Personal development relies on maturity, broadening of the mind and continuing knowledge and social understanding as well as many other key life facets. This paper will effectively argue that emotional dependence on the opinions of others is a hindrance to personal development and ultimately, the ability of individuals to grow intrinsically and extrinsically. The main focal point of this essay will be the fact that we all require some level of emotional independence in order to formulate our own views. There are however, a number of counter-arguments that can be applied and will be considered in this paper including the ability to learn off others and grow in group and team related environments. This paper will provide sufficient evidence from a number of sources in order to demonstrate the advantages of independence on an emotional and social scale. This paper will further support this focus by evaluating three main issues including: how emotional dependence restricts the formulation of own ideas, can result in lack of self-esteem and finally, prevent professional and personal success and broadening of the mind overall.
In addressing the first proposed point, emotional dependence is a means of being provided with assistance and a sheltered environment. The fact that any individual can be emotionally dependent on someone allows him or her to avoid generating his or her own way of living and formulating new ideas (Paul, 2012). Success and professional and personal development rely on own decisions and being able to use initiative to solve problems that may occur in the future. People essentially need to be independent in order to further mature to the point where they can face challenges on their own and particularly in situations where there is limited support. Relying on others opinions can develop unknown concepts and means of overcoming challenges that may be faced in the future. A reliance on other opinions reduces our respective abilities to engage in concepts , growth and understanding overall. However many would argue based on literature from Paul (2012), that emotional dependence on the opinions of others can grow our understanding of social situations. This may be true but our own social perspectives of social situations may be clouded by bias opinions or opinions that relate only to the personal circumstances and overall situations of others. We need to generate our own opinions and views based on our own situations, particularly in instances, as stipulated, where there is limited support or no one to fall back on for advice and opinions (WebMD, 2015).
The second proposed issue looks at lack of self-confidence and self-esteem. These two weakness can result from dependency on the opinions of others especially if those opinions are negative or degrade the particular individual requiring help. Often in social groups, opinions may be highly critical and negative and this can reduce self-esteem and promote future dependencies on other opinions (WebMD, 2015). The only means by which someone can sustain or grow their self-esteem is to become more independent and to trust their own instincts and opinions. Over reliance on the opinions of others can also promote the development of character disorders that can further be detrimental. Some would however argue that dependency on other opinions can assist in confidence and make the person feel liked however this is not apparent in every situation. Finally, dependency on other opinions may not be intellectual in nature and can certainly prevent the mind from broadening and people from developing their own views of the world. Instead, personal views are replaced by more biased views of others, seeking attention and fame (Paul, 2012).
In conclusion, this paper has effectively argued that dependence on the opinions of others is a restrictive behavioral characteristic that can only prevent an individual from their expanding their own views of the world and from developing some self-esteem and status that can prepare them for challenges in the future.
- Paul, M. (2012). Emotional Dependency, Needing Space. The Huffington Post,
Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-paul-phd/emotionally-dependent-_b_1469460.html?ir=Australia Accessed on 7th November 2015. - WebMD. (2015). Dependent Personality Disorder. WebMD, Retrieved from
http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/dependent-personality-disorder
Accessed on 7th November 2015.
