CHILDREN IN SOCIETY

Children in Society

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Children in Society

Introduction

The differences in the micro-systems of children have a great influence on the behaviour and development of children. Families responsible for provide their children a social environment that posses a direct impact on the family's identification such as culture, ethnicity and race. Other factors that have an impact on the children are gender, economics, location and religion. The contextual theory of Vygotsky focuses the idea that knowledge is drive from culture. It was commonly observed that a behavioural difference in children is mainly because of their cultural views. It further states that the knowledge of family lays in its culture and that have a great influence on children.

According to McGoldrick (1989) theory of family systems emphasizes on the importance of culture, ethnicity and beliefs, values and practices of a family. On the other hand, level of family income also has an influence on the behaviours and decisions of a family. Unique family proverbs, food, stories, religious ceremonies, celebrations and customs are the essential sources of family ethnicity. Based on these factors, the difference has been identified between ethnic identity and self-concept. It is difficult for families to encourage the notion of ethnic pride in children, explicitly in a pluralistic society. In pluralistic societies, injustice and racism are on peak that highly impacted the practices and beliefs in minority ethnic groups. However, the need for personal or social identity has a deep psychological need of a child and has a significant impact since early childhood.

Discussion

There is some common character traits that a child inherent from the majority of its family members, known as social characters; which work well for survival in that society. These social characters are engendered in children by their parents because they mould the child according to their culture, values, customs and beliefs. Hence, family plays the most important role in psychological development of a child.

For example, in a primitive society, a clan living on an island where fishing is the only mean of survival, and there is a significant need of cooperation among fisherman in that society for peaceful co-existence; hence families instil the wish and willingness of cooperation among children. On the other hand, in a feudal culture, the upper class families have to develop their children with certain characteristics like leadership traits, pride and arrogance based on their culture; however, the lower class teaches their children to be patient and obedient to bear misery (Cicchetti & Curtis, 2006, pp.1-64).

The determinants of child personality include economic conditions, size, education and structure of a family, level of children socialization, school environment, peer group, government policies, parents involvement in routine activities and extracurricular activities.

A child lives not only in a society but also in a certain geographical location and thereby has an influence of a certain culture and subculture of class, region, race and religion, as well as family and friends. Every individual has to face new and changing conditions; therefore, since early childhood ...