What Influences Me

Who we are: Factors that influence behavior

Who we are is primarily characterized by concrete factors, such as societal perceptions of gender and social status. All these factors influence an individual’s life and therefore reduce their behavior and conduct to some degree. I personally believe that some of the factors that affect my life and behavior are social expectations and gender. Both in public and within the boundaries of my family life, these consequences influence my life.
In terms of the positions I perform in society, gender designates the degree to which I can go. Bartholomae and Petrosky state that “our culture has devised elaborate sets of roles for women and men in relation to gender.” From this statement, it is obvious that boys are raised to be different from girls especially in terms of the roles they play. For example, my society does not allow females to partake in any activities that require climbing trees such as when harvesting fruits. This is considered a male-based activity. It is quite rare to find females engaging in such activities and so this limits the things I can do.

Social expectations and cultural differences

The society normally has its own expectations regarding the decorum of individuals. Bartholomae and Petrosky state that “there are still social roles and expectations that make life very different for people of different races”. At school, we had a foreign exchange student who would be shocked that girls are allowed to wear short skirts to school. While in my society this was considered normal behavior, it was absurd to him. At this point, I had to tread carefully when dealing with him because I was his guide and I did not want to offend him.