Assignment It is better for children to grow up in a single-parent family where there is love than in a dysfunctional two-parent family where there is bitterness and hostility. Do you agree or disagree? Response The early development of children - say, their first ten years - is a very important phase in their overall development because it is during this time that their characters are formed and many of their life-habits are established In support of this view, the essay will now briefly discuss three major areas in which a dysfunctional family can have a negative influence on the development of children. These are: development of self-worth, patterns of behaviour, and the school experience. One of the most important characteristics children develop is their sense of personal self-worth and research shows that a “proper sense of self-worth develops best in a family environment where family members show genuine respect and concern for each other” (Abel, 2001, p. 3). When such respect and concern are absent, as they would be in a dysfunctional family, children find it more difficult to accept themselves. Some children might even feel that they are the cause of their parents’ unhappiness, and this might lead them to reject themselves (Abel, 2001, p. 27). Another area in which dysfunctional families can have a negative influence on the development of children, is in the area of behaviour. Behaviour is largely learned (Enders, 1999, p. 83). If young children are exposed to bad behaviour, then they will very likely copy that bad behaviour. For example, if they see and hear their parents arguing constantly, then they will probably do the same. Or if they hear their parents swearing, then they will begin to swear. And if the children are not being exposed to the opposite behaviour-that is, behaviour that is appropriate and acceptable-then the bad behaviour will become established. Finally, a household in which parents are constantl