By 1980, the world population had grown to 4.5 billion people. By the year 2000 there will be about 7 billion people in the world. Yet even among all these billions of people, there is something special about each person. There is only one you. You are one of many in your school. You are one of perhaps twenty or thirty in your classroom. You are one of several people in your family. And you are one of more than 200 million people in the United States. Among all these people, you are an individual, one of a kind.

The sum of all the things you are makes you an individual. Things like your sense of humor, your shyness or lack of it, your ability to learn, the color of your eyes and hair, and your height are your characteristics. Many of your characteristics come from your parents. They were passed on to you at birth. These are called inherited characteristics. You are also developing other features as you grow. These are called acquired characteristics. You can acquire new features as long as you live.

Physical Makeup

People have much in common, but it is their differences that make them individual. Even identical twins do not have all of the same acquired characteristics. A twin may like to talk; the other speaks less.

Every person inherits physical characteristics from their parents, grandparents, and even more distant ancestors. These inherited characteristics are called a person’s inheritance. Carried in sex cells, inherited characteristics are the basis of each person’s overall physical makeup. They also continue to affect physical development throughout life.

Beginning in infancy, however, a person’s development is also influenced by their environment. These environments, which include the food a person is given, the people he meets, and the events that happen, are called the environment.

Environment and heredity together produce the individual characteristics of a person. For example, heredity determines that her body can only grow so tall. But you need proper nutrition, rest, and exercise to reach that height.

mind makeup

Your mental capacity helps determine the type of person you are. This ability is centered in your brain, a mass of nerve cells located in your head. How it works is not yet fully understood. But it is known that your brain is what makes it possible for you to understand and learn. This ability to understand and learn is called intelligence.

No two people are the same in intelligence. His own intelligence depends partly on heredity and partly on how he has developed since birth. Scientists believe that no one uses their brain to its full capacity. There is always room for mental growth.
The amount of brain power you develop is up to you. And it’s also up to you to decide which parts of your intelligence you want to develop.

There are many different types of mental abilities. Another person may be very good at math. Another may have an especially good memory. Some people are very good at expressing their thoughts in writing. People differ in what areas of learning they are good at and what they are not. That is why the mental ability of each person is special.

Emotional Makeup

Notice the many types of people among your friends and classmates. Some are carefree. Others always seem worried. Some are kind and generous. Others are critical and difficult to please. These people are all different in their emotional makeup. How did they get this way?

People are born with different personalities. But everyone has the same basic needs for physical, mental, and emotional care. How these needs are met affects your emotional makeup. Some people are lucky that their needs are well met. Others are less fortunate. When a person’s inherited characteristics blend well with that person’s environment, the result is a stable emotional makeup.

Your attitudes are part of your emotional makeup. An attitude is a learned way of looking at things, people, and events. Attitudes are learned from your family and friends. You reveal your attitudes in your likes and dislikes.
Most of your actions are based on your attitudes. Positive attitudes that show you think highly of yourself will go a long way when you’re trying to make a decision. But negative attitudes, which are often based on fear or insecurity, will make it difficult for you to make decisions and work with other people.

Most feelings can be thought of in some form or combination of the three basic emotions: love, anger, and fear. Every basic emotion has its place in human life. Love can make you easy to please and understand. Anger can cause you to go out and strive to overcome obstacles. Fear can help you avoid anger. No one needs to be ashamed of feelings. But each of us is responsible to ourselves and to others for how we express them. One of the goals of adolescence is to increase the ability to manage emotions in a socially acceptable way.