Many people believe that family has the strongest influence on a child’s development, while others believe that external factors such as televisions, friends and music play a big role. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Sample 1:

While parents obviously play a major role in the way that their child develops as they get older, many people believe that social factors outside of the family now influence children much more. This essay will examine both sides of the argument.

There is no doubt that there are factors external to the family that significantly impact on a child’s development.  For example, there is television and the internet. Children these days have access to these much more than they used to in the past, and they will pick up language and see things that will teach them about life. Friends also have an important influence as a child will often copy peers that they admire and respect. This could be positive behaviour, but it could also be negative, such as smoking or taking drugs.

Ultimately, however, it is family who have the most important impact. Children spend nearly all of their time with their family, especially in their early years. They develop their confidence, socialisation skills, morals, values and views on life through their interaction with them. Proof of the importance of this can be seen in the differences between some children. Those that grow up in a dysfunctional home often eventually have problems themselves, whilst those that are brought up in a warm and close environment end up more confident and secure in adult life.

To conclude, it is the family that can provide a supportive, secure, and nurturing environment, which is crucial to the way in which a child becomes an adult. Although it is clear that social factors play a part, I would argue that it is the former that is the most important.

Sample 2:

The influence of the family on the upbringing of a child is undoubtedly great, although there are supporters that other elements have the greatest influence on a person's upbringing. Among these cases, they mention a child’s friends and social networks. Next, I'll explain why I think the latter is more like my point of view.

First of all, there is a lot of evidence pointing to the significant role that parents play in the future of their sons and daughters. Statistically, not only do they play a significant role in the behavior of their children, but many people show great similarities to the actions of their ancestors. For example, studies have shown higher divorce rates among couples whose parents were separated when they were young. Additionally, offspring of fathers or mothers who were alcoholics are more likely to become addicted during their lifetime.

On the other hand, we would be too ignorant if we did not pay attention to the influence that friends and other environmental factors have on adolescents. For example, we can imagine the kind of language they use after watching soap operas. More specifically, there are many differences between siblings who share the same parents, the same home, and even the same school. Sometimes one of them will be the more introverted, cool nerd, while the other will be an extrovert who aspires to play football or sees his future in fame. All these differences stem from the specific environment in which they are found.

In conclusion, despite the key role that family members play in the behavior of their heirs, we must be so naive if we do not realize the enormous power of students' close friends as well as the broadcast media. However, these two groups of supporters cannot be wrong in many cases. Recent research has shed light on the influence of the environment as well as genes on human actions.