Human development is a complex interplay of many factors. Some individuals are of the
opinion that parents have the most significant role in a child’s development whereas others
opine that friends and other environmental factors such as TV have a more important role.
It is necessary to look at both arguments before forming an opinion.
Parents have direct interactions with the children. They provide a sense of identification to
the child. These have their greatest effect on intellectual development and character traits.
They also play a very important role in the socializing process of the child. Right from the
bed time stories to the behavioral habits parents play a very important role in making a child
a responsible citizen. They know their child’s temperament better than anyone else. They
can provide critical input better than anyone else. That is why it is believed by some that
parents have the strongest role in a child’s development.
Friends, on the other hand, are important in order to help children grow emotionally and
socially. Children find out who they are by comparing themselves to others. They learn
about attitude, character and personality. Building good relationships boosts a child’s self
esteem and they find comfort in those friendships when things get tough such as losing a
pet or facing family problems. Therefore, friendships are essential to assure children
develop a healthy psyche. When kids are surrounded by friends or have one close friend,
they have better self esteem, feel a sense of well being and experience fewer social
problems.
Television is also one of the most prevalent media influences in kids' lives. How much
impact TV has on children depends on many factors: how much they watch, their age and
personality, whether they watch alone or with adults, and whether their parents talk with
them about what they see on TV.
In my opinion, we cannot generalize as to what has more significance. In the early years
family generally has more impact but in adolescence peers and TV may impact more. It
appears that the power of the peer group becomes more important when the family
relationships are not close or supportive. For example, if the parents work extra jobs and
are largely unavailable, their children may turn to their peer group for emotional support.
To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that behavior is affected by a complex interaction
of many different factors such as parents, peers and environment. All these are inextricably
linked in the development of children. There is individual variation and therefore it is
difficult to generalize which factor plays the most significant role.
Human
development
is a complex interplay of
many
factors
.
Some
individuals are of the
opinion that
parents
have the most significant
role
in a
child’s
development
whereas others
opine that friends and other environmental
factors
such as TV have a more
important
role.
It is necessary to look at both arguments
before
forming an opinion.
Parents have direct interactions with the
children
. They provide a sense of identification to
the
child
. These have their greatest effect on intellectual
development
and character traits.
They
also
play a
very
important
role
in the socializing process of the
child
. Right from the
bed time stories to the behavioral habits
parents
play a
very
important
role
in making a child
a responsible citizen. They know their
child’s
temperament better than anyone else. They
can provide critical input better than anyone else.
That is
why it
is believed
by
some
that
parents have the strongest
role
in a
child’s
development.
Friends,
on the other hand
, are
important
in order to
help
children
grow
emotionally
and
socially
.
Children
find out who they are by comparing themselves to others. They learn
about attitude, character and personality. Building
good
relationships boosts a
child’s
self
esteem
and they find comfort in those friendships when things
get
tough such as losing a
pet or facing family problems.
Therefore
, friendships are essential to assure children
develop a healthy psyche. When kids
are surrounded
by friends or have one close friend,
they have better
self esteem
, feel a sense of
well being
and experience fewer social
problems.
Television is
also
one of the most prevalent media influences in kids'
lives
. How much
impact TV has on
children
depends on
many
factors
: how much they
watch
, their age and
personality, whether they
watch
alone or with adults, and whether their
parents
talk with
them about what they
see
on TV.
In my opinion, we cannot generalize as to what has more significance. In the early
years
family
generally
has more impact
but
in adolescence
peers
and TV may impact more. It
appears that the power of the
peer
group becomes more
important
when the family
relationships are not close or supportive.
For example
, if the
parents
work extra jobs and
are
largely
unavailable, their
children
may turn to their
peer
group for emotional support.
To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that behavior is
affected
by a complex interaction
of
many
different
factors
such as
parents
,
peers
and environment. All these are
inextricably
linked in the
development
of
children
. There is individual variation and
therefore
it is
difficult to generalize which
factor
plays the most significant
role
.