Rios 1
Psyc2301
29 April 2021
Why are people different? Why does it matter?
When I look around and when I speak to people I realize I am very different from
everyone else. There are so many factors that make me who I am.
When it comes to how I was raised I was raised with an authoritative parenting style.
My mom was very hard on me growing up; she wanted me to have the best grades and to be the
best I can be. But when it came to my dad he had a different approach, he had more of a
Permissive parenting style. My dad and I never even talked too much to each other so our
relationship isn’t the best. When it came to the type of punish I would get. They would use
negative punishment on me. They would usually take away my games or hit me with the belt.
Now that I am older I wish they had used positive punishment. If they had used a different type
of punishment maybe I would have a different approach to how I do things. When I was a kid I
was well behaved. From a behavioral perspective, it is because when I behaved well my parents
would reward me with a game or toy. My mom and I have a good relationship, when I was a kid
I had an attachment to my mom. If anything happened to me I would always tell her everything;
my mom was my best friend.
When I started dating my girlfriend I realized how different we are. She was raised in a
very different household than me. Her parents came from Mexico so their kids would have better
opportunities. Her parents are very supportive of everything she does. Another thing is, her
family is a bit well off than mine. Some of our differences come from sociocultural factors.
When I was growing up, we didn’t have enough money for many things that made circumstances
Rios 2
difficult. My parents aren’t supportive unless it benefits me. When I started playing in the band
they would always make fun of me and tell me what am I going to be a “rockstar”. But when it
came to my girlfriend’s parents, they encouraged her to get into music because she wanted to do
it.
From a cognitive perspective, my girlfriend and I are very different. I like to have my
things very organized and tidy. She on the other hand is messy and organized in her own way.
When we get into an argument or anything like that I try to look at it through a different insight.
Because sometimes I can’t see the way she does with certain things. From a biological
perspective, we act differently and were raised differently so it’s only fair that I try and see it
from different viewpoints. My girlfriend suffers from bipolar disorder. Sometimes she can be in
a good mood and other times it completely flips. I’m still trying to learn and figure out how to
help her but sometimes it can be hard. She has only gone through a few manic episodes but
other than that she has always kept in control. We are different from each other but we have the
same type of personality. We both think the same way about life and everything else. A thing
that my girlfriend lacks is consciousness. I can go on for hours about my emotions and how I
feel. But for her, she struggles with talking about her emotions and feelings. We are complete
opposites but we somehow make it work.
Writing this paper made me understand more of who I am. There are times where I feel
like I don’t know myself but writing this paper solidifies that I know who I am.