Are We A Product of Environment or A Product of Expectations?

What this question means to me is thinking about the factors that influence our actions. Are our actions a result of the environment or what people expect of us, which in turn becomes our own expectations? I think our outcomes in life, the path we follow, can come from both aspects. 

I believe that the environment consists of the community and the people we socialize with daily. These factors influence some of the choices we make. I don’t think people have an expectation to make wrong choices; however, if the environment is filled with negative and wrong influences from people, it is easy to fall within that. Naturally, as humans, we can adapt and adjust to our environment. If our environment consists of people who want to be successful in life, it influences us to adapt if we want to “fit in.” The expectations come from within us wanting to fit in with the rest whom we surround ourselves with. 

Although I side with people being a product of environment, some people are products of expectations. This expectation can be based on gender roles. Females are expected to play with dolls and “pretend family” while young and this is what leads to the expectation that women are the ones responsible for the household chores and family when they get married. As a female hitting her thirties, I do feel that some people have this expectation of me starting a family soon. I know this because often enough I hear “when are you finally giving me grandkids?” Males are expected to be strong and take care of a female. Eventually, their expectation turns into them becoming the main provider for the house and in some cultures, this turns into becoming the man of the house, where they make the rules and are allowed the freedom to do anything they want. However, this expectation of gender varies based on the environment. The expectations of males/females can vary throughout different parts of the world.

When thinking about my life, I think I am a product of environment. For example, neither one of my parents pushed me to go to college. They never discouraged me from attending college either. I was not surrounded by many people who had goals to pursue further education. As I got older, my environment began to change. I interacted with people who valued education. I witnessed the kind of life people aspired to have by pursuing higher education. Specifically, my boyfriend never pushed me to return to school, but I felt uneducated compared to him and when I was around his coworkers. I began to think that maybe I should return to school as I also began wanting a better future for myself. Since I am the one who is paying for my education, I put an expectation on myself to make sure I put all my efforts into my work because I want to have a good grade and keep my GPA high. I am also aware of the consequences that if I don’t put any effort into my studies, then I would have to retake a class, which would be costly. Growing up, the only expectation my parents had on me was to continue being religious and I have not; therefore, I do not believe expectations are what makes me. I think it is more about my environment and then the expectations I put on myself. I think if I had continued socializing with people who did not want a better future for themselves, I would have been stuck in the same place I was five years ago. I don't think it was a bad path. I was not getting into trouble or doing anything illegal. But once I started to surround myself with success and people who strived to have meaning in their lives, it factored into my decision of going back to school.