Past GT essay - Some people claim that family members are more important than friends; do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Human development is a complex interplay of many factors. Some individuals are of the opinion that parents are more significant for children whereas others opine that friends have a more important role. It is necessary to look at both arguments before forming an opinion.

Parents have direct interactions with the children. They provide a sense of identification to the child. These have their greatest effect on intellectual development and character traits. They also play a very important role in the socializing process of the child. Right from the bed time stories to the behavioural habits parents play a very important role in making a child a responsible citizen. They know their child’s temperament better than anyone else. They can provide critical input better than anyone else. That is why it is believed by some that parents have the strongest role in a child’s development.

Friends, on the other hand, are important in order to help children grow emotionally and socially. Children find out who they are by comparing themselves to others. They learn about attitude, character and personality. Building good relationships boosts a child’s self esteem and they find comfort in those friendships when things get tough such as losing a pet or facing family problems. Therefore, friendships are essential to assure children develop a healthy psyche. When kids are surrounded by friends or have one close friend, they have better self esteem, feel a sense of well being and experience fewer social problems. 

In my opinion, we cannot generalize as to what has more significance. In the early years family generally has more impact but in adolescence friends may impact more. It appears that the power of the peer group becomes more important when the family relationships are not close or supportive. For example, if the parents work extra jobs and are largely unavailable, their children may turn to their peer group for emotional support.

To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that children are affected by many different factors such as parents, friends and environment. All these are inextricably linked in the development of children. There is individual variation and therefore it is difficult to generalize which factor plays the most significant role.