Essay Sample on Personal Values and Attitudes

Introduction

Different aspects of life are influenced by people's different values and attitudes that people have. The type of environment one may determine the values and attitudes grows in or the situations that surround them (Leikas, Ilmarinen, Verkasalo, Vartiainen & Lonnqvist, 2018). The values possessed by any human being describe what is essential in the way they live their lives; therefore, they give meaning and act as a foundation of one's dreams as well. Moreover, the values influence the decisions made by any person, and they have a direct impact on the path of life that one chooses to follow. For instance, some people work hard in their effort to save forests. Therefore, the trees hold great value in their lives. However, different values and attitudes in life may either have a positive or negative effect, and it is possible that some people are not aware of the impact of the behavior on their attitude (Albarracin & Shavitt, 2018). People who have a positive attitude, for example, friendliness, and contentment often have a positive influence on those around them. The primary goal of this essay is to comprehensively discuss situations from the memoir and other literature where people demonstrate different values and attitudes towards various aspects of life and give my opinion regarding how these values shape people's views of life.

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In the story A small Cheese Pizza, there are two types of people who have entirely different attitudes towards various aspects of life, and some of them may not be aware. As the narrator describes the pizza as just an inexpensive and common supper, but upon staring at the old filthy dressed man, her whole perception about life changed. The man stared at the pizza for a while like it was made of gold and he did not touch it for a moment. The author explains that the stare at the pizza was as if he had seen the most precious thing in the world and was afraid to touch it because it may break. When he decided to eat it finally, he did not take a piece and eat as anyone would expect. Instead, he ate his piece slowly and enjoyed every bite. However, when the author and her mom got their pizza, the latter started eating immediately just like any other meal, and it was no big deal since to her, cheese pizza is a cheap meal with no great significance. It is that point that the author gets curious about the man and how she views him as a soul who is lost and needs to be found.

Conclusion

In my opinion regarding the notion that people's attitudes and values shape their views of life, it is true that the good, bad or ugly molds our daily lives accordingly by steering the thought process. If people religiously think that we only live once, and then they take steps towards living right and avoiding bumps as much as possible, and in the end, there is a feeling of fulfillment (Albarracin & Shavitt, 2018). When other people follow the wrong path in life, they end up committing suicide or become drug addicts thus end up dead or wasted. The environment people have been raised in plays a significant role in dictating the values they have towards various aspects of life. For instance, a person raised in a wealthy family and who enjoys the small pleasures of life may fail to recognize the value that a small cheese pizza may have on another's life

References

Albarracin, D., & Shavitt, S. (2018). Attitudes and attitude change. Annual review of psychology, 69, 299-327.

Leikas, S., Ilmarinen, V. J., Verkasalo, M., Vartiainen, H. L., & Lonnqvist, J. E. (2018). Relationship satisfaction and similarity of personality traits, personal values, and attitudes. Personality and Individual Differences, 123, 191-198.