Question

Explain/discuss the impact of power and influence of others on decision making and thinking patterns on individuals. Explain the impact in terms of cognitive development. Explain the impact on social/emotional development and social situations for an individual. Explain these outcomes in 3 different age ranges

Answer 1

Most of the developmental psychologists would say that only when a child is given enough space to make mistakes and grow, they would become better adults who would courageously face the world and learn to live independently. When the parents or caregiver do not allow the child to learn and be independent it would affect the child’s decision making ability. Power and influence on the child will suppress the creativity of a person thus limiting their functionality to a great extent in family, society and at one’s workplace.   

When a child is not allowed to do things freely and independently, they would grow without any creativity or independence. They would feel intimidated to be in a group of people for the fear of scolding and yelling from the authorities. They wouldn’t try anything on their own thus would always wait for the parents to choose and order things for them.

During the adolescence, the person will develop identity crisis thus end not knowing what to do in life. They would feel lonely and wouldn’t commit to any relationship. They wouldn’t make any decisions on their own in terms of their personal, professional and social roles.

The toughest part would be during the adulthood where the person will have difficulty in utilizing their creativity at work, will have problem being in a relationship, maintain a family, remain in a job etc. This will create more stress on the person because they would be unable to make decisions but at the same time won’t be able to say anything against the authority.