Roles Models

Roles Models

1. A role model is someone who other individuals aspire to be like, an individual who is looked up to in revered by someone else. Many studies show that they possess desirable characteristics that make them easy to look up to and they inspire others to make changes and strive towards new goals.

   • Examples of role models:
     • -Rosa Parks -Marie Curie -Mahatma Gandhi -Mother Teresa

2. Characteristics of a Role Model

   • Passion and ability to inspire: role models usually show passion for their work and their activities and to have the capacity to infect others with their passion.
     • Demonstration abilities: a good role model is someone who is positive, calm and confident about his or herself.
       • Good values.
         • Ability to overcome obstacles: people always admire someone who is capable of overcoming many things in their lives and that show that they can be successful besides everything.
           • Capability to communicate with others: good communication is always important and that means listening as well as talking.
             • Showing respect and concern for others: respect is a way of treating or thinking about something or someone, role models usually admire people who show respect for others.
               • Have humility and willingness to admit mistakes
                 • Commitment to community: role models are usually active in their communities, freely giving their time to help and to contribute.

3. Effects on children

   • For many children, the most important role models are their parents and caregivers. Children look up to a variety of role models to help shape how they behave in school, relationships, or when making difficult decisions.
     • However, negative role models can also exist and they may also influence children. Sometimes widely admired public figures can make poor personal choices. And they may assume that the behaviors of negative role models are typical, safe, and acceptable. For that not to happen, parents need to be aware of who their children are looking up to, for them to be able to interfere in a good way for their children.
       • Effects on teenagers
         • Young people are more likely to be inspired by positive role models when they have growth mindsets, when they see themselves as active learners and achievers who accomplish goals through hard work and perseverance. With this type of mindset, youth strive to achieve their best selves. And they look toward role models to show them the way. Positive role models boost young people's motivation by modeling a guide to achieving success.
           • Negative role models also boost young people’s motivation, but in different ways than positive ones. They do so by guiding youth toward strategies for avoiding failure. They often have a deep personal fear of failure and have found various coping mechanisms and strategies to avoid misfortune at all costs. Usually teenagers get drown by positive or negative role models because they feel identified with them.

4. Why do humans need someone to look up to, physiologically speaking?

   • When we find someone to look up to and admire, we are challenged, encouraged, and enlightened.
   • We find a defense against harmful or trivial distractions. We are emboldened in our worthy pursuits, and we are better equipped to accomplish them.
   • Emotion involves the entire nervous system, but there are two parts of the nervous system that are especially significant: The limbic system and the autonomic nervous system.
     • The limbic system is a complex set of structures that lies on both sides of the thalamus, just under the cerebrum. It includes the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, the amygdala, and several other nearby areas. It appears to be primarily responsible for our emotional life, and has a lot to do with the formation of memories. In this drawing, you are looking at the brain cut in half, but with the brain stem intact.