As soon as we wake up in the morning, we perform actions. Throughout the day, we keep on doing things. According to Bandura, three factors influence an action, namely the person, behavior, and environment. Among the three, it is the person that influences me the most. I believe, although others may influence me, it is still me who makes the final decision.
Every day, I go to school and be with my friends. They may inevitably influence me as a person. For example, in choosing where and what to eat, if we are going to study, or where to stay during our vacant. In some instances, they may convince me to try to smoke a cigarette or drink alcoholic beverages. Although these stimuli are all present, it is still up to me how I act. It is up to me what I would do. Hence, I make my own decision. I decide if I would like to agree with them or not. It is that I do not readily act on the environment instead, I let myself choose with the awareness of the pros and cons of my decision.
As I walk along the road, fast-food chains are side-by-side, milk tea shops are everywhere, street food carts are on every corner of the street. They are all tempting me to buy and eat unhealthy. But at the end of the day, I let myself not be carried away. Knowing the principle of a balanced diet and their effects on health such as diabetes and hepatitis, I decide not to buy from a fast-food chain, drink milk tea, or eat street food. Again, I consciously make my decision based on my cognitive thinking and not based on the environment.
People often say that their families affect their decisions, behavior, and way of thinking. In my case, I use my family’s advice as a suggestion. I find myself not being enslaved by my family’s orders. I believe that I know what I want and what is best for me. Knowing that I am accountable for the consequences of my decisions, I make sure to be logical and rational before doing something. Especially when it comes to spending my allowance and studying.
Again, although the three factors work reciprocally, it is the person that influences me the most in my everyday life. I keep on asking myself before deciding if it is worth it. As a human being, I think we are blessed with intellect and rationality to think. We must utilize it well in making decisions and performing actions.
This was an essay I wrote for my Understanding the Self Class. The prompt was about the PBE model by Alberto Bandura.
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