Parents might try to isolate their children from new and unwanted influences. Children in
the host culture learn new values from the immigrants. The cultures could clash. All of this
affects development in ways that it did not in earlier times.
Today much controversy remains about differences between the sexes. Certainly there
seem to be some basic genetic, biological, and psychological differences, especially in activ-
ity, social behavior, and the amount of aggressiveness. There have been many studies done,
but results are not conclusive. My own feeling is that biological differences are greatly
strengthened by the way we raise our children and what we expect from them, and that
much of the testing is biased with prior expectations being confirmed. Regardless of the
reasons, there are great differences in most boys and girls as they grow up, and I don’t see
that changing in the near future.
There are also developmental influences within each family. Cultural expectations affect
development. Order of birth affects the way children are treated and the way they develop.
Makeup of the family (large, small, single parent, multigenerational) affects development.
Deaths or divorce in the family, whether a child is adopted, whether there are disabilities in
the family, family lifestyle, age of the parents, illness or mental illness within the family, child-
rearing style, all of these and more might affect development.
A child is not an adult, and each child and each adult is different. As you write and
develop your own projects, try to see the world from different points of view. Consider what
you’ve learned, keep your sense of humor, and be creative.
Human Development 57