Changes That Occur During Middle Childhood and Adolescence - Essay Example

Middle Childhood and Adolescence al Affiliation) Changes that occur during middle childhood and adolescence concerning family and peer relationships The perception by many functionalist sociologists states that families represent a pleasant setting that consists of couples that cohabit together, enjoy intimate relationships, and in the process get children who adapt to the environment to complete the family. Indeed, the family consists of the parents, children, and the upbringing in which these two parties live. In light of this, the first function that the family performs is socialization. This fundamental program affects the children living within the frameworks of the family. Through the elementary facets of socialization, children acquire the important knowledge and skills that enable them to operate in such a manner that the society regards as desirable (Brown & Bakken, 2011). These children adopt the norms and values of the society. In addition to that, families act to cement the personalities of adults in the society. Through obtaining the correct teachings on how to handle cases, adolescents stand high chances of applying these lessons in the personal decisions made during adulthood. It is candid, therefore, to draw the role of the family through family bonding exercises, emotional attachments, and sexual intimacy for satisfaction of the couples. The functional dynamics that exist within the frameworks of the families describe the division of relationships, values, and rules that govern the members within a family. The functional dynamics includes aspects such as accountability, cooperation, emotional security care, the need for respect within family ranks and privacy (Watling, 2009). Within each basic family structure, the element of respects holds the responsibility of profiling the nature of the family. To explain this, the younger members of the family are obliged to show respect towards the older generation. This translates in all levels of the family, to capture the extended family. This is not say, however, that respect is not essential for a people of the same generation. The basic rules of respect form the basis of accountability, privacy, and emotional security that enables the spirit of togetherness to prevail amongst the experiences of family members. Therefore, the functional dynamics of the family instill stress-relieving components within adolescents, further strengthening their cooperation and emotional support. On the other hand, the dysfunctional aspects that intertwine the relationships within the family constitute the over doing of the functional aspects of the dynamics of a family. In the event that a family has a lot of emphasis on accountability, the senior members of the family tend to over monitor the actions that the younger members undertake. For adolescents and children, this has far-reaching and adverse consequences on the development of their minds. In many circumstances, the victims of this seem to slip from the inner family circles and finding comfort in the company of peers (Brown & Bakken, 2011). Evidently, many adolescent victims of dysfunctional family dynamics delve into sexual and drug abuse menaces. The families should oppose the overdoing of functional aspects of the dynamics, as inadequate privacy amongst the children and adolescents often translates to insecurity in adulthood. The impact of socialization, therefore, influences the sexual, moral, and emotional orientation of the individuals. From the initial stages of a child’s socialization, the secondary stage erupts. The child makes friends, through socialization, and develops relationships that define the peers within his or her new life. At this stage e of human life, the brain is not mature enough to hold onto the basic lessons of functional dynamics. Therefore, there is an understanding that peers represent the crucial theme that defines the behavior of children. The environment in which a child or an adolescent interacts with defines the extent of positivity of negativity that the child’s behavior will have in adulthood (Watling, 2009). Positive peer groups, such as football teams and school band members represent a healthy gathering to uphold the positive values of the child. On the other hand, drug addicts and bullies are hazardous groups that erode the basic function of respect, care, and love within the behavioral aspect of the child. The treatment of adolescents by teachers and other senior members within the society develops the character of the individual in adulthood. If subjected to harshness and bullying, many adolescents develop into anxious and fearful adults. In contrast, positive and good relations shape an adolescent into a friendly adult who can keep friendships beyond the limits of time. It is notable however that many adolescents and teenagers prioritize their relationships based on the worldly benefits that they acquire from these relationships. Such kinds of mindsets explain the role of the peers in issues as early pregnancies and substance abuse amongst certain adolescents. Though these types of friendships and intimate relationships do not last for a lifetime, these behaviors remain deeply rooted in most partners within the relationships (Watling, 2009). In childhood, major pressures emanate from harsh treatment by teachers and bullies. In adolescence however, pressures widen to envisage the peer pressures in relation to drugs, criminal activity, and sexual involvements. The pressures of children make them fearful of the authority figures in the society, probably making them reluctant to approach the seniors in search of advice or solutions to personal challenges. In adolescence, furthermore, pressures shape the individuals into believing in the norms of peer groups (Brown & Bakken, 2011). The desire to gain respect and maintain an enviable social status in the minds of many peers defines the ambition of many victims of peer pressure amongst adults, therefore, in the middle childhood the children focus more on the emulating their parents in contrast with the adolescents who look up to peer group members to gain societal recognition. In conclusion, the morals that the children obtain form the basic dynamics of the family seem to be overlooked by those obtained from the later stages of socialization. The values that people acquire during childhood act as reminders on the direction of an individual’s life. With realization, many individuals turn back to emulate the desired behavior they learnt from early childhood lessons. This mostly depends on the impact of the earlier life lessons on the basic facets of human responsibility. References Brown, B. & Bakken, J. (2011). Parenting and Peer Relationships: Reinvigorating Research on Family-Peer Linkages in Adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), pp.153-165. Watling Neal, J. (2009). Social Aggression and Social Position in Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence: Burning Bridges or Building Them?. The Journal Of Early Adolescence, 30(1), 122-137. doi:10.1177/0272431609350924 Read More