How much credit or blame do parents deserve for who we are?

How much credit or blame do parents deserve for who we are?

People have various dispositions. While others are, assertive and portray admirable traits, some are passive with very repulsive behaviors. As such, certain individuals and factors in one’s life determine their individuality. Therefore, how much credit or blame do parents deserve for who we are? In this context, a parent refers to the person who provides for the physical and emotional needs of a child regardless of genetic relations between the two. Mostly, this paper starts by discussing the social-emotional domain of development and later elaborates on Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development and Vygotsky’s theory of social development to determine parent’s role in children’s development. Finally, the paper discusses the results attained from the discussion and gives a comprehensive answer to whether or not parents have a role in defining one’s behavior.

The social-emotional domain of development focuses on a child’s expression, management of emotions and their experiences (Damon et al., 2006). Besides, it includes their ability to relate well with those in their surroundings through the creation and maintenance of healthy relationships. Damon and his counterparts argue that a child his first able to experience, express and observe emotions before they comprehend the nature of these feelings. In this regard, people develop emotions at a very young age and can respond accordingly to these feelings. Therefore, during the early years of development, a child requires stable and consistent relationships to aid in learning, development and healthy growth.

Children learn their environment through the actions of their relatives, teachers and their peers. Hence, the existence of high-quality relationships between a child and those in their environment promotes the chances of positive results for that child. Seemingly, the social-emotional domain involves both cognition and emotion that work together to influence a child’s behavior and their response towards certain situations. As such, one can make an inference that people who have less-desirable characteristics, had poor relationships with their parents. Vygotsky later reinforced this importance of social interaction by associating it with cognitive development.

Seemingly, the main theme in Vygotsky’s theory is the importance of social interaction in the development of cognition. Resultantly, Vygotsky suggests that cognitive abilities such as logical memory, the formation of concepts and voluntary attention are dependent on both the intra-psychological and the inter-psychological factors that a child experience (Shaffer, 2009). Social and personality development. Vygotsky also implies that cognitive development thrives with reference to the ‘zone of proximal development.’ Inherently, Vygotsky insisted that there can only be optimal cognitive development, in the event of optimal social interaction. Shaffer (2006) also suggests that Vygotsky reinforced the importance of a child to relate with the people in their surrounding instead existing in solitude. As such, the relationships between the child and his parents and strengthen his cognitive development better than when the child struggles to learn on their own.

Another philosopher who reinforced the importance of social-emotional development in determining the character is Erik Erikson. He proposed a theory of psychosocial development that consists of eight stages of development from infancy to adulthood (Friedman, 2000). Ostensibly, during each stage, one encounters a social problem with a possible adverse or positive effect on them depending on how they solve it. Erikson implied that the successful handling of social crises leads to the development of one’s ego and the eventual attainment of a sense of identity and beginning a feeling of trust. He explains that personality develops using the epigenist principle with each previous stage reinforcing the next. The first five stages on development stages include infancy to young adulthood whereas the other three involve life as a mature being (Friedman, 2000).in that regard, parents and the community play a major role in the first five stages in a child’s development. Since the social crises in each stage affect the community and the individual, it has a psycho-social element. Therefore, children require assistance and reinforcement from their parents and the community to navigate through the stages and achieve virtues from each level.

The society also has a view of whether parents have an impact on one’s character. For instance, most religions suggest that parents have a moral role to instill discipline in their children (Faracho, 2007). Therefore, religions such as Christianity, expect parents to be good examples for the younger generation to emulate. In some instances, people attribute bad behavior to poor upbringing (Shaffer, 2009). Social and personality development. For example, when one is a thief, people speculate that his or her parents did not teach them the importance of respecting other people’s property. Moreover, when one deals with emotional crises, people tend to assume that the parents did not give him or her ample emotional support.

In a nutshell, people’s personalities are vastly affected by their social-emotional development process. As such, during childhood children require a lot of help and reinforcement from their social environment because social interaction accounts for optimal cognitive development. Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development also insists on the importance of social responsiveness because a child can solve a social crisis well when they have support (Friedman, 2000). Moreover, their ego develops when their parents acknowledge their efforts. Resultantly, such a person can find an identity and can manage their emotions because they have been taught how to handle failure and success. Cultural views also support that parents who support their children and are actively involved in their lives, raise children with good morals whereas those who are emotionally unavailable to their children raise individuals who are of bad character (Hammack, 2008). Therefore, it is true to state that parents have a significant role in one’s individuality. Therefore, parents deserve criticism if their child has negative behavior or praise if the child has a good personality.

References

Damon, W., Lerner, R. M., & Eisenberg, N. (2006). Handbook of Child Psychology Volume 3.

Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.

Shaffer, D. R. (2009). Social and personality development.

Friedman, L. J. (2000). Identity’s architect: A biography of Erik H. Erikson. Cambridge, Mass:

Harvard University Press.

Saracho, O. N. (2007). Contemporary perspectives on socialization and social development in

early childhood education. Charlotte, NC: IAP.

HAMMACK, P. L. Narrative and the Cultural Psychology of Identity Personality and Social

Psychology Review – Phillip L. Hammack, 2008