Young Philosopher's Society

By Anupreet Kaur 

Albert Bandura proposed the theory that people learn by observation, imitation and modelling. He suggested that from a young age, a child’s curiosity is cured by observing what other adults do and trying to copy them. Constantly, we are surrounded by individuals who -intentionally and unintentionally- teach us concepts such as morality, what in our lives is significant and the possibilities in our lives. This, in turn, plays a large role in shaping the people we become as we get older. 

As life goes on we meet new people and we learn new things. There are so many factors that play into how our outlook on life may shift and one of these influencing factors is who we choose as our role models. This concept may look different to everyone: Some may say their parents are their role models and some may see their favorite artists as their role models. Oftentimes we look up to a person so much that it heavily influences many parts of our personalities. 

This is why it is so crucial to wisely pick who you will let have that power over you. 

It is vital that the people you choose to surround yourself with also carry the qualities and values you wish to align yourself with. As the youth of this generation, it is important for us to have some type of guidance in this life, someone who will give us life long advice. Because it will stick with us and support moulding ourselves into the person we want to be in the future. 

Role models come in a variety of forms: Parents, grandparents, teachers, guidance counsellors, sports coaches, mentors, siblings, really an endless list. They may also be people you do not personally know. You may really look up to and be inspired by someone such as an author, athlete, and so forth. 

Examples of role models given above are all able to give us different aspects of guidance: Our direct family members (parents and grandparents) have a huge impact in terms of our upbringing. Due to factors such as generational mentalities, it is up to you to judge whether it is a mentality worth living up to or not. Siblings, oftentimes older siblings, also become natural role models. It is normal to want to achieve validation from an older sibling or someone who acts as your older sibling. They give you a more specific and accurate depiction of what real life looks like. 

Naturally, most of our role models are our parents but it is okay to have more than one person to look up to. This is where non-relative role models come in. Teachers, to whom we dedicate about six hours of our days to, 5 to 6 days a week, are a great example. Each of our teachers will give us completely different takes on how you can figure out what you want to do in the future. Teachers are not only limited to school teachers but can also branch off to our sports coaches and such. 

Role models that we do not personally know can be a bit tricky to talk about. In all honesty, we may never really know who our icons truly are as the media is almost always crafted to shed a positive light on these people even if that is not the case. This is why it may not be the best idea to idolize your favourite celebrity because the idea that you have of them may possibly be fabricated to their favor. If, however, you use

their careers as inspiration for your future career, it is easier to keep them as more of a vision for your future. 

The individuals who we strive to be like are the people whose validation and criticism matters most to us and this is a strong reinforcement of motivation. 

Ideally, these individuals will inspire us to move towards a healthy path. It can be dangerous however, surrounding ourselves with “role models” who do not carry positive intentions. This could mean influencing you to engage in risky activities such as substance abuse and disregarding your education. In situations such as this it can prove difficult to differentiate between right and wrong seeing as we seek validation from the models in our lives and so it becomes a race to achieve their approval. 

In our lives we may come across many “influencers” who preach certain ideas, traits and lifestyles. The flip side of this is that these individuals may not follow their teachings themselves. We should want our role models to be authentic so it is a pressing matter to surround yourself with people who not only advise you to a good path but also follow their own advice. 

Role models serve as the median between you and the path you want to follow in your life because these individuals may “model” the person you want to become. 

Your role model does not necessarily have to be an individual that succeeds in one specific field, you may also choose to look up to someone simply because of their character. Finding yourself can be a long process but it can be a bit easier when you find someone who embodies the mindset and character traits that you want to inherit. This allows us to challenge ourselves to be better versions of ourselves. 

It is not a crime to seek help and guidance in a world full of uncertainty. It is inherently an important thing to have someone to go to when life becomes overwhelming because our role models hold the power to teach us different techniques to take on our lives in a way that we are proud of.