As some of you know, I am taking a psychology classes through Penn State. It's my first class (along with the astronomy class) that I've taken through Penn State. Right now we are going through a history of psychology. Reading this stuff as a Christian gives me a very different perspective on a lot of theories and beliefs, both back in ancient times, as well as current. I came across a portion of the text that is talking about behavior, and theories thereof. There is a group of psychologists who believe that all behavior is caused, either biologically, environmentally, or socioculturally. In and of itself, that's boring, and you're probably wondering why I"m blogging about it. Let me give you a quote from my text referring to environmentally caused behavior:
"Behavior theory emphasizes that environmental events play the key role in determining human behavior. The source of action lies not inside the person, but in the environment. ... If behavior theory succeeds, our customary inclination to hold people responsible for their actions, ... will be replaced by an entirely different orientation...one in which responsibility for action is sought in environmental events."
Is is just me, or does that sound like a recipe for disaster?!?! Holy buckets...we are heading toward a society who can do no wrong. It wasn't me...it was because I grew up with a dad who smoked. It wasn't me...I grew up with a brother who didn't pay any attention to me. You will be able to blame anything and everything on something in your life, but you won't be inclined to say, Yep, I did that and it was because I chose to do it. No more responsibility. I see this in society today. We have excuses for everything that's wrong. Our parents divorced. My brother was mean. My sister pulled my hair. My neighborhood was poor so I couldn't get a good education. You see excuses everywhere we look. Therapists who look to your childhood for why you are the way you are. Please, don't get me wrong; I understand how factors in your life can make you feel certain things or do certain things. What it boils down to, however, is no matter how bad your life is, you, as a human being capable of rational thought, still make the choices to do things. I had to learn that the hard way. I, too, blamed my "horrible" childhood for how I acted. It was easier. My scapegoat. I didn't have to take responsibility for the bad choices I was making. Made me feel better about myself. In the end...I was still choosing to make those decisions, and I was still responsible for those decisions. VERY tough to swallow, let me tell you. :) But, through therapy and God's mercy, I no longer use my past as my crutch in life. I no longer allow myself to blame something on my bad behavior. Sobering.
If you struggle in this area, I urge you to look deep inside and find for yourself the strength to admit that the choices you've made in your life were/are yours, and yours alone. Don't bend to societal thinking and play the blame game. Stand up, take charge, and fix it! It's liberating. Why? Because as long as you allow yourself to blame your past, so will you be a prisoner of it as well. Christ is THE LIBERATOR! Seek Him and you will find peace. If you want to know how, contact me and I will help you.
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