You are 40% your parents, 40% your friends and 20% random. Agree?

CCHIPSS

Love will overcome evil (Romans 12:9-21)
Jul 10, 2014
1,527
497
Vancouver, BC
✟34,527.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Protestant
Marital Status
Engaged
Politics
CA-Liberals
It is my personal believe that 40% of you today came from interaction (or lack of) with your parents. 40% came from your friends and 20% came from random factors and events.

This means 40% of the traits are traits you picked out from your parents, that you decided you like or are useful. You did the same from your friends. The rest 20% are experience and life that you encountered.

Does this theory sound valid? =)
 

blackribbon

Not a newbie
Dec 18, 2011
13,388
6,674
✟190,401.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Nope...I suspect that it changes as you age. When you are young, your very ideas are formed because you are around your parents and family so much...during your teens and twenties, I suspect that peer pressure and the desire to fit in increases the influence of your friends and the people whom you surround yourself with, but as you get older, I suspect that "life" takes a bigger role in influencing your personality traits.
 
Upvote 0

SnowyMacie

Well-Known Member
Apr 12, 2011
17,007
6,087
North Texas
✟118,149.00
Country
United States
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
In Relationship
Some of it is from genetics, and the rest is from environmental sources. I'm not really sure, for me, what the exact percentage of each is, but if I had to guess, I lean more towards the environmental side that genetic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kittysbecute
Upvote 0

Al T

Go Wildcats!
May 22, 2015
180
136
United Kingdom
✟16,044.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
Genetics provide our foundations but what I think @CCHIPSS is talking about is attitudes.

I agree that parents do heavily shape our thinking - and as time goes on some will become more rooted in us than others. Friends will shape our thoughts as well. Eventually these become the 'beliefs' we hold that we will defend when challenged.
Something's we discover ourselves - and our other beliefs get adjusted to help rationalise everything together. Sometimes things layer on top of each other like sediment - totally contradictory.
It takes a lot to shift some beliefs and some you never will.
Of course a lot of this depends on the individuals propensity to change.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MiniEmu
Upvote 0

MiniEmu

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
May 19, 2015
983
1,033
36
UK
✟21,720.00
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Married
It is my personal believe that 40% of you today came from interaction (or lack of) with your parents. 40% came from your friends and 20% came from random factors and events.

This means 40% of the traits are traits you picked out from your parents, that you decided you like or are useful. You did the same from your friends. The rest 20% are experience and life that you encountered.

Does this theory sound valid? =)

I think it's a theory as sound as any other untested theory in existence. While I'm wary of flinging percentages around it's not unreasonable to assume that friends and family would have a strong influence over who you are (at least in behaviours, beliefs, etc.), with other life events adding some finer details. We are reflections of the company we keep, particularly if you are surrounded by strong characters while you are perhaps slightly weak*, and unless you are very set in who you are it's rather easy to find yourself becoming someone else.

I am not so sure that we make a conscious decision about all the traits, we know how we would like to be and may make efforts to be that way, but I think most of the traits we display on a consistent basis without much in the way of "I have to act this way" thinking, do develop naturally.

The traits I display without much thought developed over time and do reflect family, friends, life in general and perhaps even genetics. Time rolls on, things combine, you become who you are at present with no guarantee that the current you will remain for the rest of your life. I am somewhat similar to the person I was in 2012, there are core elements that remain intact, but other things have definitely changed. In a year, perhaps even a month, I may not be the person I am now, because the people around me have inadvertently affected the way in which I behave.

*I do not mean weak-weak, but I know that I can be a bit chameleon like which I would classify as having a weak personality. If I spend enough time with someone who has a very strong personality I, rightly or wrongly, adjust my own self (mostly without realising it) to better reflect them. It rarely happens the other way around.
 
Upvote 0

SnowyMacie

Well-Known Member
Apr 12, 2011
17,007
6,087
North Texas
✟118,149.00
Country
United States
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
In Relationship
I think it's a theory as sound as any other untested theory in existence. While I'm wary of flinging percentages around it's not unreasonable to assume that friends and family would have a strong influence over who you are (at least in behaviours, beliefs, etc.), with other life events adding some finer details. We are reflections of the company we keep, particularly if you are surrounded by strong characters while you are perhaps slightly weak*, and unless you are very set in who you are it's rather easy to find yourself becoming someone else.

I am not so sure that we make a conscious decision about all the traits, we know how we would like to be and may make efforts to be that way, but I think most of the traits we display on a consistent basis without much in the way of "I have to act this way" thinking, do develop naturally.

The traits I display without much thought developed over time and do reflect family, friends, life in general and perhaps even genetics. Time rolls on, things combine, you become who you are at present with no guarantee that the current you will remain for the rest of your life. I am somewhat similar to the person I was in 2012, there are core elements that remain intact, but other things have definitely changed. In a year, perhaps even a month, I may not be the person I am now, because the people around me have inadvertently affected the way in which I behave.

What your are saying sounds a lot like Rogerian personality. There's going to be a distinction between who we'd like to be and who we actually are, the ideal self v the real self and that they should have some overlap. A great example of this would be a student who wanted to be a doctor because that's sort of all they've known they want to be their entire life, their parents want them to be one, etc. (their ideal self), however, when they get to college, they severely struggle in their science classes (real self). This student is going to have a lot of issues.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MiniEmu
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

keith99

sola dosis facit venenum
Jan 16, 2008
22,884
6,556
71
✟318,590.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
I would not want to assign percentages. There are many things where it is so subjective just what influence is how large. My parents had a huge influence on how I approach things, on my though process. So in some ways they provided the filter through which I view almost everything. But other inputs get seen through that process. Interestingly because it is how I think far more than any specific conclusion this has resulted in my changing my molding from time to time.
 
Upvote 0