For the most part, I've come to notice that our society has dictated how men and women should, respectively, act. Men are tough, strong, emotionless, and dominating. Women are pretty, soft, delicate, and somewhat submissive. These are the roles that our society has boxed us into. Women can be seen as inferior to men both physically and mentally, while men are seen as violent ones without feelings. As a female, I've felt the societal pressure to wear makeup and dress the way in which I do; while doing so is solely for myself and my own validation, the reason why I began to do so in the first place came from a group mentality--it came from the need to meet society's expectation for myself. 

A friend of mine, especially, seems to have been influenced by society's image of what we "should be". Every time I see her, the first thing she comments on is my outfit, hair, or makeup. We don't talk about her life, her issues, or anything beyond the surface, for she is too enamored by the ideal that society has painted for us to expound upon dissimilar topics of conversation. I find that because of the shallow, visual society that we live in, I havent been able to truly connect with this friend and take our relationship past her continuous commentary about how skinny or pretty or perfect or amazing someone else is.

While I (and women everywhere in our society) may find the need to maintain a slim figure, a perfectly made up face, and flawless style, men face similarly disturbing issues; they must be seen as physically empowering and almost violent. As was discussed in Killing Us Softly 4, media, especially TV and movies, portray the "manliest of men" toting weaponry, unreal muscles, and overpowering personas. Men and women in our society feel an inherent need to mold themselves to these personas, even  if they're fighting it. Unfortunately, we're consistently and perpetually influenced by such factors, regardless of the prominent changes there have been to change the majority's way of thinking.

Recently, we've been studying social development and how events, people, and innate characteristics affect one's life. In more specific terms, we've observed the socialization process or in other terms, the influence of others upon us. The way we're interacted with, the ones we interact with, and the stimulation we encounter as we mature has significant influence over our social, emotional, and mental health. 

Looking at the above concept from more of a micro perspective, we can observe the concepts of nature and nurture. Nature, in sense,refers to the innate coding and composition of our being--basically, it means that we are born with certain aspects of our personality and regardless of atmosphere, it is how we are. On the other hand, nurture refers to the influence on our development from those around us, their actions, and the environment in which we develop. Both nature and nurture influence our socialization; nurture can impact our innate nature by pushing it further towards or away from our initial nature. For example, if I am a naturally intelligent person (I'd like to think that is the case), then being nurtured by my parents to do well in school and succeed will enhance my motivation, intelligence, and drive. 

Danielle, for example, is a case in which nurture drove someone away from innate nature, Danielle, a "wild-child" was neglected from a very young age. Forced into isolation, Danielle was unable to speak, socialize, walk properly, or even socialize with others adequately. Because she lacked stimulation and human contact (basic love and care), she found herself to be developmentally stinted. 

A lack of care can debilitate social skills we may take for granted; although seemingly unimportant, basic, and common, basic human interaction, along with nature, play a major role in the way in which we act and develop with and in relation to one another.