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Mother-Child Relationship

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Mother-Child Relationship
The Impact a Mother-Child Relationship Has On Identity
As our individual lives progress we learn that the choices we make contribute to who we become. The places we go, the people we meet, and the pains we endure are some of the many things that shape us into who we are. The influence on our individuality begins at a much earlier age with the first person we meet, our mother. The negative effects of a mother-child relationship impact an individual significantly. The psychological experiences from the relationship follow the individual from adolescence into adulthood and determine how the individual perceives life. The mother-child relationship is the only relationship one can have before entering the world. Since the sperm fertilized the egg and the human fetus began to grow, we depended on her. A mother is the first person that cares for the child, and is who the child wants when they are unhappy or uncomfortable. In the eyes of a child, a mother is a superhero that can do anything, and can make everything better. Although a big part of a mother’s job is to be responsible for the physical being of the child, she is also responsible for the psychological well-being. According to William Burke and Brett Larson who are authors of Mother and Adolescent Reports of Associations Between Child Behavior Problems and Mother-Child Relationship Qualities, a journal of abnormal child psychology wrote “….adolescent perceptions of maternal hostility and negativity are linked to aggression and conduct problems.” This statement shows that a mother’s negative actions will affect the child psychologically. Any type of reaction that comes from the mother, the child will take to heart. When the mother expresses disappointment, the child’s self-esteem is affected. In a healthy disciplinary situation the bad things pointed out by the mother should end with encouragement for the child to do better next time. However, if the disappointment is shown without any encouragement the



Cited: Burke, William and Brett Laursen. “Mother and Adolescent Reports of Associations between Child behavior and Mother-Child Relationship Qualities: Separating Shared Variance from Individual Variance.” Journal of abnormal child psychology 38.5 (2010): 657-67. ProQuest. Gardner, Theodore, Thomas Dishion, and Arin Connell. “Adolescent Self-Regulation as Resilience: Resistance to Antisocial Behavior within the Deviant Peer Context.” Journal of abnormal child psychology 36.2 (2008): 273-84. ProQuest. Gutman, Leslie, and Arnold Sameroff. “Continuities in Depression from Adolescence to Young Adulthood: Contrasting Ecological influences.” Development and psychopathology 16.4 (2004): 967-84. ProQuest Heidenry, Margaret. "My Parents Were Educational Anarchists." New York Times Magazine. 13 Nov 2011: 40-45. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Dec 2011. "Society for Research in Child Development; Study uncovers clues to young children 's aggressive behavior. " NewsRx Health & Science 13 Nov. 2011: ProQuest Health and Medical Complete, ProQuest. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. South, Susan C., Robert F. Krueger, and William G. Iacono. "Understanding General And Specific Connections Between Psychopathology And Marital Distress: A Model Based Approach." Journal Of Abnormal Psychology 120.4 (2011): 935-947. PsycARTICLES. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. Winterheld, Heike A., and Jeffry A. Simpson. "Seeking Security Or Growth: A Regulatory Focus Perspective On Motivations In Romantic Relationships." Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology 101.5 (2011): 935-954. PsycARTICLES. Web. 12 Dec. 2011.

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