Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol. 3 Issue 1

SOPHANA NORVILLE
LIVING IN YOUR FIRST
RELATIONSHIP
HOW HOME ENVIRONMENTS INFLUENCE RELATIONSHIPS
Some people may not think that the
environment they grew up in has any
impact on how they live their lives. The truth is,
an environment has everything to do with the way
people live; from how they speak to people, to how
they dress and even down to relationships.
Being a college student, you experience many
relationships whether it be friendships or romance.
Growing up in a certain dynamic can really affect
how people treat one another. Someone who has
grown up in a two-parent household can have a
completely different view on love vs. someone who
had only one parent in their life. Just like how
someone who has grown up in a household where
there is constant arguing might think that is how
relationships are supposed to be. An environment
is all you know, so it becomes a part of who you are.
Sometimes you do not even realize how much an
environment has impacted you until you move away
from it. A point made by “How the Environment
Shapes Us” shows that the impact an environment
has on someone is done unconsciously in many
ways. This is because humans are social and are
constantly surrounded by interactions throughout
life. Each of those interactions have some form of
effect on them.
Growing up, your parents or guardians are
usually the first people you interact with. These
relationships have an impact on who you are
as an individual. A study that was found in the
“Psychological Science” states that men who grow
up in a warm loving environment are able to
control their emotions better and have stronger
relationships as they get older. On the other hand,
some may have experienced neglect growing up
and, therefore, became independent at a very young
age. This dynamic may cause you to push people
away and feel that you cannot depend on anyone.
Research done by “Gillespie Shields” shows that
having family intactness is important as well.
It is encouraged because studies show that an
individual's success in life can increase when
surrounded by a strong connected family. In some
Black households, for example, you may have
generation after generation of loving parents
and be able to see what love looks and feels like
through family gatherings or sitting with your
grandparents who have been together for many
years talking about their love. Being surrounded
by this can give you hope that you will one day
experience a relationship like that. Seeing constant
support like that can influence someone to strive
for the best in any aspect of their life because they
know it is possible.
Some people are not that lucky and have trouble
with relationships due to not seeing any solid
relationships around them. Growing up in a single
parent household can cause you to be extremely
independent or extremely dependent. Some might
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