As We Grow UpKATHIKA SENEVIRATNE

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Introduction

One of the many challenges as human beings is entering and preparing adulthood. Many fear entering this major phase in life, for reason such as not wanting to leave the care of parent’s, increased responsibility, etc.

But as one enters adulthood, how does their personality change?

Aging by Art Hister

The Answer

With varying experiences during our lifetime, growing up causes us to gain more responsibility and want to achieve more goals, thus we tend to become more responsible as time passes by.

Case 1: Rohit Soman

Background: Rohit Soman is a mechanical engineer at , a well-known commercial construction consultant group.

In an interview, Rohit stated that ““I was mostly an irresponsible kid then… I was usually the one to make mistakes and get in trouble with my parents, but now I have to act more mature since I work at this big company and need to keep this job” (3).

Case 2: Connection to To Kill a Mockingbird

Background: Jean Louise “ Scout” Finch is the narrator and protagonist of the story. She has faith in the goodness of the people in her community, but as she begins to experience the racism and prejudice in her community (and with other events), she develops a growing perspective on human nature.

Scout :“Atticus had promised me he would wear me out if he ever heard of me fighting anymore; I was far too old and too big for such childish things, and the sooner I learned to hold in, the better off everybody would be” (Lee 9)

Factors of Influence: Parenting

According to Robert Neubecker, “When Thomas Gilbert Jr. was arrested on Monday and charged with killing his wealthy father with a gunshot to the head, parents all over my own social media feeds and in out-loud discussions throughout the week were having a more searching conversation... how does it come to pass that a 30-year-old Princeton graduate still gets pocket money from his parents?” (1)

After Thomas Gilbert Jr. murdered his father, Thomas Gilbert Sr., Robert Neubecker mentioned “What, if anything, went wrong in the way his parents raised him? And is there something about the environment that his mother and hedge-fund-running father raised him in that may have itself been damaging?” (4).

This hints that Thomas Gilbert Jr. may have had horrible experiences with his parents and the way his parents raised him, thus resented them and committed his heinous acts. This connects to the general idea that people in their adulthood will commit some acts that may be considered heinous or illegal if they experienced a horrible childhood

Factors of Influence: Socioeconomic Status. According to Allie Bidwell of US News, “Children who are exposed to

poverty at a young age often have trouble academically later in life... but according to new research out of the Washington University School of Medicine, poverty also appears to be associated with smaller brain volumes in areas involved in emotion processing and memory” ( 1).

Low socioeconomic factors may cause one to experience strained lifestyles or personalities in adulthood. Despite this, there are cases where people who lived in poverty during their childhood lead successful lives through hard work and dedication.

Works Cited

Bidwell, Allie . "Early Childhood Poverty Damages Brain Development,

Study Finds." Us .(2013): 5. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. 1960. 9. Print.

Neubecker, Robert "Growing Up on Easy Street Has Its Own Dangers."

New York Times.com. (2015): 9. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

Soman, Rohit . Personal Interview. 25 03 2015.