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And how do they become part of who I am?

Every living creature’s life is dictated by its habits. They are essential to adaptation, a feature of living systems that helps them survive. Basically, they are responses to stimuli in our environment and affect the way we interact with the environment in the future. Now let’s learn how they are formed.

Adopting a Habit

Scientifically, habits are said to be acquired through repeated experiences or strong singular experiences. We typically perform them without knowledge of it. The automation of habits make them distinguishing features among individuals, often contributing to others’ perception of them.

Psychologist Mortimer Adler, Ph.D., believed habits were 'formed abilities', learned over extended periods of exposure. He equates their formation to humans attempted to perfect themselves, regardless of the nature of the habit. His justification was an infant’s desire to fulfill inherent developmental potentialities.

The process of growth as an infant – acquired learning – occurs through the repetition of actions and events or through observation (experience). The infant attempts to reflect the world around it.

Habits aren’t to be confused with skills. While the former can be forgotten and/or relearned, the latter cannot. Speech is such a skill. You can’t unlearn how to speak unless due to mental trauma.

Even isolation from something like language might be able to lessen your ability to perform, but as soon as you’re reintegrated into a society where the language is frequently used, its nuances will all flow back to you as though never lost.

A more classic example is that of the bicyclist. They say once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget. And they’re correct.

It’s a motor skill that won’t disappear regardless of how long it’s been since you’ve ridden a bike. You can test it out by yourself if you haven’t ridden a bike in quite some time. Your balance and directional ability will all still be intact.

Now assume that the bicyclist developed a habit of always whistling when he rode (although this can be applied to any range of activities from cooking to washing a car). Out of habit, the bicyclist might whistle whenever they ride a bike. Onlookers might mention to them that they’re whistling with them completely oblivious to the fact. Because it’s been molded into a habit, it occurs with no conscious effort.

The study of habit development is of particularly strong interest to psychologists because it provides insight into how people are capable of learning. However, it should also be noted that when habits are driven to extremes, they can soon and easily become mental disorders worthy of medical treatment.

The Formation of Habits

As mentioned earlier, habits are responses to experiences in our lives. They can also manifest alongside the acquisition of skills (whistling bicyclist). The average adult has undoubtedly already learned to walk, run, and sit. These are their skills. Habits might manifest themselves through those skills in the form of starting walking on the same foot everything, taking two small steps preceding a sprint, or wiping a chair with the hand before sitting down. Even the way one sits can be a habit, particularly when it becomes reflexive or the “most comfortable” way to sit, such as with crossed legs.

An example that clearly illustrates one’s psychological state as an impetus for the onset of a habit is a person with vastly discolored teeth. Suffering from ridicule from them, the person eventually comes to smile and talk largely with their mouth closed.

Even after correcting the nuisance, the person continues to prevent exposure of their teeth simply because it’s become such a regular part of their existence.

Emotionally-Charged Habits

For the most part, all of the previous examples of habit formation are based on physical sources. However, habits can also – and are probably more frequently – formed as the result of emotional distress. The most common of this type of habit is procrastination. As the result of having a large deal of work to complete, many people choose to forego it. Procrastination is a habit that they form to avoid that stress.

Other habits still are formed as a means of protection against perceived possibilities of danger. This type of habit-forming is crucial to the survival of any creature. Checking to make sure all doors are locked before going to sleep and regularly visiting an auto shop are positive ways in which forming habits can influence your life.