How Culture and Environment Influence One's Life (Essay Sample)

How Culture and Environment Influence One’s Life
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How Culture and Environment Influence One’s Life
For a long time, scholars from different schools of thought have been trying to understand the role that culture and environment play on people’s lives. While culture refers to a set of behaviors, practices and geographical features shared by a group of people, environment is considered as the people, lifestyles, and conditions surrounding an individual (Albert & Trommsdorff, 2014; Napier et al., 2014). Although viewed as different entities, it is impossible to separate culture from environment because the two play a significant role in human development through shaping of customs, practices, social behavior, and general way of life.
Starting with culture, it is set by the society to guide the behavior of people living within its boundaries. According to Albert and Trommsdorff (2014), human development occurs in a given cultural context, “is affected by culture and it affects culture” (p. 1). Culture influences one’s life in the course of early childhood development and socialization practices. Through cultural and socio-economic conditions, children adopt specific behaviors, practices, and norms. By socially constructing particular aspects, such as age and development, the society moulds its people to assume certain responsibilities. A good example is the commencement of adulthood which comes with certain expectations, such as marriage and making one’s decisions. For this reason, culture is an embodiment of human practices and activities across the world.
Environment, on the other hand, influences people’s decisions, behaviors, and the choices they make regarding their future. According to Levitt (2013), the discipline, core values, and the influence of morals instituted by parents play a role in shaping children’s lives towards their adulthood. Although parents influence their children’s lives, peers are likely to shape adolescents behavior and way of thinking. Taking an example of a school in a disadvantaged neighborhood, young adults are more likely to engage in delinquent behaviors, such as using drugs, if their peers are doing the same. Without doubt, education provisions, friendship groups, and lifestyle opportunities determine what kind of a person a child will grow to become.
As seen from above, both culture and environment act as conduits through which children are initiated into adulthood. Synergistically, human development must take place in a certain cultural context, and for that to happen, there must be an environment in place (parents, family members, and peers among others) (Albert & Trommsdorff, 2014; Levitt, 2013). As adolescents and teenagers mature into adults, they are expected by their societies to behave in particular ways. However, fitting into such responsibilities depends on the way they have been nurtured and shaped by their environment. If for example, a man is expected to be...