As I read this section, I began to relate to my own experiences that helped my reading comprehension. For example, O'Brien states that “The self is the overseer who observes the behavior and intentions of the self and brings them into line…” (O'Brien, 2017, p. 138). I was initially confused about this concept of I and Me and I can see how others could easily overlook this lesson. Then, I thought of an example from my life and the concept finally made more sense. My mind, for example, is always playing this back and forth battle every day between random impulses and thoughts (representing the self) and my own intuitiveness which suppresses this behavior (representing the self). I can relate to this while in class. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Sometimes my mind randomly imagines me getting up from my seat and interrupting the lesson, while at the same time, my intuition tells me that everyone will laugh at me and the teacher will scold me, so I better stay sitting to avoid the consequences of implementing the impulse. Also, while reading, I noticed that O'Brien brought up a really interesting point that this intuitiveness of mine comes from culturally accepted behavior (2017). Therefore, the part of our mind that tells us whether something is acceptable or unacceptable can also change, and this was a bit of a surprise to me during my first reading. However, it started to make more sense again when I applied it to my life. A great example I thought of was language. People become increasingly sensitive to the use of certain words when they realize how offensive they can be, based on changing social norms. Words that may have been right to say in years past, may not be right to say now, and this shows the process this happens in the mind; “Is it really fair to say that nowadays? NO? Then I won't say it. The reading then continues as O'Brien describes this “society” as that which surrounds us as groups of friends and family, not necessarily humanity as a collective group (2017). Therefore, what people in my friend group may talk about and is deemed acceptable, may not be acceptable to our other colleagues. Likewise, a key takeaway from all of this is the power of social standards on our behavior. Rules allow us to maintain greater social order and respect those around us. This pays the price of being trapped by the mentality of those around us, and this often prevents us from expressing ourselves and being who we truly are.
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