"Do Parents Matter? This essay focuses on the effects that parents have on their children.

Essay by cowhide00University, Bachelor'sA-, March 2003

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"Do Parents Matter?"

There is a big controversy between whether inherited genes or the environment influences and effects our personality, development, behavior, intelligence and ability. Different theories and conclusions have been deliberated as to what exactly shapes us, and what effects us from birth through adulthood. I believe the articles introduced many different theories which allowed me to really analyze and come up with my own conclusions.

David Reiss suggests that parents appear to have relatively little effect on how children turn out, once genetic influences are accounted for. Through his research, he concludes that genes rather than parents have a greater influence on our personalities. I feel Reiss brings up an interesting point when he suggests that people's genetic make-up brings about particular reactions from others and their reactions influence the person's personality. I strongly agree with him when he states that how a parent responds to a child's genetically-influenced characteristics may make all the difference in how those traits are expressed.

In the article talking about Hillary Clinton's speech it says that she is promoting the message that who you are and what you are capable of could be the result of how successful your mother and father were in rearing you. I am not sure I believe this idea completely. This makes the deprived children the bearers of the sins and disabilities of their parents. I am not saying that parents do not have any long term effects on the development of the child's personality, but individuals are effected by the environment and the activities they see. Stereotyping and gender roles are examples that influence one's way of thinking and how people act to fulfill these expectations. I feel that self-esteem also has some impact on how successful a person can be in overcoming obstacles in their...