Right or Wrong?
I've experienced this all my life. What is right and wrong? By the role models of your parents, every child should know the difference between right or wrong at an early age. According to NPR, children at ages 3-4 should be able to "recognize certain behaviors - such as hitting - as wrong, even when so one is watching" (Smetana). There's no such thing as right or wrong, more like what someone feels is the best thing to do. There is no machine or technology that measures right from wrong. This would be hard for a 16 year old teen who never understood the difference. For example, let's say a 12 year old was taken out of a household filled with his/her mother lying, cheating, and stealing. The child knows that the actions are wrong. Once they reach 16, he/she begins demonstrating similar tendencies learned from /his mother. Let's say the 16 year old commits a crime for the first time and uses lying and stealing. If the teen is pressed with charges, would it be their fault? Or would it be the parent's fault? Who should be the one to take true responsibility? And what if charges are pressed but the teen can't determine what is right or wrong? Is it pointless to punish them, when they don't understand what is right or wrong? Let me know what you think.
I think you bring up a good point. A variety of factors could be at play in this situation. For example, the child clearly shows learned helplessness and normative influence. Because they saw their parent lying and stealing, they thought that if they did the same thing their parents would like them more. Also, they have seen their parents make these same actions multiple times, so it becomes normal to them. This distorted reality somehow conveys to them that it is okay to steal and lie because their parents did it. This is also an example of how authority figures can manipulate people's actions. The parents, being the authority figures in this situation, condone their poor behavior by repeating it. Finally, copying someone is usually a sign that a person admires the person that they are copying. I would argue that it is the child's fault because it is ultimately their lack of emotional intelligence that caused them to make these errors. But this being said the parents could have tried to set a better example for their child. What do others think the most predominant factor is in this situation: the learned helplessness and normative influence, influence of authority figures, lack of emotional intelligence, a combination, or something else?
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