Summary
In review, the assumptions made in this personal theory of human development were that human beings do have free will, however, the choices made are highly influenced by inherited basic needs, environment, and learned behaviors; irrational impulses are the primary bases for choices; human nature is neither good nor evil, but instead based on basic needs, environment, and learned behaviors, not morality; and personality is the product of both heredity and environment. The individual has a core personality that is made up of the physical attributes one inherits from his or her parents and inherited basic needs. These needs include physiological needs, safety needs, the need for relationships, and curiosity. Throughout life, different experiences and learned behaviors contribute to make the core personality grow and become more complex. These experiences come from the environment the individual is surrounded by, including different social groups (families, friends, financial classes, and religions) and geographical location (nationality, customs, and physical environment), and from changes in the basic needs of the individual as a result of aging and physiological changes in one’s body. As people get older, the snowballing effect of the growth of personality, which is quite rapid in early years, slows down, resulting in less change of one’s personality. A final period of review of one’s life is experienced in old age by asking if you are satisfied with the way that you have chosen to live your life. Personality is, therefore, an always-changing entity that is unique to each person because of that person’s unique heredity and unique life experiences.