Reasoning System and Child's Development

If we put an individual in an environment that does not fit him or her well, how will his or her development be influenced? In the book Becoming who we are: Temperament and personality in development, Rothbart states, “the effectiveness of a coping strategy, however, will depend on the amount of control the child can reasonably have their own behavior and the events he or she experiences” (p. 161). Hence, it is a very familiar phenomenon that children replicate the actions of the people around them. Many of us believe that the replicate will build up their habits and characters. It is hard to deny. However, it is only a part of the truth. In fact, according to Rothbart, the reasoning system decides them all. In other words, we do things that make sense to us.

To build up such a system, it allows the input of information. For example, a child sees a man crossing the street illegally in order to catch up on the bus. It is reasonable for the man to do so because of the rush. So the problem is how we can get the child to understand that laws matter more or an accident might occur. There needs to be a proper explanation. So whose responsibility is it? The parents, the caregivers, friends, and close acquaintance or even a stranger can play a part in this process. Therefore, the worse they play this role, the darker the child’s future is: “The child lives in a network of relationships with siblings, peers, and adults and is continually evaluating his or her qualities in relation to these people, while identifying selectively with some of them” (Kagan, p. 275). It is assertable that the nature-nurture fit is essential in child development. However, the reasoning system is the main focus. With the right basis of reasoning, the right outcome, behaviours and thinkings, will come after.     

REFERENCES:

Kagan, J. (1984). The nature of the child. New York, NY, US: Basic Books.

Rothbart, M. K. (2011). Becoming who we are: Temperament and personality in development. New York, NY, US: Guilford Press.     

Eurus Thach.