One reason many environmental anthropologists are skeptical of overpopulation as a sole explanation for environmental degradation is that it doesn't recognize that different societies and people within each society consume differing amounts of resources.

Imagine a child who consistently gets mediocre grades and is often picked last for a team when games are played at recess. however, he likes to make silly jokes and play pranks, and he notices that people laugh when he does those things. the child starts to think that others are laughing with him, not at him. this is part of the process that charles cooley