The GRE Analytical Writing tests the candidate's ability of critical thinking and analytical writing skills. The GRE Issue task presents an opinion on an issue of general interest accompanied by precise instructions on how to respond to that issue. This specific GRE issue sample essay topic talks about the behaviour of people. More such topics are available in GRE writing practice papers.

Answer:

People’s behavior is not the same for all, it is a subjective matter. Each and every person adapts to a situation differently and responds accordingly. However, is it justified to think that only external factors can be held accountable for a person’s behavior? This is not wholly true. In my opinion, people’s behavior is driven by their personal choice of action. Humans are considered to be the most intelligent species on earth. They think, decide, and then react to a situation. So it’s not only the external factors but also the conscious or subconscious human mind that comes into play.

External factors like peer pressure, societal expectations, or circumstances have always impacted human behavior. Although, their action cannot be an outcome of external forces only; what they choose to do or how they choose to react in that situation configures in their mind. Their choice equally has an important role to play. A man, who has witnessed a burglary, may or may not report it to the police. An employee, who has been asked to submit a report in due time, may or may not delay its submission. It is the person himself who resolves what he is willing to do. The witness and the employee were coincidentally in those conditions. The witness informing about the burglary or the employee submitting the report within the stipulated time is a matter of their personal choices. This choice arises from what we can call individual responsibility.

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Individual responsibility guides personal choice and personal choice reverberates in people’s behavior. A sense of responsibility actively works in our minds, which leads us to act in a particular manner. For instance, a man living in a country where strict laws and high penalties are imposed for littering will throw garbage in dustbins specifically and nowhere else. The stern laws prohibiting littering compel him to do so. How will the same person react if he moves to a different country where no such laws are applicable? He has two choices. He might irresponsibly throw garbage anywhere without the fear of being heavily fined or be a responsible person and use dustbins to save the environment. This is where individual responsibility steps in.

This sense of responsibility is usually inculcated in a person at an early age. Young children have been told to study well and score high to secure their future. Their parents, relatives, and the society at large, have constantly reminded them that attaining excellent scores will lead them towards a good-paying job in the future. Some students have followed these sayings and have chosen to be good in academics. The vision of working as a high-ranking professional earning a handsome amount at month-end has encouraged them in this direction. To some extent, both external factors and individual responsibility together have played a role in their case. On the other hand, another group of students has chosen not to be influenced by society's guidelines. They have decided not to commit time to studies, despite the knowledge of the adverse impact it may have on their careers. They are neither perturbed by the external factors nor guided by individual responsibility; this is their personal choice.

As a matter of fact, individual responsibility at times has nothing to do with personal behavior, which is one big reason behind high crime rates in our society. In spite of the authoritarian law and order system, criminal minds, by choice, indulge in such activities. No external factors can be questioned in this regard. A thief will steal although he is aware that he will be executed by the judicial system when caught. Such people do not fear the system. They willingly ignore their responsibility towards society. They are solely responsible for their conduct.

So it will be incorrect to state that people’s behavior is determined by foreign factors. An individual can be held answerable for his own actions. They have the liberty of choice. The power to make the right choice lies in their own hands. The lack of accountability for people’s behavior will break down society. Individual code of conduct determines the proper functioning of the society. In short, people’s behavior is a result of forces of their own making.