on how that person thinks and feels.  

[Utasa]

Maybe emotions are made of what you expereince through your life until you think about it then its stuck as yoiur emotion but that could only be one part the many opions in life about what people think do or act...? maybe even the genetics and the way you feel about yours looks and apearance and you socail status in life...but...who really knows? smile  

[Seferius Slyferin]

Lord knows what makes humanity work, what makes feelings, what makes a man character. Peronsonally, I belive that it is your expiriance, your up bringing might affect it, but not as strongly as every other source, tv can even change you. For me, I was changed when I met Tseta (refer to blog)

So, I strongly belive it is expirance, I was into some serious s**t and hating everything, I was an opposite of what I am now. I am proof^-^

So says I.  

[Khalida Nyoka]

I'd also say that it is the experiences had that shape the way a particular person acts, as well as the way that they perceive things when viewing other people's situations and reviewing others experiences.

Beyond that, I'd say it falls into the realm of Social Psychology. Attitude justifies behavior. If someone is forced into acting a certain way, and is slowly brought around into agreeing with it, then their attitude was reformed to justify the new behavioral patterns that they are now exhibiting. This is the same way the "brain-washing" works, by the way. wink  

[Celestial Secrets]

i think experiances do make up a big part of it but also the people around them their friends and family sometimes even social status  

[White_Shadowed_Soul]

Peach-Dono

i think experiances do make up a big part of it but also the people around them their friends and family sometimes even social status

Doesn't social status, friends, and family count as life experiences?
But I get what you're saying.
I definately think it all has to do with experience, science has nothing do with it at all.  

[Utasa]

ITs how your life goes and what you see feel and experince is what makes you who you are pluss your decissions i life that change you....  

[Celestial Secrets]

White_Shadowed_Soul

Peach-Dono

i think experiances do make up a big part of it but also the people around them their friends and family sometimes even social status

Doesn't social status, friends, and family count as life experiences?
But I get what you're saying.
I definately think it all has to do with experience, science has nothing do with it at all.

what i mean is like at that moment who your friends are i do different things depending on who i'm with or what i'm doing  

[HereThereAndBackAgain]

We are born with certain character traits. As we grow up influences, such as people or events, further mold who we are. These influences could enforce the ‘basic personality’ we were born with, or mold us a new personality.  

[Kawaiinu]

I'm a wee bit of a cynic, so I tend to think that a persons overall personality and thinking methods are shaped by their experiences. I myself have watch my parents fight since I was little more than 8 years old, so I grew up to be independant, so I don't really like working in groups. It's really hard for me to trust people because I've been backstabbed and made fun of so many times, but I've always tried to lighten tense by goofing around a bit. What can I say, growing up not being able to trust people is kinda hard.
Also, a belief of mine is that noone can understand 100% how you are feeling. They can sympathize and comfort you, and give you advice, but you have the final verdict. They won't understand because it is just about impossible to find someone who's been through the exact situation, and even if they do, their though processes and emotion control would be different. To me though, the empathy and sympathy is heartwarming enough to give me the strength to truck through the hard times to be able to re-enter the happy ones.To quote a song lyric (language warning) "If your going through h3ll, keep on going. You might get out before the devil even knows you're there"
Cheesy as it is, irony has it out for me in songs. I've heard so many song that have said exactly what I've been thinking about. Fun.  

[KeyLimePie69]

I think the environment a person is brought up in is one of the biggest factors when considering how a person acts. I agree with what everyone said about experience, but without an environment, where would the experience come from? Also, I think that what most of the things you guys said about people are shaped by the people around you falls perfectly into the environment category. And I am not disagreeing with anyone's opinion on this, I'm just saying there's a much bigger factor/category of why people are the way they are, just wanted to clarify that ^^;  

[Vengeful-Suicide]

The enviroment, is a big factor in the development. But there are some factors where that one person CHOOSES a different path and does not follow those in they're enviroment. Like for example if you lived in a poor place, and were greatful about it, because you must survive in a challenging way, and you would like to challenge yourself to work your way up. Or you hate it and can grow up to be a criminal etc.  

[salsaplant]

It's the whole Nature vs. Nurture concept:
How someone acts is the environment they're exposed to, the parental figures (if any) in their lives, how they're raised, even their DNA makeup (ex. kids born from incest tend to be more screwed up than those who are not, and it has to do with genetic makeup... didnt mean to offend anyone with above statement; im not saying all kids born from incest are screwed up, but it's just a scientific fact). A child is born with a "clean slate" as a brain; growing up and their experiences along the way help mold them to be/act as they do