How free are we to make our own decision?

Is your mind as free as you think it is to make decisions? I do not believe so. We might think we can make our decisions freely. This is not the case. Our decisions are based on what options we have and what others opinions are. We as humans aim to please others. We inadvertently do things to please others and take others opinions and shape them as our own. Our decisions are often the reflection of the situation we are in, and the social status we have. Therefore, due to the people around us, our situation, and our society, we subconsciously are limited in the decisions we make.

People that are close to us, such as our parents and friends, often limit the choice we have in our life. For instance, parents can limit our education options by pressuring us to study the subjects they want, and friends can affect our decisions through peer pressuring. If we do not adhere to these pressures we can be isolated and as human beings we want to be popular so we do what we are pressured to do.

A good example of how our decisions can also be affected by situations is for example. A person is trying to buy a car, of course he wants to buy a new car but if his financial situation doesn’t allow this then he will most likely end up buying the used car. This is an example of how his financial situation changed his decision making.

More commonly, society influences our decisions. Through the media and just every day interactions. From the way you dress to the way you talk. It is all influenced subconsciously from what we hear and see.

In summary, our decisions are not entirely our own. We must keep in mind that every time we make a decision, there are many factors that affect it, such as the opinions from families and friends, the situations we are at, and the structure of our society.