Themes Connected to the Individual and Civilization
What makes humans human is the fact that they can think. Although people follow different patterns of thinking, it could be understood that there are some common factors that make humans drive towards specific attitudes in relation to how they respond to the different situations that they encounter in life. Responding to situations as they happen is understood as a common factor that is related to the common capacity of all living things to use instinct to give attention to how they make their way in consideration with their goals.
The evolutionary pattern on how such response is created is often related to how the brain works when facing abrupt situations. Most likely, the lecture presents a considerable recognition on how common functions of the brain actually attain to the capacity of an individual to decide on matters both small ones and huge issues that involve their need to become more extensive in thinking how they could develop a concept of improvement and development especially towards personal growth. Evolution is understood as the process of adaptability that living creations take into account as they intend to face different issues in life as the time turns. For instance, people were able to create fire due to the need to cook the soil produce that they get from foraging and the desire to respond to increasing demand for better taste of food. Without the emergence of such demand, it is assumed that the creation of fire might not have been possible.
In life, different challenges are presented to human individuals depending on the background they have alongside the community-culture they are living with at present. Notably, the way one responds to situations could be drawn along the way he understands the community he lives along with and how the norms of the community would actually affect the way he thinks and perceives towards life; this is the primary principle of adaptation.
This pattern of personal development that is presented herein serves as the foundation of what makes up the cultural development of a specific civilization. Based on how one understands the situation he is in and how he is to respond to such matter, others follow the same pattern; the same thing is true when the situation is seen in a matter of intertwined occurrence. As one tries to change his approach in defining his response to a specific situation, others will see the adjustments and accordingly, some of them who see the practicality of such response would copy accordingly thus formulating a new form culture. This explains the foundation of how common culture between civilizations has specific connections through time, nevertheless, the changes on such cultures are defined by the adaptation of humans towards such adjustments.
This could be seen through the ideal matter by which such concept of response among humans have been proven through history under the mandate of Nazi regime and how soldiers at the time were [supposedly] forced to follow the commands of their superiors and are then able to kill millions of innocent individuals. This particular mark in history continues to gain attention from researchers of modern psychology as it is aimed to explore the concept of adaptation that humans take into account when faced with specific controversies that involve their personal beliefs and their personal gauge of morality.
References:
Freud, S. The Dream is the Fulfillment of a Wish. http://www.bartleby.com/285/3.html. Retrieved on June 8, 2014.
Mary Field’s Letter to Freud Milgram: Behavioral Study of Obedience.
