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How Childhood Upbringing Affects Adulthood

How

Childhood Upbringing Affects Adulthood

Have you ever thought about what forces affect how you are now as an adult? Then, think back to the time when you were but a mere young child. Go down memory lane. Do you remember the time where you were playing with the water at the yard? Or the time where you were told a story before going to bed? When you think about it, there are so many memories locked inside your head. Those memories can be delightful memories and it can also be horrible ones. Many research have stated that a child’s upbringing affects his or her adulthood. That upbringing will have two results, it can either be good or bad. There is nothing in between.

In B. Steve Ross’ book, Alternate Reality: The Mostly True Story of How I Become a Sociopath or a Comical Look at My Messed Up Life, shares accounts of both terrifying and enjoyable first-hand experience that he has encountered starting from childhood towards adulthood. This book was published by Mill City Press early 2020 and tells nothing but the soul-bearing memories of the author. He shares his story of how he grew up in a troubled and dysfunctional home. And as a child, he was oblivious how this can badly affect him in the future.

The Alternate Reality book acknowledges how childhood trauma influences the child’s adult life and how this shapes the person to become who he or she will be in the future. Childhood upbringing plays a great role in everyone’s life. There are plenty of reasons how childhood upbringing can affect a child’s adult life.


Childhood Upbringing Affects Adult Personality


Personality is the behavior, feelings, and thoughts of a person. Personality is said to be consistent throughout one’s life. It does not change day after day. There will be improvement but it is usually limited and slow. Personality is said to be developed through the parental genes. However, childhood upbringing can also have enduring effects on a person’s adult personality. There have been psychological studies that explain how the variety of personalities of adults may have originated from childhood experiences and from the parenting style of their parents. The personality that you have developed due to childhood upbringing will always affect your manner of thinking, behavior, and thoughts. A child growing up in an unhealthy environment tends to have an introverted personality. An introverted personality enjoys more alone time and would get drained easily in social interactions. The personality developed to adulthood varies greatly from the environment the child is in.

Childhood Upbringing Affects Relationships


If a person was brought up in a troubled home and exposed to toxic relationships, there is a big possibility that when he or she becomes an adult that person will be attracted to unhealthy relationships. There have been theories wherein a child is a blank slate. How they are nurtured and the nature they are in will affect how they see things and consider this as the norm. There will be occasions that instead of getting attracted to toxic relationships, that person will be abusive to his or her partner since this is what they saw growing up. These people tend to unconsciously go down that abusive path although they are fully aware of its toxicity. Contrary to this, assuming that a child’s upbringing was in a safe and caring environment, the child will learn of what a healthy relationship is like. In addition some individuals that are exposed to traumatic events may feel that they are flawed or damaged making them emotionally unavailable and would rather not be in relationships.


Childhood Upbringing Affects a Person’s Health


Individuals with traumatic childhood upbringing have the highest possibility of developing illnesses that will be present in their adulthood. The scar that is buried deep within can also affect one’s health. The illness these individuals may have can either be on the physical or mental aspect. On the physical side, adults are at risk of heart conditions and autoimmune diseases. While in the mental aspect, the person may develop depression, anxiety, PTSD, sociopath, and addiction. However, despite the toxic upbringing people may have grown up on, some of these individuals took this as an opportunity to grow and help prevent others from experiencing what they have experienced.


In conclusion, whether it may be bad or good childhood upbringing, it will always affect adult life as a whole. It will affect how one thinks, how one behaves, how one sees things, and how one expresses him or herself. The impact of childhood upbringing covers almost everything. The aforementioned are only the three major aspects that will be affected by childhood upbringing. People who experienced traumatic events tend to have a distorted comprehension of what right and wrong is and even in reality. Just like Steve Ross’ story, no matter how dysfunctional one’s childhood can be, he or she can conquer this downfall and experience a better life.

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