How Bad Habits Develop

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate April 2001

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Causal Analysis Do you have a bad habit? If so, it could be endangering your health or just plain irritating to someone else. There are all sorts of bad habits: smoking, chewing tobacco dipping snuff, chewing fingernails, or making some sort of irritating noise. A bad habit is usually picked up by someone who watches or admires another person who has a particular bad habit. One will not notice much difference in the beginning, but in time certain behaviors become routine. There are certain stages one will go through in forming these habits.

A smoking habit develops very easily. All it takes is a young person who thinks smoking is cool, or any person who is under a great deal of stress, and combined with the belief that smoking will calm one's nerves, one will become addicted to nicotine. If a young person starts smoking, it is often because he or she looks up to a person who smokes, and thinks it makes them look cool.

So naturally, they want to be just like this person. Sooner or later they are addicted to the high amounts of nicotine and other harmful drugs in cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. Another big reason someone starts smoking is when they are placed in a really difficult time. Losing a close relative, someone struggling in school, or even having a rough time at work would be some good examples of difficult times. Some people look to tobacco products to help them calm their nerves and the majority of these people become addicted.

Another habit that is not good for your body is chewing or biting your fingernails.

This habit can be started the same way smoking is started. Young people will watch adults or someone they admire, and copy their actions. This...