Children model themselves largely on their parents. They do so mainly through identification. Children identify 【B1】 a parent when they believe they have the qualities and feelings that are 【B2】 of that parent. The things parents do and say-and the 【B3】 they do and say to them-therefore strongly influence a child’’s 【B4】. However, parents must consistently behave like the type of 【B5】 they want their child to become.
A parent’’s actions 【B6】 affect the self-image that a child forms 【B7】 identification. Children who see mainly positive qualities in their 【B8】 will likely learn to see themselves in a positive way. Children who observe chiefly 【B9】 qualities in their parents will have difficulty 【B10】 positive qualities in themselves. Children may 【B11】 their self-image, however, as they become increasingly 【B12】 by peer group standards before they reach 【B13】.
Isolated events, 13 dramatic ones, do not necessarily have a permanent 【B14】 on a child’’s behavior. Children interpret such events according to their established attitudes and previous training. Children who know they are loved can, 【B15】, accept the divorce of their parent’’s or a parent’’s early 【B16】. But if children feel unloved, they may interpret such events 【B17】 a sign of rejection or punishment.
In the same way, all children are not influenced 【B18】 by toys and games, reading matter, and television programs. 【B19】 in the case of a dramatic change in family relations, the 【B20】 of an activity or experience depends on how the child interprets it.