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Do childhood experiences determine behavior in later life? Do childhood experiences determine behavior in later life?
Yes, childhood experiences determine behavior later in life Yes, childhood experiences determine behavior later in life
No, childhood experiences do not influence adult behavior No, childhood experiences do not influence adult behavior
Childhood experiences influences, but does not determine adult behavior Childhood experiences influences, but does not determine adult behavior
Childhood rearing and experience determines the future behaviour of person Childhood rearing and experience determines the future behaviour of person
The treatment you receive as a child shapes your behaviour towards your health as an adult The treatment you receive as a child shapes your behaviour towards your health as an adult
Coming from a broken family results in the child forming unhealthy romantic relationships as an adult Coming from a broken family results in the child forming unhealthy romantic relationships as an adult
The fundamental lessons you are taught as a child form the foundation of a person’s understanding of the world and relationships. The fundamental lessons you are taught as a child form the foundation of a person’s understanding of the world and relationships.
Childhood trauma often results in irregular behavior and interpersonal difficulties in adults Childhood trauma often results in irregular behavior and interpersonal difficulties in adults
Every human has free will, so behavior as an adult is based on choice, despite childhood experience Every human has free will, so behavior as an adult is based on choice, despite childhood experience
Blaming your childhood experiences for the behavior and mistakes you make as an adult is just a scapegoat for not taking responsibility for yourself. Blaming your childhood experiences for the behavior and mistakes you make as an adult is just a scapegoat for not taking responsibility for yourself.
You can challenge the beliefs that you formed as a child You can challenge the beliefs that you formed as a child
You are in control of changing self-limiting behaviour You are in control of changing self-limiting behaviour
Early year parent-child relationships influence future academic performance Early year parent-child relationships influence future academic performance
Adverse childhood experiences affect adult personality traits Adverse childhood experiences affect adult personality traits
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Do childhood experiences determine behavior in later life?
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No, childhood experiences do not influence adult behavior

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Every human has free will, so behavior as an adult is based on choice, despite childhood experience

Human beings have free will to make their own decisions. Some childhood experiences may influence a person’s feelings, but adults are mentally able to make decisions despite that.
Jay Belski
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The Argument

While childhood teaches us a lot about the basics of human relationships and skill-building, it is not an infallible determiner for how an adult will behave later in life. Life is not deterministic, and our choices are not pre-coded based on our childhood experiences. While, for example, someone who was abused as a child may be statistically more likely to abuse others as an adult, that is not 100% always the case.[1] Plenty of people who suffered abuse are able to grow into healthy, functioning adults who actively make choices despite experiences in their youth, not because of them. A study done on people from infancy until the age of 32 found that only 10 percent of their academic performance could be attributed to their childhood home life; the other 90 percent came from later experiences, genetic factors, and sometimes just plain luck.[2] A person’s childhood experiences may teach them meaningful lessons, for better or worse, but it does not impede someone’s ability to make autonomous choices about their behavior as an adult.[3]

Counter arguments

Adult behavior may not be completely deterministic based on childhood experiences, but it has been illustrated in research again and again how childhood experiences affect our relationships as adults. Children who have experienced severe trauma have been shown to experience difficulty attaching, committing, and maintaining healthy romantic relationships as adults.[4]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/cycle-of-child-sexual-abuse-links-between-being-a-victim-and-becoming-a-perpetrator/A98434C25DB8619FB8F1E8654B651A88
  2. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/12/19/371679655/some-early-childhood-experiences-shape-adult-life-but-which
  3. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/putting-psyche-back-psychotherapy/201602/is-our-childhood-really-blame-everything
  4. https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-childhood-trauma-affects-adult-relationships/
This page was last edited on Sunday, 27 Sep 2020 at 17:56 UTC

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