Abstract
The behavior of an individual is dependent on his immediate environment. The family is the main environment that contributes to the behavior of a person. The effect of each family on an individual is different from other setups. A nuclear family does not exert the same character and behavior of a person as a single parent scenario. There are both positive and negative impacts that either a nuclear family or a single-family has on a person.
Introduction
Parenting has a profound impact on the behavior of children. The decisions that an individual makes in life are largely dependent on how the family setup was when the person was growing up. Some of the American children are raised in nuclear families. Others are raised by single parents, whereas some are raised by their grandparents. Each of the family setting impacts differently on the character of an individual is raised. Some of the impacts are positive, while others are negative. This paper will focus on individuals who are raised in a nuclear family and those brought up by single parents. The positive and negative impacts of each type of setup on an individual will be given in a move to compare and contrast the effects of these types of family setups on individuals.
Literature Review
According to Lee and Hankninb (2009), two-thirds of the children born in America are said to be born to married couples. This indicates that close to one-third of these children are born out of wedlock. If the mothers who give birth to children out of wedlock do not get married, then their children are raised by single parents. Lee and Hankninb (2009) go on to say that half of the first marriages in the United States of America file for divorce only a few years after their marriage. This indicates that the number of children who are not entirely raised within a nuclear family can be higher than the one-third statistic. Other factors that contribute to the single parenting in the United States are separation and death affecting one spouse in some cases (Lee & Hankninb, 2009).
It is postulated that individuals who grow up in a nuclear family tend to perform better than those raised in single parenthood set up (Allen et al., 2014). Also, it is believed that single parenting contributes significantly to individuals whose characters are not accepted by society. Bulanda and Majumdar (2009) indicate that a majority of children raised by single parents tend to develop negative traits. For example, a lack of proper guidance leads to many of these children becoming aggressive to a point that they gradually become criminals. In turn, it leads to many cases of juvenile delinquency.
Alami, Khosravan, Moghadam, Pakravan, and Hosseni, (2014) admit that a big number of criminals that are jailed in America have admitted that they lacked proper guidance and benefits that are associated with being in a nuclear family. Their moral character becomes questionable. In fact, Alami et al. (2014) claim that teenage pregnancies are reported more in children raised by single parents than in nuclear families. MartĂnez, GarcĂa, and Yubero (2007) explained this scenario by giving the fact that single-parented children tend to have more freedom, with limited counseling than children raised in a nuclear family.
It is reported that children and teens that drop out of school in the United States are more from unstable families, including those for single parents (Marks, Jun & Song, 2007). This could be attributed to the fact that a single parent family set up is associated with many negative behaviors, such as teenage pregnancy and juvenile delinquency. On the other hand, some individuals that are raised by single parents exhibit healthy behaviors, as reported by Kinder (2014, p. 18). This is attributed to the continued effort that single parents have in ensuring that their children get good advice from family counselors and older people. The parents take the responsibility of making sure that their children do not misbehave just because they lack their second parent (Garcia & Gracia, 2009).
In a nuclear family, individuals tend to perform better than their peers from single parenthood. Garcia and Gracia (2009) say that only a few children who grow up in a nuclear family drop out of school. The presence of both parents gives the child a solid foundation in life to the extent that he makes the right decisions in life (Garcia and Gracia, 2009). It is not likely that an individual from a nuclear family exhibits juvenile delinquency, as suggested by McClure, Tanski, and Kingsbury (2010).
However, there are few cases where a nuclear family does not warrant a good character of an individual. According to DeHart, Pelham, and Tennen (2006), some characters are hereditary, meaning that they are passed on through genes. Therefore, if a child inherits bad characters from the parents, then he is bound to develop a bad character unless considerable efforts are made in ensuring that the individual develops good behavior (DeHart et al., 2006).
However, Lee and Hankninb (2009) claim that neither a nuclear family nor single parenting warrants good and bad behaviors respectively on an individual. The family environment in which these individuals are is the key contributor to the character and behavior of individuals. Lee and Hankninb (2009) give the factors that make one develop character. One of the factors is the interpersonal relationship between the child and the parent.
If the child is given love and compassion by the parents, then he is more likely to develop good morals and character. On the other hand, if an individual is subjected to hatred and made to believe that he is not to be trusted, then the same individual will exhibit acts of rejection and solitude, as revealed by Lee and Hankninb (2009). Such individuals segregate themselves from the rest of the society on assumptions that the larger community does not trust them as well.
According to Allen et al., 2014), the socialization of an individual is more dependent on their immediate family. Those brought up in an environment where there is love will end up socializing with the rest of the society (McClure et al., 2010). On the other hand, those brought up in an environment with hatred and distrust will end up having challenges socializing with the rest of the community (Allen et al. 2014).
According to Bulanda and Majumdar (2009), another factor that determines the behavior of an individual is the rituals performed in his family. These rituals are the activities that a family adheres to and has to do them, regardless of the situation. For example, some families are very spiritual to a point that they observe their faith to the letter, as explained by Bulanda and Majumdar (2009). Some make it a habit to visit their places of worship every week.
Others have to observe holy months. In so doing, they inculcate some sense of discipline in their children (DeHart et al., 2006). In other family setups, it is a habit to go on holidays on weekends or in any other set aside season. Bulanda and Majumdar (2009) continue to say that the type of food and entertainment that a family also chooses to affect the behavior of an individual being raised in the family. This translates to situations where children adopt the rituals of the family. If the rituals are good, then the character of the individual becomes better. If the rituals are wanting, then the behavior of the individual becomes wanting as well (Bulanda & Majumdar, 2009).
Discussion
It is arguably clear that the family set up influences the behavior and character of an individual. As admitted by Garcia and Gracia (2009), a nuclear family is more likely to raise a person with a better character than it is with a single parent. One cannot agree with Kinder (2014, p. 20) more in admitting that individuals raised by single parents have higher rates of juvenile delinquency, school dropout, and pregnancy among teens.
However, there are those children raised in a nuclear family, but they develop negative characters (Orth, Robins, & Roberts, 2008). Likewise, some individuals who were raised by single parents can develop good characters. Orth et al. (2008) explain the rationale behind this trend. They attribute child behavior to various factors, such as the level of income of the family, race and ethnicity, and status of the marriage, among others.
The level of income of a family determines the behavior of the individuals who are to be raised up in a family (Khoynezhad, Rajaei & Mohebe, 2008). If the parents are of middle income and above, then there is a high likelihood that the behavior of the child will be healthy. This is associated with the fact that the parents will have ample time to look after their children. Besides, such parents will have the opportunity to meet the various financial needs of their children (Khoynezhad et al., 2008). This is true even for single parents; if their level of income is good, then they can raise their children better than a nuclear family with a low level of income.
According to Heaven and Ciarrochi (2008), parents whose income is low have more life worries to the extent that they do not get enough time to attend to their children. They do not satisfy the needs of their children fully (Bulanda & Majumdar, 2001). This contributes to their children becoming stressed and may start opting for other methods of satisfying their needs (Heaven & Ciarrochi, 2008). The children may drop out of school to look for informal employments, or they may end up in wrong peer groups (Heaven & Ciarrochi, 2008).
According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada (2014), another factor that contributes to the stability of a nuclear family and the behavior of the child is the issue of the biological parents. Some of the nuclear families do not have both parents as the biological parents. The Alzheimer Society of Canada (2014) reveals that foster parents do not develop the kind of relationship that real biological parents have with their children.
As a result, a child being raised in a nuclear family where one of the parents is not the biological parent may find it uncomfortable to live in such a setup. Such a child may lack real parental care and guidance and end up developing bad behavior and character (Alzheimer Society of Canada, 2014). A healthy marriage will lead to a well-behaved child, as reported by Kinder (2014, p. 23). On the other hand, a marriage that is faced with challenges, such as hostility, will lead to a child that is not well equipped to integrate into society.
According to Khosravan et al. (2010), the likelihood that such a child will drop out of school is higher than a child raised in a healthy marriage or by a stable single parent. Hostility in marriage significantly contributes to the individual experiencing increased oppression, failure in academics, and rejection by peers, among others (Khosravan et al., 2010). One can, thus, argue that the behavior of an individual is dependent on many factors, other than the family set up. However, as Allen et al. (2014) confirm, a nuclear, healthy, and stable family that is free from marital hostility is suitable for the upbringing of children.
Conclusion
The family set up influences the behavior of the child. It has been widely agreed that a nuclear family grooms a well-mannered child. On the other hand, children raised by single parents have higher chances of dropping out of school, becoming pregnant in their teenage, and developing juvenile delinquency than their peers raised in a nuclear family. However, other factors determine the behavior of an individual. For instance, the level of income of the family, interpersonal relationships between the parents and the children, and the rituals being performed in the family will greatly contribute to the character of the child.
References
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