would be in a better mood. In conclusion, the physical environment one is in can affect that way that person reacts to new experiences, and can contribute to the development of the individual’s personality. Perhaps the most important factor in personality development is the aging process. Depending on one’s age and maturity level, new experiences are perceived differently, adding in different ways to the core personality. An infant learns differently from a teenager, and a teenager learns differently from an adult. At an early age, children learn mainly through mimicry and reinforcement, primarily from social groups, and view the world depending on how their basic needs are met. If the child’s basic needs are met, that child will learn to trust the world as a dependable provider of support, and to trust their own urges and instincts as reliable guides to behavior. If basic needs are not met a sense of mistrust is born, giving the person a tendency to withdraw socially. An example of this would be a child who is provided with a loving, nurturing environment, as opposed to one who is physically abused. For the child who is loved, basic needs are being met, and that child will have a tendency to be more loving and probably more socially outgoing. In contrast, the child who is being abused is obviously not being shown the love it needs and, in addition, its basic need of safety is not being met. This child will have a tendency to not be very trusting of people and, therefore, be more socially withdrawn. The learned behavior depends on which basic needs are being met. As the body matures people become aware of new experiences, either because they are given the opportunity by society, probably because they are at the “right age,” or because the body is going through certain physiological changes that cause individuals to become more interested in different areas. For example, once a person goes through puberty, t...
