In a 1973 study conducted by social researchers Darley and Batson, theology students were tasked with giving a talk on the parable of the Good Samaritan. Some of these students were given ample time to walk to the next building and deliver their speech, while others were told they are running late. On the path between the two buildings sat a bedraggled man in need of help. The study revealed an ironic human tendency: those who were in a hurry to reach their destination were less likely to help the man than those with more time, even though they were rushing to educate others on the significance of the Good Samaritan! These were not bad people, they were just theology students. The environment and surrounding context were key to bringing out certain choices and behaviors, within their capabilities, which the students would not normally exhibit.
While battling a Klingon ship, the Enterprise finds itself lost in a pocket dimension where many starships have previously disappeared. The confining space Bermuda Triangle is a timeless void, where the trapped aliens from all over the galaxy live in perfect harmony… they have no other choice. Kirk is determined to escape, forming an alliance with the Klingons to combine the power of their two ships. The other aliens do not believe escape is possible, and being trapped for so long in the void has brought out the best in them. It is interesting that the Klingons and Starfleet would be so eager to return to the other side when it also means they would go right back to being mortal enemies. The void proved that cooperation was possible with Klingons, perhaps it was a foreshadow to the future peace between the species.
If personality is a set of innate traits, and social structure is an environmental factor which puts selective pressure on some of these traits, thereby bringing out a specific set from the collective whole, then an environment can shape our outward personality in the same way our genes do. When you change the environment in which people live, their priorities change, and so do their relationships toward one another. In the beginning, the relationship between the Starfleet officers and the Klingons is exactly what we expect. They shoot at each other, distrust each other, and regard each other as enemies. Once in the pocket dimension, the universe effectively removes their normal social circumstances. The trapped ships, surrounded by the wreckage of countless vessels, realize that their old assumptions about one another become considerably less useful.
We tend to think of behaviour as an expression of personality or culture, but behaviour is also profoundly environmental. Put people into a situation where cooperation is necessary for survival and suddenly cooperation becomes possible between people who would ordinarily rather kill each other. Put students in a situation where they don’t have the luxury stop and lend a hand, and they turn into ‘hypocrites’. A better awareness of this phenomenon could help us mitigate its effects. Keep your values in mind so everyday stresses won’t diminish them, and be open to what capabilities a new environment will reveal in you.
Darley, J. M., & Batson, C. D. (1973). “From Jerusalem to Jericho”: A study of situational and dispositional variables in helping behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 27(1), 100–108.