Interpretation of the Influence of Parents on Child's Behavior

Interpretation of the Influence of Parents on Child's Behavior

 The lifelong process of socialization begins the moment right after one has taken birth into the human race. It is that journey whereby children develop observing their parents in everyday life. Parents lay the basic foundation and shape the mindset of their children in addition to sharing genetic traits. Although, after a certain age, children are exposed to varied social agents such as peers, school, media, religion, etc.; from the initial ages to early adulthood they are still under the firm grip of their parental ethics which is reflected by their behavior in the society.

The nature of the relationship between parents and children must be associative and work on the pursuit of collective goals, i.e., functional for society. There are different sets of roles, duties and responsibilities of each of the members and these do functions in the maintenance of family and society. A family also runs on the 'give and take' mechanism of 'Social Exchange Theory', where both parents and children are expected to follow up responsibilities towards each other. Lack of fulfillment of the desired emotional or physical goals, proper communication, and mutual understanding between them can disclose abnormalities in individual behaviors.

People often fail to establish 'inter-generational family solidarity' and as a result children become unable to grasp certain virtues and values of life from their parents. They discover and absorb different pre-existing societal norms and stereotypes when they come into contact with different spheres of life and develop rationality and series of contradictory instincts. Different life experiences during adolescence (which is also known as 'the period of storm and stress'), has great significance in shaping up the mindset of individuals where the quality of parental support play a vital role in helping their children to become optimists or pessimists. Many a times, parents fail to perform well and they don't realize it. Consequently, children become deviant and out of stress adapt negative personality traits such as, anger, introversion, isolation, anxiety, depression and a wide range; and engage into juvenile delinquencies and criminality.

Today, a majority of youth are into substance abuse. They initiate such activities when they come into contact with the peer groups, thinking it would help them fit in the environment socially. But gradually, with the increase in stress in life, the level of intoxication maximizes and becomes habitual. Apparently, substance abuse has the potentiality to numb or minimize difficult emotions for the time being and provide a desired escape from the reality as their mental health is never on rest. Complications in children's lives can affect parents' lives and vice-versa. That is why, it is highly important for parents to look after the mental health of their children and provide them with the required emotional assistance.  It is the basic way of raising children and keeping them away from any kind of trauma and deviance.

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Author is Leeza Sonowal, student of BA Sociology 4^th Semester, University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya. She expressed her own view point about the issue.