Saturday, April 19, 2008

Importance of Environment in a Child’s Growth

Generally every child personality was influenced by the environment in which he or she lives. A child’s hereditary inheritance interacts with and is shaped by the environmental factors operative in the child’s world. A child is exposed to a variety of interactions with other persons, normally beginning with family members and going on to include the peer group members. Other important people who are in constant close contact with the child also influence the process of personality development. But why all children have same personalities? Why some escapees from their homes, while others are adjusted to their home situation? The behavior patterns children learn depend heavily on models to which they are exposed. The socio-cultural environment is the source of differences as well as similarities in personality development.

A child who is a part of N.C.C. or a Scout group will build up as a positive person. Characters like leadership, discipline and camaraderie are inculcated in the child as a result of participation in such group activities. On the other hand a child, who gets involved with a criminal gang, develops negative traits like stealing, lying and smoking. It’s an undisputed fact of life: we can’t escape our socio-cultural environment. Our genetic gift provides our potentialities for development, but the shaping of this potential in terms of perceiving, thinking, feeling and acting depends a lot an the inputs we receive from our physical and socio-cultural environment. Environment leaves its marks even on the faces of rocks, can a delicate human brain escape its vagaries.

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