People s behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take In developing and supporting

The term "behavior" is not quite easy to describe. There exists a plethora of definitions for it according to individual perspectives. But, in general "behavior" means how a person acts or reacts according to the external or internal forces. Human beings being the most intelligent species, have liberty of choice. They think, decide and execute things. People do behave in a way they are brought up. Many external factors such as society, environment, school, peers, families may contribute to their thinking, but it is highly unjustified to say that external factors are solely responsible for the behavior of people.

We as human learn, hear and absorb things but eventually it is us who decides what to do. We have free will and we can only account ourselves for our actions. However, there are outside factors that contributes to human behavior. External factors always had impact on humans. History shows many a great or flawed men were a product of these influences. But, eventually it depends on the individual about how and what to do. There are laws, rules and regulations in the society but it depends on the individual whether to abide by those rules or not. For instance, in a particular country there may be a punishment for throwing garbage on the road. A person travelling to that country might not throw garbage being extra cautious about the rules there. But, when he goes to the other country where there are no such rules, he might. In this case, their sense of individual responsibility will come into play. External forces might push people, make them think, realize what needs to be done. In the end it is completely dependent on us to make the decisions. We are our decision-makers and nothing can make us do what we don't want to. There are rules, laws and outer forces that continuously reminds us against doing bad or illegal. But, there are people who break laws, which is evident by the crime rate. So, what are the effects of external forces on such people? They have decided not to let the external forces determine their behavior. Students are continuously told to study well for their bright future. There are students who will let the external forces push them and study well. On the other hand, there are students who will not let the external forces influence them and act according to their will. A thief will steal in spite of the laws in the society. Many argue that their act resulted from poverty, circumstances etc, but it is eventually the thief who makes the decision in spite of the options. A person can only be responsible for his behavior. External forces can play a part, but human beings are the outcome of their own actions.

However, the above statement is not entirely without support, it runs contrary to common sense and everyday human actions. So, I firmly believe that our action springs from our free will accords with common sense and everyday experience.