Developmental Psychology

             According to simply psychology developmental psychology is the study of growth, change and consistency throughout the lifespan. Many studies in recent years have proven that our parents as individuals and their parenting styles can have either good or bad effects in our later lives after we have gone through adolescence. In this post I will be discussing some questions pertaining to my own parents and how I believe there style of parenting has played a part in shaping me to be the person that I am today.

• Reflect on the way you were raised. Consider the parenting behaviors (e.g., rules, discipline strategies, warmth, and support) used in your household when you were a child. Why do you think your parents behaved this way? How do these factors fit with the influences on parenting described here? Provide specific examples of multiple influences on parenting.
• I was raised in a very honest home. My parents literally never hid anything from me and my sister no matter what it was. Although my parents were very blunt when it came to all aspects of life, they were also very loving and caring at the same time. I never really got into a lot of trouble as a kid so I personally never really experienced the full extent of my parents discipline strategies, but I got to see their strategies with my older sister a lot. I think this is partially the reason why I have never really gotten into any extreme amounts of trouble before. Because of this fact I think my parents felt like they could be more lenient and easy going when it came to the rules they gave me. This also plays into the fact that both of my parents are pretty easy going individuals, at least until you mess up several times. I also believe my parents were this way because that is exactly how their parents were with them, so it was really all just kind of second nature to them.
• What type of parent do you envision yourself becoming? If you are a parent, how do you parent your child/children? How do you think this is similar to or different than the way you were raised? What influences exist in your life that will make you parent differently from your own parents? 

• I envision myself being the type of parent that is very approachable and listens to their children very well. I also hope to be like my parents in the aspect of how well they juggled being successful and busy in their fields of work, but also being very present in the lives of their children. This style of parenting overall is very similar to the ones my parents used in parenting me, because throughout my entire life my parents have always made sure that my sister and I could come to them with anything that we needed to talk about no matter what it is. I think the fact that I have known for a very long time what I want to do in my life sets me apart from my parents since there life was not as planned out as mine is at this point and as a result of this fact I believe that I will be better equipped with more favorable circumstances that my parents did not have before they had children.
• What kind of relationship did you have with your parents or primary caregivers when you were young? Do you think that had any bearing on the way you related to others (e.g., friends, relationship partners) as you grew older?
• At the beginning of my life I was very attached to my mother, and according to my dad did not really want to have a lot to do with him Overall though I believe that I eventually warmed up to my dad more and I do not think this had any bad effects or effects in general on the way I relate to others as I have grown older. I say this because for pretty much my whole life I have preferred to a lot of guy friends, because of the less drama associated with guys.
• Some people, despite reporting insecure relationships with their parents, report secure, well-functioning relationships with their spouses. What kinds of experiences do you think might enable someone to develop a secure relationship with their partners despite having an insecure relationship with other central figures in their lives?
• I believe that people who do not have secure relationships with their parents can have a secure relationship with their spouse, because when it comes down to it technically your parents and who you decide to have a relationship with are not the same person. I also believe that the more real life experiences you have with your significant other strengthens your relationship, because it makes you better equipped and helps you grow together.

Sources: 

https://www.simplypsychology.org/developmental-psychology.html 

http://nobaproject.com/modules/the-developing-parent#content 

http://nobaproject.com/modules/attachment-through-the-life-course