Group Experiences and Adult Development

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RUNNING HEAD: Group Experiences and Adult Development Group Experiences and Adult Development Jennifer Hall Ashford University PSY202: Sonja Bethune February 7, 2013 From the moment we enter this world, our development is being influenced. There are different groups of people and circumstances that influence human development throughout childhood and into adulthood. These group experiences can be beneficial in many aspects of our lives. Some group actives, such as being on your high school basketball, can give you the tools you need to be a team player later on in life. However, not all experiences and influences will be positive. (Witt, G.A., & Mossley, R. A., 2010). Our first group experience in life, is with our parents and other family members, such as siblings. Our parents have the largest influences of how a person develops in an adult. In the first few years of life, we depend on our parents to feed us, bathe us, entertain us, soothe us, and so much more. We are slowly introduce to the world and how it works through our parents. Families all have different cultures beliefs, therefore not every child will be influence by the same things or in the same way. In our school age years, we form groups among our peers. As human beings, we all want to be noticed, accepted by others, and feel as though we belong. Early friendships and group experiences are vital to our social development. They teach us the so called “norms”. Such as the acceptable behaviors. Teachers and authority figures are another group that we experience during childhood. The experiences that come with this group, teaches us the roles and structure of authority. Throughout our lives, there will always be a higher authority. This helps to develop us into law abiding citizens as we enter adulthood. (Witt, G.A., & Mossler, R. A., 2010). Many experiences
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