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Literature Review
The human mind is a magnificent creation, as without it we would be nothing but a
useless casing of a human being. Often times, due to the fact that the brain is a high profile topic
of study, many try to dive into its function. Obviously, the mind has many parts and even has
specific functions, but the most highly studied area of the brain is its use of psychology and the
sociology of the individual. Seeing as we all are “unique”, a common question is the process in
developing a individuals psyche. The features of a person’s psychosis area gathered from all
areas and aspects of life such as: genetics, family uprising, past events in one’s history, human
instinct, etc. So, the overall question is how do current and past living structures such as genetics,
nature vs. nurture, psych develop, econ status and developmental theory, effect the development
of a person’s psychological persona.
Weather man or beast, the theory of nature vs. nurture has always played a key role in
development. This theory simply compares the natural instinct based on our core founding, to the
individual upbringing. In nature, the theory of Darwin is at its highest peak, the thought of kill or
is killed and only the strong survive. Professor of Psychology at University of Columbia was a
theologist whom believed “…animals do not reason or solve problems on the basis of their
intelligence but in a more or less mechanical manor or learning manor through trial and error.”
Therefore, he is essentially stating we are basic beings and not capable of reason, of a common
idea to the enlightened thinker Thomas Hobbes, whom also believed we were incapable of
rhyme or reason and at our basic state we are an animalistic and brutish species. If this were the
case, we essentially follow the guidelines of evolution in a physical state, but mentally we have
no means of development compared to our barbaric counterparts. The other half of our common
theory is the idea of nurture. John Locke, another enlightened philosopher believed human
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beings were capable of reason, logic and a structured society. In many parts of the world such as
the United States, this theory is clearly self-evident. To establish this form of society, we must
create the model citizen whom is proper participants of society, which comes from our individual
up bringing through adolescent childhood from our parental guidance. Often it is thought that the
mind of a child is the most complicated to understand, as it is constantly undergoing new
changes. Therefore, doctors and enthusiasts alike break down the adolescent part of life into
three separate stages: Infancy, adolescence/puberty, pre adulthood. With the category broken
down into separate sections, it is much easier to take a closer look at the mind in year increments
versus a whole. At first, a child is a character with sponge like characteristics as it does not have
any means of self therefore reflect the thoughts and beliefs of his/her surrounding important
figures, such as family. This is where the child establishes a first line of morale’s, these including
religion are finally established. Anna freud, a theologist of psychology, had created one of many
theories basing it upon the human mind. Apart of this theory, she believed a individuals sexual
orientation is established as a child, and searched for a “cure” in homosexuality. She was
accused of being a hypocrite as she herself was a lesbian who thought that “homosexuality is an
irresistible impulse among females”, but also believed that homosexuality in males was cured.
Once a underlying of grounds has been established, the child progresses to age into adolescence,
around 5-17 years of age. This is where a lot of long term memory is stored and the child is now
beginning to obtain a sense of self, therefore improving mentally into his/her own state. Here,
they begin to gain a sense of self pride, motivation, and drive, as this carries on into adulthood
and once again the cycle starts over.
Though we learn a lot of our extremities, some things we also inherit before our lifelong
learning progress come to order. This is called genetics, the genetic properties or features of an
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organism, characteristic. Now obviously everyone has genetics, as it is the building block of
every human being. The only difference is that there are the genetics we inherit in which we can
control, and some we cannot. As to what these are, is a topic that is of discussion around the
health industry constantly. Based on the research from BBC America Science, human beings are
nothing more than those who practice the “mirror effect”. This effect states that we as humans
are often characters that mimic what we see, hear, etc. You do not need to understand difficult
scientific research to see where the mimic effect comes into play. This effect is displayed in
areas such as world history (The circle of dynasties in china, great rise and fall of powers, etc) ,
religion (catholic and Christian, protestant, jewish), and even as we are children. “A great leader
once had to learn how to follow”-unkown. The mirror effect is a genetic cause that happens
naturally, such as breathing. Through the use of it we become to understand how to develop as
we notice what we want to change, what we admire to be, etc. Now, there are genetics that we
can control, and depending on how we manage to do this, can have a positive or negative
outcome. Albert Bandura, graduate of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver states
that “Personality is formed by the interaction of three things: environment, behavior, and
psychological process of the individual, but the environment shapes behavior.” This is a lot to
swallow, as it intertwines personality which often is duplicated from a parent, behavior which is
developed as a adolescent, and the environment. Therefore, a individuals personally is 2/3
there’s, and is more easy to control then bending the use of the mirror effect.
In general conclusion, a lot of information has been posed here as to the process of the
mind, though this is not even scraping the surface. To truly understand the process unto which
the mind and a individuals progression works, we must gather data from individuals as facts only
can prove so much.