This essay will examine how Samuel Vimes has adjusted- and continues to adjust- to life’s changes and challenges from birth to the present day. The effects of early experiences on his development will be evaluated, with particular reference to the psychoanalytical theories of Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson, alongside the stage-based theory formulated by Levinson et al. Stanley Milgram’s insightful investigation into the topic of obedience, together with the behaviourist principles of B. F. Skinner, will serve as the basis for a discussion of the effect of social influences on developing or modifying behaviour.