To what extent do other’s beliefs influence you?
what people are talking about
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I consider myself an independent thinker. I have been since I was a little lid, according to my mom! I do want to hear the opinion and beliefs of others because it helps me stay focused. By focused, I mean….true. I do not want to think that “my way” is “the way” just because I might belong to a certain club or group. I like to hear what others think because it helps me validate my decisions on things. So, I hope that this all makes sense!
I’m pretty independent too. I have always been a constant “thinker” and developed my basic principles very thoughtfully. There’s nobody with whom I totally agree or disagree. I will listen to different points of view, but because my positions are based on deep-seated principles, it is not easy to sway me. That’s not to say my principles can’t ever change. They can, but it has to get past my thick shield of skepticism and withstand a great deal of analysis and experimentation.
That said, I don’t always have a strong “position” on things because I won’t take a “position” if I don’t have enough facts or haven’t heard both sides of the argument. I listen to the facts and then test the arguments against my principles. If the facts are lacking, I won’t take a side no matter how much I hear “come on, everyone says . . . .” I have been around far to long to believe what I hear/read from just about any one information source.
OK, so all that didn’t really anwer the question. I can be influenced when someone I respect takes a different stand than I do and takes the time to explain it. I won’t necessarily change my stand, but I will give it some thought and see if there is a way to incorporate it in my belief system – that is, unless I have good reason to believe the other person is completely wrong.
NONE!!!
If they had a good point I would listen but I am pretty strong in what I believe.
Um, maybe a little for the time that I’m with them, but once I can think by myself about it, I’ll make up my own mind.
Zero!
I guess I’m like everyone else. I will always listen but I don’t let anyone else make up my mind for me.
When I was younger it used to influence me a lot. As I get older, I tend to stick to what I believe in myself.
Not much to be honest, I listen but will not follow blindly