My significant event happened when I had just joined school in my old city. I never loved the neighborhood and I had very few friends around. My father got a new job in New York City, which meant that we had to relocate with him to his new domicile. This day marked the turning point for our family life. To me it was more than just the change of environment, I was sure I would attend one of the best schools in the new city, which I have always believed to be very good for academic development. My family members were also very happy because our living standards would change instantaneously as the new job would pay my father more than double income as his current job. This significant event is accurately memorable to me because we left a neighborhood where crime and killing was rampant with the rowdy youth. We moved into a peaceful up country neighborhood, where we have been less worried with our lives. The worst memory of my old neighborhood is the three days curfew following the death of an officer gunned down by some thugs during a run in with the police.
I believe that this movement into the new neighborhood has positively affected my subjective wellbeing. Before moving into this neighborhood, I imagined many things such as life in the city, which I had not seen physically. I had several misconceptions about the city, which I only understood after moving into my new neighborhood. Additionally, I greatly believe that during my stay in the new domicile, I attended schools where my mates helped in shaping my critical thinking on several social issues, which in turn developed my personality. Several curriculum development strategies used in my new school helped me to have confidence in myself. I participated in events that gave me courage. However, when I first moved into the city, I felt very low when in school or with my mates during weekends. I never knew most of the topics they discussed, thereby contributing very little, or giving irrelevant contributions. This lowered my self-esteem in the first instance; nevertheless, I took a low profile with my friends until I learnt ‘how things were done’ in the city. I believe this development has helped me cope with stressing and challenging situations.
According to the social learning theory, individuals can learn new behaviors and information through watching other people through a process referred to as observational learning or modeling (Capece, & Lanza-Kaduce, 2013). This theory is based on three social learning concepts, which include the idea that individuals learn through observing, internal states are essential parts of the observational modeling and that a learned behavior does not necessarily result in behavior change (O'Fallon, & Butterfield, 2012). In my opinion, this theory explains my adaptability to the new environment since I observed my peers conduct themselves in school and back at home during the weekends and copied from their actions. When I first joined the school, I was naïve of the standards of behavior at the school that invited mockery from students who felt superior because of their vast knowledge. After staying at the school for a sufficient period, I had learnt and fitted into the new lifestyle. In addition to the environmental factors at the school and my new neighborhood, I also believe that my internal instinctual drives to learn also played a key role in developing my learning and coping into the new environment.
References:
Capece, M., & Lanza-Kaduce, L. (2013). Binge Drinking Among College Students: A Partial Test of Akers’ Social Structure-Social Learning Theory. American Journal Of Criminal Justice, 38(4), 503-519. doi:10.1007/s12103-013-9208-4
O'Fallon, M., & Butterfield, K. (2012). The Influence of Unethical Peer Behavior on Observers' Unethical Behavior: A Social Cognitive Perspective. Journal Of Business Ethics, 109(2), 117-131. doi:10.1007/s10551-011-1111-7
