Me, others & external factors

External Factors

 External factors are factors outside of the situation that can influence what happens in the situation.

 Examples of external factors are:

1. Weather

2. Invisible forces such as gravity and magnetism

3. Someone else’s attitudes

4. Someone else’s decisions

Scenario 1

​Oh Sam!

Sam’s mother saw him pack his best sunglasses for the school camp. They were a very expensive pair that he had bought with the money he earned from his part-time job. His mum suggested that he leave them at home in case they got stolen or broken at the camp, but Sam insisted on taking them.

​

When he returned from camp, his mother was waiting for him in the ‘5 minutes only’ parking zone because it was raining. As soon as Sam got off the bus, she signalled to him to hurry so she wouldn’t be booked. He hurried over, laden down with his backpack, sleeping bag and pillow. As he ran up to the door of the car, his sunglasses fell out of his jacket pocket and dropped into the stormwater drain by the side of the road. Sam was devastated. His mother said, "I told you not to take them."​

Open Ended

How much of the responsibility is Sam’s?

Open Ended

How much of the responsibility is Sam’s mum?

Poll

To me, the person responsible is mostly....

• Sam

• Sam's mum

• No one. External factors are to blame.

• No one. It was bad luck.

Scenario 2

A group of Year 9 girls were chatting and laughing when Ella noticed that Zoe, another girl in the group, was taking photos of her with her mobile phone. Ella was angry that Zoe hadn’t asked her if that was okay and tried to grab Zoe’s phone to stop her. The phone was dropped and the screen broke. Both girls started to yell at each other, and a teacher came to investigate.

Respect my property

Open Ended

How much of the responsibility is Ella’s?

Open Ended

How much of the responsibility is Zoe’s?

Poll

To me, the person responsible is mostly ....

• Ella

• Zoe

• No one. External factors are to blame.

• No one. It was just bad luck.