The Psychology of Personal Growth and Better Relationships

2The Formation of Lifestyle

How Is Lifestyle Determined?

Think back to the definition of lifestyle that we learned in Part 1. It was that lifestyle is a system of beliefs about the present and the ideal states of the self in the world. So, how was this lifestyle decided?

Lifestyle is formed by self‐determination; it is created by you! Even allowing for physical influences such as genetics on disposition or physical disability (damage to sensory or internal organs), the family that surrounds you, or environmental factors, the final decider of your lifestyle is your own self‐determination.

Influencing factors cause the repetition and build up of trial and error so that, at some point, unconscious decisions begin to be repeated. By around the age of eight or ten, unique patterns of thought, feeling, and action are solidified and maintained. For a more detailed understanding of how influences other than the physical, such as environment and culture, affect the formation of lifestyle, let's study the following chart.

The first environmental influence is the family environment. This is the effect of birth order among siblings (what number among how many) and the existence of any sibling rivalries. Children are also influenced by the values their parents constantly represent to them ...