Human Behavior Cause and Effects

Behavior-Cause and Effects

Cause and effect.

There are many circumstances in life that result in positive as well as negative effects. The causes or causative factors that result in certain effects however cannot just be considered from a purely subjective point-of-view. One should also consider the environmental and societal factors that act as causes that affect one's feelings and behaviour in life. A central thesis therefore that will be explored in this paper is that social and environmental factors determine one's life and experiences but that knowledge of the way one's life is affected can be used positively in terms of contentment and satisfaction.

If one thinks in the larger context one has to come to the conclusion that certain social, socio-economic as well as political factors are causative factors in our lives. One could consider as a primary factor in our lives the various social and political structures which result in the categorization of people into classes and social "types."

We also have to consider the nature vs. nurture debate. This includes the view that our lives are shaped and determined to a great degree by our genetic makeup. The extent of genetics as a causative feature in our happiness or otherwise is a point of contention in modern thought: as one researcher in this field states;

Contrary to the argument that genetics determines one's sustainable happiness is the "position that happiness changes throughout one's life as a result of life circumstances and intentional activities. Therefore, one is not simply born with a permanent disposition to happiness as genetics research suggests. (Gironda et al.)

One could also argue that these social and governmental factors also determine how much access we have to knowledge and also determine our lives as consumers of goods. There is also the argument that society and the forces such as the mainstream media dictate who and what we are, as well as what thoughts we think, what we can do with our lives, who our friends and lovers are, where we live, what kinds of cars we drive, even the kinds of sicknesses we have or how long we will live.

From this perspective the causes that lie behind the way we feel and act can be seen to be manipulated and determined by social objectives and aims that reduce rather than increase our sense of contentment and satisfaction. On the surface or on one level however, there are many factors in society that provide us with a sense of contentment and satisfaction. We can live relatively comfortably and easily as passive consumers if we turn a blind eye to the way our lives are being determined and manipulated. This raises the question of truth and meaning in our lives and the refusal to live what is perceived as a false or illusionary lifestyle.

However, I would suggest that the mere fact that one is aware of these factors and forces that direct and determine our lives behind the scenes is a form of contentment and has its own type of satisfaction. The very fact that one is aware of the manipulation of social elements and authority and finds ways to cope with these demands without losing one's dignity and sense of integrity, is a source of contentment and satisfaction. In other words, from, this knowledge and insight, a negative determining force is changed into a positive feeling and set of behaviour patterns

At the same time has to be aware of the way that social and cultural institutions determine our lives in society. In this regards one could look at the common flow of our lives from family, to school and to exposure to the economic and media driven world of adulthood. At each stage we are determined to some extent by the norms and values of our society; for example, where we can travel and where we can't, our sexual preferences and a host of other factors and aspects that are directed by society and culture.

All of these factors, as well as the perception of stereotyped by the media, determine our feelings and behaviour to some extent. One needs only think of the image projected in the popular media of the perfect female form and how this has caused discontent and even illness for many women who do not fit or subscribe to this social norm and stereotype. On the other hand, if we have knowledge and insight into the way that our behaviour is shaped we can determine our own lives more effectively and reach a certain level of contentment by refusing to acknowledge social stereotypes.