Who Is Nelson Mandela A Determinant

Nelson Mandela is among the most celebrated people to ever live. His struggles for liberation in South Africa have left a legendary legacy that inspires many people the world over. This implies that some experiences in the life of Mandela had a bearing into the person he later became. This paper will examine the experiences in the life of Mandela, as shown by his autobiography, long walk to freedom.

Birth as a determinant to Mandela’s commitment to democracy

There is a debate about the main determinant of personality in psychology. Some hold that nurture hold the biggest influence while others insist that nature is a bigger influence. This paper will take both views as determinant in personality. The nature view would imply that his birth

He was born to a chief and thus was expected to have leadership qualities from the start. Like most cultures around the world, legitimate leadership in Africa emanates from birth rather than proven leadership skills. Therefore, having a chief for a farther implies raised expectations about a person’s ability to lead. Mandela implies that his father passed on to him an ‘abiding connection to the Thembu house (Mandela 20). This impels that from his birth, he was responsible for the well-being of his people. In his later years, Mandela sacrificed everything including his freedom in the view that these sacrifices would benefit Africans in the end. For example, his political activism was responsible for landing him in jail. This activist was geared towards fighting for liberation for the interest of his people. Though it was possible for Mandela to abandon his birth heritage and seek selfish means, one can assume that the responsibility bestowed on him at birth had a role to play (Mandela

Though he claims not to have the same birth attitudes as his farther, he implies a connection between the properties that were nurtured into them (Mandela 21). However, though there are implications that his farther perceived the magistrate to have limited power over him and thus the contempt that may have triggered the defiance, Mandela proposes that principle played a greater role. According to the account, his father’s defiance did not emanate from need for any sort of personal gain, but by principals and the view that his obligation was to the people of Thembu as opposed to the laws of