Cognition plays a significant role in the development of personality and self-efficacy of an individual through the cognitive processes. The cognitive processes are influenced by various environmental, biological and behavioral factors the lead to the development of individual identity. Environmental and behavioral factors are leading to the modification of parental genetically transmitted aspects of personality for adaptability and survival to lead to more unique identities in children. Film characters can demonstrate aspects of cognition and illustrate the role it plays in personality development and self-efficacy as seen in the Peaceful Warrior movie. A look at cognition with illustrations from the Peaceful Warrior movie gives insight into its role in developing personality and self-efficacy and helps understand cognition and cognition processes in depth.
Part 1
Cognition and Cognition Processes
Cognition refers to the ability to integrate stimulus from all senses and derive knowledge or a point of view through cognitive processes. Cognitive processes are the procedures that take place for one to develop knowledge such as memory, perception, language and learning among others. Perception helps organize and interpret data received from senses from an individual’s point of view. Attention helps one to focus on stimulus and activities for further processing while memory codes and store information for a future auto-generation. Language enables individuals to express and transmits thoughts and emotions and learning is the process by which people acquire and incorporate new information to add to their knowledge (Cognifit, n.d). A look at cognition with illustrations from the Peaceful Warrior movie gives insight into its role in developing personality and self-efficacy and helps understand cognition and cognition processes in depth.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The Relationship between Cognition and Personality Development
The ability of a person to integrate stimulus plays a huge role in personal development. Studies have shown a positive association between cognition and personal development. Cognition is mainly instrumental in openness, verbal and numerical aspects of personal development. The curiosity and sensitivity of an open-minded person enable them to be more creative and willing to learn to enhance their cognitive ability. High cognitive ability in return develops personal traits that are enduring and more defined (Anthis, 2015). Therefore, cognition and personal development are highly dependent on each other, and a high degree of either leads to a higher degree of the other.
Biological and Environmental Factors and How They Shape Cognitive Processes
Both biological and ecological factors influence cognitive processes. Environmental factors such as poverty, crime or child abuse and biological factors such as nutrition and genes affect cognitive processes. Biological and environmental factors combined to determine a person’s ability to process information and generate output. For instance, child abuse and crime environments influence a person’s social cognitive abilities such that the aggressiveness of the environment pushes them to either be withdrawn or react on impulse. Malnutrition and prenatal exposure to a substance such as alcohol lead to underdevelopment or damage of nervous structures which are influential in enabling the cognitive process (Mendes et al., 2009). Biological factors affect the development of cognitive and sensory structures while environmental factors affect attitudes, perception, and language all of which are instrumental in the cognitive processes.
Movie Application
From the Peaceful Warrior movie, the protagonist Dan Milliman learns from Socrates who teaches him to think differently and gives him new insight into the definition of things. Dan's upbringing and surrounding have a lot to do with our viewpoints. According to Dan, happiness revolves around him being a top gymnastic, coming from a wealthy family and being socially identified with a group at school. However, Socrates provokes Dan to a different point of view by showing him that he is not happy given his sleepless nights. Socrates teaches Dan that he has to focus on moments of life to draw satisfaction. Socrates advises Dan that what he eats, his attention ability and inner peace are the crucial elements to personal development (Salva & Schorr, 2006). Such aspects in the movie demonstrate the relationship between cognitive processes and the environmental and biological factors and its impact on personal development.
Part 2: Personality
Parents Influence Child Personality According to Personality Theories
Personality is as a result of a mix of biological, environmental and behavioral factors. Personality theories explain the role of the different elements in developing a person's identity, including parents who shoulder a great responsibility. Biological models of personality credit some aspects of personality to genetic inheritance. Dimensions of personality such as responsiveness to stress, obedience, and intelligence are genetically passed down to children from their parents through a combination of genes which hold the trait (Lumen Learning, n.d). Evolutionary theories relate to how much personality traits have evolved from parental traits for survival and adaptability purposes. People are surrounded by change and need to evolve to survive the new environments. The environment that parents grow in is different from that of their children. Thus, in-born genetics passed down from parents change as children find new ways of surviving since they are exposed to new environments. Besides, children are the product of integration of two parents' genetics which merges to produce a more evolved gene resulting in a more evolved individual. Behavioral theories explain personality as an interaction between genetics and environmental factors. For instance, a person may have the hereditary genes for depression/stress, but their manifestation in personality depends on exposure to stressful environments (Funder, 2011). A child with genes for depression and raised in an abusive setting is likely to experience depression than the same child growing up in a peaceful, loving environment.
Movie Application
Dan, the main character in the film, is pushed by his surrounding to do better, making him become the best cultivating, perseverant and enduring person. Dan is an athlete, a genetic aspect of personality that is most likely to have been inherited from his lineage (Salva & Schorr, 2006). Dan is the best gymnastics on his school team since all his teammates look up to him as their role model. On the other hand, Dan suffers a leg injury that threatens his dreams of becoming a gold medalist in the Olympics (Salva & Schorr, 2006). However, he perseveres and goes against all the odds to become the best which is an environmental attribute characterizing Dan's behavior of persistence and endurance as per behavioral theories. After the injury, Dan had to adopt some new traits to survive the Olympics. The teaching of Socrates had prepared him for such tasks to come.
Part 3: Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy and Its Relation to Personality
Self-efficacy is the individual and personal belief in his or her abilities to control aspects of his or her life. On the other hand, personality is the identity of an individual defined by their intrinsic character and skills. Self-efficacy is part of the in-built traits that establish an individual's personality. Self-efficacy is a mechanism through which personality is exhibited by showing inner personals traits and control over their situations in their lives (Fosse et al., 2015). Self-efficacy enables a person to build their personality from their point of view on things and events that life brings on their path.
Nature and Nurture Factors and Their Contribution to Self-Efficacy
Nature factors are in-born features that contribute to a person's belief in their abilities such as self-confidence and will. Nurture factors refer to the influence other people have on one's belief in their capabilities such as encouragement and training among others. Nature and nurture factors interact to determine self-efficacy. Self-confidence helps one to become certain about their potential whereas self-will makes one have the inner drive and motivation to surpass their potential. Encouragement comes from mentors or people around a person who reinforce their self-efficacy by showing faith in their abilities (Levitt, 2013). Training enables one to grow their abilities through the instruction of other more experienced and knowledgeable people in a particular aspect.
Movie Application :
In Peaceful Warrior movie, natural factors such as self-will and confidence significantly contribute to the characters self-efficacy. Socrates is confident in his conventional approach to ways of living in a moment. Socrates also believes in his methods of teaching Dan on how to become a Peaceful Warrior without doubt or hesitation. Dan is also confident about his ability to do more and win the Olympic title. Dan believes he can do several consecutive flips in his gymnastics regardless of the couch telling him that it is impossible. Dan also had the inner will to do what it takes to win the Olympics. Nurture factors can be seen when Socrates and the couch are training Dan. They both nurture him into becoming better at his Gymnastic skills and ultimately winning the Olympics. Socrates encourages Dan to let go of everything in his life and focus on moments for him to draw ultimate happiness.
In conclusion, self-efficacy and personality development are founded on the ability of an individual to integrate stimulus and develop a perception. Cognition and cognition process take place in respect to a set of factors including environmental, biological and behavioral influences to help one develop and enhance their personality, Self-efficacy and personality are the outcomes of cognition and cognition process enhanced by the diverse factors. The Peaceful Warrior movie demonstrates the cognition and cognition process and their role in personality development and self-efficacy.
References
Anthis, K. (2015). Can your personality influence your cognitive ability? Psychology Today. Retrieved on 13 September 2018, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/who-am-i/201503/can-your-personality-influence-your-cognitive-ability .
Cognifit. (n.d). Cognition and cognitive science . Retrieved on 13 September 2018 from https://www.cognifit.com/cognition
Fosse, T. H., Buch, R., Säfvenbom, R., & Martinussen, M. (2015). The impact of personality and self-efficacy on academic and military performance: The mediating role of self-efficacy. Journal of Military Studies , 6(1), 47-65.
Funder, D. (2011). The inheritance of personality: Behavioral genetics and evolutionary theory. W.W. Norton and Company, Inc . Retrieved on 13 September 2018 from http://wwnorton.com/college/psych/personalitypuzzle6/ch/09/review.aspx
Levitt, M. (2013). Perceptions of nature, nurture, and behavior. Life Sciences, Society and Policy, 9 , 13. doi: http://doi.org/10.1186/2195-7819-9-13.
Lumen Learning. (n.d). Explaining personality: Biological approaches and trait theories . Retrieved 0n 14 September 2018 from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-psychology/chapter/biological-approaches/
Mendes, D. D., Mari, J. D. J., Singer, M., Barros, G. M., & Mello, A. F. (2009). Study review of biological, social and environmental factors associated with aggressive behavior. Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria, 31 , S77-S85.
Schorr, R (Producer) & Salva, V. (Director). (2006). Peaceful Warrior [Motion Picture]. Germany, US: DEJ productions
