WHAT IS DETERMINATION? By: Ariel LaPorte. Why do some people have determination and others do not? Something I have always wondered was what makes a person.

WHAT IS DETERMINATION?

By: Ariel LaPorte

Why do some people have determination and others do not?

Something I have always wondered was what makes a person determined, and what makes someone not determined—or lazy.

The answer to this question has always been a debate in my mind.

Is this trait biological? Or is it environmental? WHY DON'T ALL HUMANS WORK HARD?

......... Let's explore

My Own Background

As a sophomore in college I often wonder to myself how I got here. I know that the obvious answer is because of my hard work, however where has this trait originated from? Neither of my parents have college degrees, have ever pushed for me to work as hard as I do, and have always been “go with the flow” as far as my lifestyle and decision making. I have always been self-determined. On the contrary I have friends who have parents who both have college degrees, are strict, and even pay for their college tuition, yet they are rebellious and have no life goals.

I am left to wonder… Does it originate from upbringing? Or, do these traits originate elsewhere?

Survey

I created a survey given to a random group of college students of different ages, both male and female. I asked discrete questions about their social and academic life, and work ethic to try to determine their determination.

Survey:

Results

Every single participant said that they felt pressure from their family to do well in school. What does this say for our society?

The participants whose parents paid for their college tuition said that their motive for working hard at a class or a job was because they expected to get something out of it (a good grade, a fat paycheck, etc.)

Also-- Two of these participants whose parents paid for their college tuition, are the only participants who have been fired from a job.

One of two of the participants who has failed a college course, parents pay for their tuition.

My interpretations...

Students today feel a great deal of pressure from their families to do well in school.

Students whose parents pay for their tuition work to see results rather than for self-improvement.

Students whose parents pay for their tuition, do not have as great of a work ethic as those participants who pay for their tuition themselves.

Students whose parents pay for their tuition do not strive to do well in school as much as those participants who pay for their tuition themselves.

What is determination?

Self-determination refers to the attitudes and abilities in one’s life and choices regarding one’s actions free from influence or interference.

A person’s actions are self-determined if the person: acts autonomously

regulates his or her own behavior

initiates and responds to events in a manner indicating psychological empowerment

behaves in a manner that is self-realizing

A self-determined person sets goals, makes decisions, sees options, solves problems, speaks up for himself or herself, understands what supports are needed for success, and knows how to evaluate outcomes. (1)

Characteristics of Self-Determined People

Drive and determination is the one common characteristic among successful people. In “Tactics: The Art and Science of Success”, Edward de Bono writes about the role

of drive and determination in success.

“As the reader will discover in this book, successful people are often very single minded and determined. Indeed, it would be possible to pick this out as the one characteristic common to almost all successful people. It can take the form of drive: if you want something hard enough, you will get it. It can take the form of ruthlessness: let nothing stand between you and your goal. It can take the form of a strong sense of purpose. It can take the form of determination and persistence: accept failure only as a step on the path to success.”

Edward de Bono (cont.) Edward de Bono writes that having determination and a direction helps somebody take action

and gauge whether they are on track: “There are many advantages to powerful determination and a strong sense of direction. The

sense of direction urges action. The sense of direction shapes the action. The sense of direction allows the value of the action to be assessed: has it got me nearer to my goal? The sense of direction allows all judgments and decisions to be made more easily: does this help me toward my goal or does this hinder me? Most people in their ordinary lives lack such a strong sense of value when taking a decision. Most people may have to take into account a soup of different factors such as family, health, enjoyment, career, etc., when making a decision. The strongly-success oriented person only takes into account one thing: the path to success.”

Some people that aren’t naturally driven take a passive view on determination, but you don’t have to worry about changing your personality. You can adopt successful strategies. What you lack in personality, you can make up for in approach.

“From a practical point of view it does matter whether we attribute success to a particular type of personality. Some people may feel that since their own personality is not ‘driven’ in this way, then there is little they can learn by reading about people who are so driven. Like the ‘luck’ explanation of success, this is defeatist and passive. I would not want to get into an argument as to whether people can or cannot change their personalities (through awareness training, counseling, or environmental change). It is not easy for someone to become ruthless by just willing himself or herself to be ruthless … A reader can, however, try to become more single minded and more focused. Once a reader perceives that a strong sense of direction may be an ingredient for success, it is possible to do something about it (for instance, by dropping other projects).”

Parenting Techniques

Chinese parenting vs. Western parenting “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” by Amy Chua

“Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”

Her book enforces a single guiding principle: “What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you’re good at it.”

Amy Chua believes Chinese parents are better at raising kids than Western ones. The Chinese mother believes that

1) Schoolwork always comes first

2) An A-minus is a bad grade

3) Your children must be two years ahead of their classmates in math

4) You must never compliment your children in public

5) If your child ever disagrees with a teacher or coach, you must always take the side of the teacher or coach

6) The only activities your children should be permitted to do are those in which they can eventually win a medal

7) That medal must be gold.

The Tiger, the living symbol of strength and power, generally inspires fear and respect.

So which technique is better? Raising well-rounded children while instilling in them the means of

being successful and having determination is not easy. It is difficult to determine the line between working hard and working your children too hard. While Amy Chua's technique does seem a bit absurd and dictatorship-like, her techniques have proven to work with her own children. However, interacting with other children and developing social skills and self esteem are attributes that are necessary throughout our entire lives. Either way we learn that these traits are based off of the environment which we are raised.

Casual Effects of Parents' Education on Children's Education

In this chapter of the book “Persistence, Privelege, and Parenting: The Comparitive Study of Intergenerational Mobility”, John Ermisch and Chiara Pronzato discuss that parental education is an important aspect of family background that influences children's achievements.

Ex. Parental education may have a large impact on their earnings and alter the productivity of their time investments in their children, or even affect their children's own aspirations

Ability reflects genes AND skills acquired during childhood

Skills Acquired During Childhood

Parents' time spent with children promotes their abilities, aspirations, and values. This—and the amount of money spent on children's education (computers, tuition, private schooling) may affect how well the children do academically. In order to acquire the amounts of these imputs and productivity depends on the parents' education.

Parental Ability

In Chapter 9 of “Persistence, Privelege, and Parenting: The Comparitive Study of Intergenerational Mobility”, John Jerrim and John Micklewright discuss the transmission of socioeconomic status from parents to children. They argue that parents' abilities are passed on to their children through genetic inheritance, and that more-educated mothers are more likely to make higher investments in instilling determination and achievement into their children than fathers with the same level of education. They believe that the more educated the parent is, the more efficient their use of the time that they spend with their children will be, and that they may act as a stronger role model for their children.

My Opinion

Determination is the one characteristic common to almost all successful people.

An individual who is not driven, can become more-so be becoming single minded and more focused.

A strong sense of direction is an ingredient for success. Being successful and our sense of determination are based

off of the environment which we are raised. Parental education is an important aspect of family

background that influences children's achievements.

My Opinion (cont.)

Genes and skills acquired during childhood contribute to determination.

Parents' time spent with children promotes their children's abilities.

More educated mothers better invest their time spent with their children.

Better educated parents may act as a stronger role model for their children.

Conclusion

As it turns out, parenting and our upbringing has a lot to do with what drives us in life. Some of it has to do with genetics, and some of it from the way which we were raised. Our parents education has positive and negative effects on our determination—from mooching off of their money and not caring about it, to allocating their money earned through attaining their own degree to access the tools that we need to succeed. Sense of direction drives us to act, and determination is ultimately the key to success.

Works Cited

1. Bremer, Christine D., Mera Kachgal, and Kris Schoeller. "Research to Practice Brief." Publication of the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition. N.p., Apr.

2003. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.

2. Chua, Amy. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. New York: Penguin, 2011. Print.

3. De, Bono Edward. Tactics: The Art and Science of Success. London: Profile, 2007. Print.

4. Maslin, Janet. "BOOKS OF THE TIMES; But Will It All Make Mommy Happy?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Jan. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.

Park, Julie. "On Tiger Moms." The Point Magazine RSS. N.p., 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.

5. Smeeding, Timothy M., Markus Jäntti, and Robert Erikson. Persistence, Privilege, and Parenting: The Comparative Study of Intergenerational Mobility. New York: Russell Sage

Foundation, 2011. Print.