Comprehension Passage - SS2 English Lesson Note

Parents are the most important models for growing children; in fact the first influences on them. First, the parents usually are the earliest human contact the child has in the world around him. They are the most enduring models because of their being present longer than other social agents. In the eyes of the child, parents are by far the most powerful people. They influence the child through nurturing him and providing his needs. In a word, his survival almost solely depends on them. Undoubtedly then, the child looks up to these prime models for the development of his character. Perhaps this explains some of the traditional sayings which suggest that the child takes after the parents.
Take the expression, “a chip off the old block”, for instance, which is often used to confirm the close similarity between the behaviour of the child and his parents’. It stands to reason that the child naturally picks up his traits, whether good or bad, from his parents. Although the child’s parents are his earliest and most important models, he is exposed to many other potent influences: siblings, television, school, celebrities and so on. The walls of boys’ rooms, for example, are often covered with the pictures of their idols. But do children emulate the behaviour of everyone? It is known that they do not imitate all the people they know in equal degrees. It is therefore important to understand the variables that determine the extent to which the child takes up the attributes and behaviour displayed by his models.

 

Studies have shown that this is not a simple case of imitation. One strong determinant is identification with the object of admiration. For instance, if a young girl wishes to be like her father, it is because she loves him. Secondly, she believes that she can do both the great and admirable things her father does. On the other hand, the father could have been selected because of his care and generosity in nurturing her.