Nelson Mandela - Freedom - Thembu house
There is a debate about the main determinant of personality in psychology. Some hold that nurture hold the biggest influence while others insist that nature is a bigger influence. This paper will take both views as determinant in personality. The nature view would imply that his birth had a big effect on the individual that he later became.
Indeed, in the first paragraph of the book, Mandela outlines the importance of his birth to the person he later becomes. He was born to the chief and thus was expected to have leadership qualities from the start. Like most cultures around the world, legitimate leadership in Africa emanates from birth rather than proven leadership skills. Therefore, having a chief for a father means raised expectations about a person's ability to lead. Mandela indicates that his father passed on to him an ‘abiding connection to the Thembu house (Mandela 20).
This impels that from his birth, he was responsible for the well-being of his people. In his later years, Mandela sacrificed everything including his freedom in the view that these sacrifices would benefit Africans in the end. For example, his political activism was responsible for landing him in jail. This activist was geared towards fighting for liberation for the interest of his people. Though it was possible for Mandela to abandon his birth heritage and seek selfish means, one can assume that the responsibility bestowed on him at birth had a role to play (Mandela 20).
[...] Mandela learned that all people deserved to be treated with honor, no matter who they were. Therefore, the treatment of black South Africans by white settlers was relevant to him because it robbed the blacks of their human dignity. His strong beliefs in the values of dignity may have contributed to his strong resolve. He was inspired to compel the leaders to treat all people in a dignified manner (Mandela 23). Other experiences in his boyhood were also influential. For example, the playing tools were made from nature and all boys were left to their own means. [...]
[...] This impels that from his birth, he was responsible for the well-being of his people. In his later years, Mandela sacrificed everything including his freedom in the view that these sacrifices would benefit Africans in the end. For example, his political activism was responsible for landing him in jail. This activist was geared towards fighting for liberation for the interest of his people. Though it was possible for Mandela to abandon his birth heritage and seek selfish means, one can assume that the responsibility bestowed on him at birth had a role to play (Mandela 20). [...]
[...] Nelson Mandela is among the most celebrated people to ever live. His struggles for liberation in South Africa have left a legendary legacy that inspires many people the world over. People are prepared into what they are today by experiences. This implies that some experiences in the life of Mandela had a bearing into the person he later became. This paper will examine the experiences in the life of Mandela as shown by his autobiography, long walk to freedom. Birth as a determinant to Mandela's commitment to democracy There is a debate about the main determinant of personality in psychology. [...]
[...] However, the act was inspirational to Mandela in later years (Mandela 21). Mandela proposes that this resistance compelled him to examine the similarities between him and his father. Though he claims not to have the same birth attitudes as his father, he implies a connection between the properties that were nurtured into them (Mandela 21). However, though there are implications that his father perceived the magistrate to have limited power over him and thus the contempt that may have triggered the defiance, Mandela suggests that the principle played a greater role. [...]
[...] For example, the detail of the initial manuscript written when he was in prison indicates that he received help from fellow inmates though they knew their help would have an adverse effect on them if discovered. In conclusion, many experiences left a lasting impression on Mandela and inspired him to be the leader he was later to become. This paper merely outlined the experiences in his early life. There are more encounters as he grew older that will not be examined because this paper is limited to three factors. Work cited Mandela, Nelson. Long walk to freedom: An autobiography of Nelson Mandela . Boston: Little, Brown Print. [...]
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