The Most Powerful Influences on My Life

Felicia McCaw
Social Psychology
Strayer University

The Most Powerful Influences on My Life

The most powerful influences on my views of the world was and is my parents, aunt, teachers, family and my vast reading of a multitude of books. My life was affected tremendously by learning to work and starting at an earlier time frame in my life. I began at an early age of five trying to wash dishes at my aunt’s house who I considered a second mother. I was rather a precocious child, observant and willing to watch and learn early.

My mother and father taught me the value of earning a living for myself and provided cautioning advice and discipline which prevented me from getting into trouble. I was my father’s shadow and followed him everywhere and said “I want to be just like you.” and was the son he never had…a typical tomboy who enjoyed fishing, outdoor tasks and learned how to unload, load a truck, change a tire and take items to the dump, scrap yard and helped tear out and remodel a house for him and mom. I remember that I told him that I wanted to learn how to install windows and doors but I waited too late and my father passed away. As I grew up watching my mom struggle to raise nine children and work incessantly and showing the most admirable determination to not beg and be responsible for their care…I am still rather intimidated by the amount of work it took to raise us and have tried to live up and measure up to a fragment of my parent’s worth. Even now I see her and my father as my role model and I want to make my dream come true which is also my parents’ dream for their children is to accomplish what was out of their reach.

These various tasks of labor as well as discipline helped form my character which is rather stern, rigid and with an uncompromising attitude that I am not for sale and cannot be bribed by the trappings of the world, money, prestige, fame,

Felicia McCaw
Social Psychology
Strayer University
Page 2

etc. and is something that I negate as not the highlight of my life, but obtaining my degree is still uppermost in mind and my most precious goal. I still like to have some fun sometimes but I am rather reserved as to whom I associate with because of the lack of similarity, different upbringing, taste, age and the lack of integrity I see in a lot of people determined to destroy this person and that person.

Because of the differences in myself and others my views of the world changed when I moved into a housing structure which included a variety of races from low to medium incomes. Never being exposed to the lack of discipline I found there in a lot of the teenagers and adults shocked my world. Being a rather grouchy person who hates their possessions to be borrowed, worn by others, and stolen I found myself subjected to this rude behavior to my sheer horror and the thought of living in that structure made me act out of character and I became a person who had to evolved to what I call the lowest caliber that I could achieve and became a hostile, mean person that had to stand up for their rights in that commune. Further, the tenants and their company, strangers were invading my apartment and taking my property and coming in on me when I was sleep. I even found some suspicious ashes in my basement that made me suspect that someone was smoking crack in my apartment and this further horrified me because I was responsible for any actions that occurred in my housing structure. My viewpoint changed 360° and I became so stressed that I became ill because of the thought of someone doing weird things, e.g., cutting my hair, stealing my jewelry and God knows what else these people were doing when I slept. My views have changed to acknowledge that not all parents rear their children with responsibility or know where they are or what they are doing. Further, some just don’t care and it is rather a despairing thought that this behavior is allowed, nurtured and passed from generation to generation.

Felicia McCaw
Social Psychology
Strayer University

Page 3

I have just about given up on society and the continual lack of attention to social norms and just feel like walking away but I still hope someone will reach out and save their child.