Mike’s struggles come from identity development, as his background does not make the formation of the id an easy process. His parents’ values, norms, and lifestyle are in sharp contrast with those of the family’s ancestors. Thus, Mike was most likely influenced by various relatives in his childhood years and got accustomed to the wide range of acceptable behavior. Although such an assumption may seem strange, children are often influenced by their grandparents, especially if there is any kind of misunderstanding between different generations. Therefore, children may feel support from their grandparents when they quarrel with their parents.
It is common knowledge that people tend to find inspiration for their personality development outside their homes during their teenage years. Sometimes the rebellious spirit encourages teenagers to join the wrong crowds. Such groups and communities provide the support every person needs and, at the same time, do not seem boring to teenagers. Mike was just one of the many young people who got deeply involved in the crowd’s activities, which led to substance abuse. Although it is hard to realize the initial reasoning behind becoming a member of the crowd, it is vivid that Mike is a conformist and most likely did everything to be accepted in the new social group. Some of Mike’s traits, such as loyalty, may have led to the awful outcome. I do not believe that genetic predisposition was a serious issue, as Mike’s parents clearly showed that drug use is, first and foremost, merely a person’s choice.
Various aspects of personality influence people’s lives dramatically by determining behavior patterns. According to Erik Erikson, each of the eight stages of the entire lifespan should provide people with valuable lessons that teaches them the means to mitigate crises (Schultz & Schultz, 2017). All major imbalances in peoples’ behavior originate from the lack of experience in dealing with certain types of challenges. Moreover, the ego is central to understanding numerous passions that drive human actions.
The history of my personality development provides plenty of examples of how it affects my decisions. For instance, my approach to studies has been altered dramatically by a series of emotional life episodes that proved the necessity of high-quality higher education. Currently, I realize that it is my ego that is driving me to succeed in my studies. Moreover, the same teenage experiences are to influence my future career choice.
Reference
Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2017). Theories of personality (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.