Who Has More Influence: Parents, Peers, or a Combination?

1456 Words6 Pages
Who Has More Influence: Parents, Peers, Culture, or a Combination? Children’s growth and development has many influences, and they often combine produce a unique and individualized child. To what extent do these influences come from the parents, the peers, or the cultures in which they reside? In social science, one of the most debated theories of development is that of nature versus nurture. The child’s nature refers to the influence that genes play on development, while nurture refers to the influence of the environment. Which one has a more substantial impact on the child’s development? We now know that both combine to create the child; that nature affects nurture, and nurture affects nature. However, in what ways are the parents more influential than the peers and how are the peers more influential than the parents? From the moment of conception a child gets its genetic makeup from the parents, thus already beginning their impact on the child. Parents give a child its first view of the world and they often shape many of his or her values and beliefs, while also providing the basic necessities that a child needs to survive. Peers, however, are often said to have more influence on a child’s development than parents. The challenges faced in a social environment, one where children are often either accepted or ridiculed, shape how a person may behave for the rest of their lives. A third concept in influence on child development is the impact of culture and how it supports parental and/or peer influence. These three concepts of influential development on a child are controversial and often subjective to opinion, however, each one has several points that showcase their importance. It has been suggested that genes, peers, and communities have so much influence that parenting has little impact – unless it is grossly abusive (Berger 384). This is not entirely true;
Open Document