Growing up in a Hostile Environment

Child abuse is learned and passed from generation to generation. Families that live in a violent community are more than likely to become violent members of society

Growing up as a child in a dysfunctional home causes children to abhor their parents and have a difficult time trusting them. Both parents not staying together in one house cause abhorrence against the parents. Going home every day to drunk men and loud music, going to bed hearing loud arguments causes children to become afraid. After growing up and understanding everything that has happened as a kid growing up, gives children a different outlook on life. After years of being in a home where there is no balance causes children to dislike their parents because of the hurt and lies they have been through. When children get into their adulthood, most of them forgive their parents and some continue to be stubborn and not forgive them.

In behavioural theorist B. F. Skinner 's perspective; an individuals personality development is heavily influenced by their environment and prior experiences (Sincero 2012) , he wrote that 'A person does not act upon the world, the work acts upon him ' (Skinner 1971) . Skinner proposed that the development of an individuals personality is largely dependant on the way in which significant adults in their lives would reward or punish then throughout the course of their childhood. (Carter Grivas 2005, p. 407-408) Therefore, children and adolescents raised by abusive and aggressive parents are more inclined to also be come aggressive and hostile towards peers. (Hellesvig-Gaskell n.d)

Furthermore, those who grew up witnessing maltreatment and violence are more likely to commit the same behavior into adulthood (Hampton, Jenkins, Gullotta, 1996, pp. 21-22). If people get a reaction from their significant other in a particular situation like screaming to get the other’s attention, they will continue to engage in that behavior. Therefore if the problem goes unresolved the pattern will continue, such as flouncing out of the home to avoid an unfriendly argument, people will flounce out again the next time they experience an unfriendly

Roman Poet, Horace’s quote says, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” I agree with his stand on adversity because though it may seem bad, it can lead to finding your true self. If one was not put under enough duress. Then they wouldn't find out what type of person that are now will they find out how they will react to certain things. Having your character developed even more so may potentially lead to a brighter future, because then you may qualify for a position somewhere you want to be.

Adversity is essential in development as one must learn to assess situations, attempt to fix problems, and become dependent on one’s self. At birth, adults immediately care for babies to make sure they are fed, get enough sleep, and are protected from harm. As they grow up, parents begin to encourage independence having their children try to walk and talk without help. These first attempts often end in failure but as they practice these skills become an essential part of their lives. Eventually all of these skills will build on top of each other and allow people to go from depending on their parents for everything to having a child of their own to take care of. Human life is a series of guess and check as people try to figure out how they are supposed to be living their lives.

The negative impact of the residential schools on the Native communities still remains to this day. Even the people who did not attend those schools still share the same millstones as their ancestors. These include domestic violence due to personal trauma and the loss of Aboriginal language, culture and traditions. Some of those who have attended the schools suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome and the effects make it challenging to take part in social, family and professional environments. Many of the children grew up without experiencing a nurturing family life and without the acquaintance and skills to raise their own families. Also, the sense of worthlessness that was implanted in the students resulted to self-abuse. The extremely low self-esteem contributed to a high rate of substance use, alcoholism and suicide. The damage caused by the residential schools has caused intergenerational

Children react to their environment in different ways, and those reactions can vary, depending on the child 's gender and age. Children exposed to family violence are more likely to develop behavioral, emotional, psychological, and social problems than those who are not. Recent research indicates that children who witness domestic violence show anger and temperament problems, depression, low self-esteem, and more anxiety than children who do not witness violence in the home. The trauma they experience can show up in behavioral, physical, social, and emotional disturbances that affect their development and can continue into adulthood.

The most influential person in an individual life happens to be the parents. Parents teach their children expected behavior, boundaries, and rules. Although, children are always more attentive to their parent’s behavior; something parents quite often do not realize. If the parents walk does not match their talk their; kids will not take in consideration what they have been taught. Kids always have that mentality of “if you did it, I will do it too because it is okay.” Children learn more from their parents character than their teachings; demonstrating that actions speak louder than words. Clearly, what individuals are exposed in their adolescents shapes their mentality affecting how they perceive situations and people. A lot of things

In his essay Realness and Hoodness, Ginger Jacobson states, “Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the information they are exposed to because they are likely to use it as a basis for decision making without the cognitive ability to consider other decision-making pathways.

It can either be a positive outcome, or negative outcome. My personal upbringing played a positive role in my life. It motivated me to push myself and try to become something better. My parent’s struggles motivated me and showed me that there are different out comes in life. I should learn from their mistakes. Don’t let something as little as racial profiling stop you from achieving something great. Don’t let your upbringing determine your limitations. Sherman Alexie who is Indian and was expected to fail in education became a writer. He is trying to make a difference in his community. He is trying to teach them that there is more to life. Joe Wilkins came from a farm and a hard working family. He didn’t follow the footsteps of his parents, and end up on a farm. He became a writer and strived for something better. Reading their experiences didn’t just make me realize the connection in my life, but also motivated me as

Children raised in adverse conditions, such as abuse, violence, drugs, and lack of physical activities may not develop in the same manner as a child is raised in a positive atmosphere.

These findings were evident when deprived orphans from Romania were adopted to amorous families living in the United Kingdom. Following the adoption, cognitive and physical growth increased. These children had the ability to continue their growth through wise choices, enhanced education, and take advantages of new opportunities (Alvord & Grados, 2005). Finally, Berger (2008) explains “Adversity must be significant. Some adversities are comparatively minor (large class size, poor vision), and some are major (victimization, neglect). Looking at adversity from a humanistic perspective we need to recognize individual differences, such as culture, gender, and emotional experiences. Keep in mind, resilience is not a personality trait, it is a process.

For instance, young adults may join social groups their parents do not approve of and/or test boundaries of everyday life by combatting authority figures. Yet, even during this stage adolescents still carry the worldview of their family members because they are not, yet self-sufficient adults.

If they grow up in violence, children and young adults often learn that violence is an acceptable way of dealing with conflict. Some learn to expect maltreatment from others because they grew up thinking that was supposed to happen. If children do not have something positive in their lives, they will turn to violence in adulthood, are more likely to become depressed, and have feelings of hopelessness.