Name Course Tutor Date of Submission Introduction According to Wormer (2010, p.

13), most of our physical characteristics are inherited from our parents. Scholars in different academic fields have come up with theories that attempt to explain the factors that shape human behavior. Both psychologists and anthropologists hold that our behavior is shaped by genetic factors and the environment. Erik Erikson, renowned psychologists, came up with eight stages of psychological development that shape human behavior. Lawrence Kohlberg, another psychologist came up with stages of moral development that begins when a person is about thirteen years of age. Lawrence notes that the stages are developed through interaction between the child and peers, parents, and guardians. It is evident that both the immediate environment and the broader social context play a vital role when it comes to shaping human behavior; this shaping happens at different stages of growth since while the immediate environment plays a major role in shaping human behavior at an earlier stage of life, the broader social context mostly affects our behavior when we are older. The immediate environment plays a major role since our experiences at a tender age may affect our behavior later in life (Greene & Kropf 2009, p. 65).Human behavior can therefore be looked at as a direct result of effects of the immediate environment and the broader social context for example our country. The immediate environment Agents of socialization play an important role in determining our behavior. Family, school, peers, and religion play a vital role in determining our behavioral patterns. These agents are what we are in constant interaction with in our lives. A day cannot pass without coming into contact with one or more of these agents. George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley, proponents of the symbolic-interactionism theory hold that human behavior does not necessarily mirror truth in a situation but the meaning that has been given to it. It is the people around us that make certain acts to appear moral or immoral. The meaning that has been attached to a concept as we grow up may form the basis of our reasoning. A child brought up in a Christian family may grow up knowing that wars are ungodly, while a Muslim child will view the Jihad as a holy war. Lawrence Kohlberg states that a childs interaction with peers, parents, and guardians goes through various stages of development. Firstly, rewards and punishments determine an individualsdecision. People in this age group will avoid punishments by following rules but at the same time to enjoy the benefits attached to such an action. Secondly, people will behave well in an effort to please others. This is done to command respect and to meet the expectations of the society. Thirdly, people behave well since they believe that it is the right thing to do. They are expected to follow the set rules for the benefit of the society as a whole and then because their conscience agrees with it (HenslinPossamai, &Possamai-Indesedy 2011, p.77). The family set up determines what models the child has during the development period. Positive models will impact positive behavior while negative models will impact negative behavior. Children will learn what the society expects from them from the family. Respect, attitude, and obedience are some of the virtues that children can learn from their families. The manner in which a child interacts with others may give an idea of what kind of models that child has. Children who are rudeand disobedient may be coming from families where the parents do not put emphasis on the importance of virtues. The manner in which a child behaves when interacting with peers tells a lot about the family they have been raised in. Children born and raised in single

parent families will display different behavioral patterns from those born in families with both parents. Wormer (2010, p.90) is of the view that any parent whoactsviolently towards their spouse make the children to develop a negative attitude towards marriage. Although the role that family plays in shaping human behavior is sometimes overlooked, some people tend to concentrate on the individual more; evidently, the manner in which activities are conducted within a home play a vital role in influencing behavior. In any school setting, we have different categories of students in as far as behavior is concerned. It is in school that students learn the importance of cooperation and interaction. The school acts as a mirror to the society hence it teaches the societal expectations to students. As students interact among themselves, they acquire some ideas from others; the ideas so learnt can be integrated in their lives at some point. Some students are very influential hence they may make others to adopt their way of life.It has been constantly argued that ones principles determine whether they conform to certain ways of life or not, while this is true, principles may change as one grows older. People reason differently as they go through the various stages of growth. Teachers play a role in determining the attitude of the students towards a certain subject or the entire education system. The school environment will determine how students behave both at school and outside school. It is at adolescence that people learn to socialize with people with whom they share interests. Peer groups formed during this development stage can be positive or negative models. A young person may choose to associate with a group whose interests and goals agree with self or with violent groups like gangs. This is a very sensitive age in development since young people are tempted to try out different ideas. The kind of people that one associates with can have long-term or short-term effects on personal behavior (Macionis& Plummer 2012, p.45). It is at this stage that most youths go astray since they are trying to experiment what they see in movies or what they read. The path that young people choose to follow is determined by the type of group or individuals that they associate with. At this age, young people may be lured to experiment on their sexuality by their peers. In trying to be cool young people display weird behavior and this occurs because they want to fit in a certain group. It is impractical to agree with those who state that behavior at this age is alwaysnegative; there are some youths who display a positive behavior. Marx Weber and Emile Durkeim describe religion as a social bond that brings the society together.Wormer(2010,p102) notes the influence of religion on the society declined in the late 20th Century. Today, people are worldlier as compared to earlier times. Self-gratification is the driving force of peoples behavior. The belief systems have become very diverse and multicultural. People hold their own belief systems and they tend to have unique interpretations of the Holy book. This makes religion to have less generalized impacts on the society as a whole. Some people have disputed the issue of the role that religion plays in shaping human behavior; such people fail to understand that religious impacts may not only be evidenced when people have the correct interpretations.People will display different behavior since their interpretations of the Bible, Quran, and other holy books differ. The different interpretations make people reason and act differently. Structures of the broader social context Factors in the broader social context are in most cases overlooked since they do not play a very significant role in influencing human behavior. These factors are sometimes overlooked since they cannot influence human behavior in isolation; they depend on the immediate environment to shape human behavior (Macionis & Plummer 2012, p.89).The political system in ones countrycan influence human behavior in various ways. A child born in a warring country will tend to be violent because of the past experiences. People living in warring countries treat any strangers with

suspicion since they do not trust strangers. Democracy in any nation determines how freely the citizens air their views. In nations ruled bydictators, the citizens views are disregarded. In democratic nations, people enjoy democracy by airing the good and the ugly without fear. The political systems determinethe conduct of those in office; it can overlook their misdeeds or condemn them. Our workplaces are our second homes since this is where any worker spends most of his or her time. A competitive working environment makes one to work harder, a work place where workers show complacency cannot motivate one to work harder. The kind of language used at the workplace is common among all people. The dressing pattern at the workplace determines how one will dress over time. Most of these changes are not automatic but with time, people find themselves conforming to a certain way of life. Some critics of this idea argue that ones position in the workplace is the only dominant factor in shaping behavior but it is evidently not the case. Greene and Kropf (2009, p.156) note that the country of origin plays a vital role in determining peoples perspectives about various issues in life. The manner in which a person from country X will solve an environmental issue like dumping may differ from one from country Y. Most inventors hail from Western countries because the environment allows for innovation. The way in which we perceive things is highly dependent on the surroundings. The policies of different countries regarding certain issues shape the reasoning of the people within that country (Germov& Poole2011, p.133). The perceptions of people in different nations across the globe are different because of the kind of things they are exposed to. Rich people behave differently from poor people. Those who have the necessary resources at their disposal tend to be more confident and they are rarely shaken by troubles. People who are rich are often seen as potential leaders. Some people hold that confidence is learnt but it is evident that some factors like money boost it. In our modern day world, money is seen as a means of trade that can purchase almost everything. Rich people tend to walk with their heads high and enjoy being in charge. The education system within a nation can shape peoples behavior. The content taught to the students determines the principles they will apply in their lives. Students who are constantly encouraged and motivated to be hard workers may carry that virtue even outside school. Conclusion The intermediate factors such as family, peers, religion, and school play a major role in shaping human behavior. Structures of a broader context such as the political, education, country of origin, and the workplace environment play a less significant role in shaping human behavior.

References Germov, J. and Poole, M. (eds). 2011 Public Sociology: A down to earth approach, Allen & Unwin, Crows nest. Greene, R. R., and Kropf N. 2009 Human Behavior Theory: A diversity framework, Transaction Publishers, California. Henslin, J. M., Possamai, A. and Possamai-Indesedy, A. 2011Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach, Pearson Australia, Frenchs Forest Macionis, J. J. and Plummer, K. 2012Sociology: A Global Introduction, 5th Edition, Pearson Education, Limited England. Wormer, K. V. 2010 Human behavior and the social environment, micro level: Individuals and families, Oxford University Press, Oxford.