For as long as we’ve been alive, a constant influx of information, opinions, stories, and details of our lives have been encoded into our memory. But what if all of the aspects of our lives we conflate value, and determine to stem from our own beliefs, are actually derived from a source other than ourselves? What if our environment, people, and consumption of media have a profound impact over what we perceive to be, our “own” dreams or goals. 

When you contemplate your primary desire in life, such as a steadfast future career, are your ambitions for that job obtained from the aesthetic of it presented to you online? Are you being pressured into attaining a certain measure of success? Perhaps you want to satisfy someone. Or maybe you just want to precede life without any financial difficulties, because you lived your life in financial constraints. Are you a spender or a saver? Tidy or disorganized? Family orientated or isolated? All of our behaviors are closely linked to psychological influences which are consistently around us, affecting what we decide to engage in. We are byproducts of our external environments. The information being engraved into our brain throughout adolescence and childhood ultimately skews our development and way of thinking. 

For instance, maybe you’ve always exceeded performance in school, and as a result you’ve subsequently pleased your parents. Consequently, your parents reinforce your behavior and praise you for your achievements. They reiterate and remind you that you’re an exceptional student and individual. Although there may be some truth in that, continually being applauded for those accomplishments hinders your ability to accept constructive criticism and you begin to seek validation from others. You were conditioned to believe that you are amazing in every overbearing and meaningless way, and lose sight of when you’re not so amazing in certain features of your life. Parental strategies uphold one of the most significant psychological impacts in our daily atmosphere. This can either be completely detrimental to one’s self, or beneficial. The outcome of that fate is carefully weighted in the ways in which we are raised. 

Another prevalent contributing factor shaping us into who we are, and predominantly affecting young adolescents, is social media presence. In the last decade, the way in which teenagers have developed is both mind-boggling and drastic. Reflect on a few years ago, when it was customary for teens to have an awkward phase, compared to now when it’s seldom for them to experience that. This is closely coincided with populous and various social media platforms such as Tik Tok which alter our perceptions of who we are and what we should be. Kids aren’t kids anymore because they’re adapting to the culture presented to them online, and mirroring the behaviors they consume. Correspondingly, they are skipping the dreadful and appalling… “awkward phase.” Even some of our beliefs we view to be personnel, are extracted from a greater influence online. The creators we admire, and the content we engage in sway our opinions and cause us to question our stance on controversial topics. 

 It is undoubtedly necessary and crucial we question our environment and morals to consolidate our lifestyle and to discover whether or not we truly resonate with some of our beliefs or preconceived notions to live a life fulfilling us.