**TL;DR Our lives are more determined by social factors than by our own choices.** The myth that one’s successes and failures are entirely up to one’s own efforts is at the center of much of American values and policies. Believing this gives us a sense of control over our lives, something to aspire to, but most of all, it lets us off the hook for not helping those in need. The myth of individualism is promulgated by stories of rags to riches, even though these stories are often the exception to the rule. People’s lives are largely determined by social factors like class, geographical environment, family, gender/race, etc. For example: there are two people with the same innate intelligence/capability. One is a white man born into a wealthy family, which allowed him to go to boarding schools (which have an extremely high rate of acceptance into ivy league schools), have tutors, and professional connections upon graduation. The other is a black woman born into generational poverty, who attends the local public school and has to work from a young age to help support her family, which affects her performance in school. She cannot afford college, and since everyone she knows is in the same situation, she has no-one to ask for help/connections. She also has to go above and beyond to combat gender and racial prejudice. While it is always possible that a person in the woman’s position could “rise above”, it is clear that one of these people has an overwhelming advantage, due to nothing of his own merit. One has to work much harder to even have a *chance* at the same opportunities that one is born with. There are a million variations of this example and they make up our entire country and social hierarchy. Whether it is society’s responsibility to level the playing field (to which I would say emphatically yes) is a separate debate, but we at least need to be willing to admit that they are in fact uneven, and that we do not determine our lives as much as we have been conditioned to think we do. Recognizing individualism as a myth is the first step in addressing inequality.

**Society shapes a person. Hence, society is somewhat responsible for that persons success.** - There are many factors that help sculpture a person. These include social factors, such as where you were brought up, who you were brought up by, and what type of education you had. As all of these factors contribute to creating a person, these factors are also somewhat responsible for a persons success. - When giving an appreciation speech, people never thank just themselves for their success. They thank their friends and their family and their managers, aka society and its factors. - So, it is impossible for someones life to not be determined in any way by an exterior factor. For instance what school they went to or which city they lived in. These things always impact our lives. Due to this, success in life is determined by society in someway. - If someone was never effected by society, I personally doubt they would ever actually reach success.

**There is no singular definition to success, and as its meaning varies person to person, so do the determining factors.** To some, success is a scale that coincides with wealth, to others it's a reflection of personal achievement. With this broad scope of meaning comes a [range of contributions](https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/the-new-definitions-success.html), not just social factors. Some of the most common ways' success is measured include: → [Career](https://www.mentorworks.ca/blog/business-strategy/10-professional-success-factors/) → [Health](https://www.lifehack.org/814091/how-do-you-measure-success) → [Talent](https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/9-proven-success-factors-that-can-accelerate-your-career-and-life.html) → [Happiness](https://medium.com/change-your-mind/the-secret-to-success-is-happiness-ef1bb41a99b7) → [Self Worth](https://hbr.org/2012/09/to-succeed-forget-self-esteem.html) All of these facets fall under one of two types: [_Internal_](https://psychcentral.com/blog/what-determines-your-success#2): Factors that attribute to an individual's drive, happiness, achievements, and even their DNA. Research suggests that an individual’s ability to stay motivated is due in part to genetics. [_External_](https://beingtruetoyou.com/what-is-success/): Factors that you both can, and cannot control, such as health, relationships, surroundings, and lifestyle. These are the facets that comprise the social factors that are attributed to success. So while social factors affect success, inner psyche and biology influence it as well.

I think this debate depends on how you define success. It could be economic success, it could be that you have found a great date, it could be that you are happy. My opinion is that progress is success, and as long as you feel that you are progressing in some way then you are successful.