Relationship And Human Developmental

Inquiry Project Draft

Mohammed Almuaqqil

HDFS101-02&03FALL 2018(previously FCS 101)INDIVIDUAL AND

FAMILY DEVELOPMENT AND WELL-BEING: ACROSS THE

LIFESPANA Blended& FlippedCourse

Instructor: Wendy Bianchini Morrison

11/05/2018

Table of Contents

Inquiry Topic and Bronfenbrenner's Model .................................................................................... 2

Inquiry ............................................................................................................................................. 2

Cross-Cultural Comparison ............................................................................................................ 5

References ....................................................................................................................................... 7

Inquiry Project Draft

Inquiry Topic and Bronfenbrenner's Model

The relationship education influences the development of human. It encompasses the microsystem

which is the first layer in the Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model. The microsystem is the

immediate environment of the human and deals with the interpersonal relationships (Sallis, Owen,

& Fisher, 2015). The interaction of the individual with immediate surroundings is shaped by his

or her behaviour. The quality of interaction is determined by the attitude or perceptions of the

individual to the social, interpersonal relationships in the immediate environment. The interaction

with siblings, parents, friends and partners constitute the microsystem. This inquiry report

investigates the impact of relationship education on human development.

Inquiry

The developmental course of an individual is influenced by the behaviour which is shaped by

interpersonal relationships. The context of a relationship is an integral part of different stages of

human development. According to Reis, Collins and Berscheid, human development is tightly

connected to the relationship context influencing human behaviour. The changing interpersonal

relationships impact the experiences of individuals. The behaviour of human changes implicitly

influences the development of certain traits and characteristics in the human personality.

The human developmental course has many stages from birth till death. The experiences of

individuals change at every stage of development and impact the mental, physical, emotional and

intellectual development. The cultivation of healthy interpersonal relationship context is

imperative to promote the mental, physical and emotional well-being of the individual at every

stage of life. The relationship context is the primary component of an individual’s behaviour.

Therefore, it has an implicit relationship with human development. The social psychologists laid

great emphasis on the analysis of relationship context, interpersonal relationships and social

interactions of the individuals from different perspectives accounting for the dynamic nature of the

interaction patterns (Reis, Collins, & Berscheid, 2000).

There are different categories which have some similarities and differences. The intimate

relationship context is one of the categories which is governed by a different set of rules. The social

exchange theory emphasizes that individuals tend to maximize the benefit and minimize the cost,

and this tendency constitute the foundation of some categories of relationships. The knowledge of

rules applicable in different domains of relationship positively influences the behaviour of the

individual. The relationship education is about learning the principles governing different social

domains. The knowledge of functioning properties of different interpersonal relationships

characterizes the context and interaction pattern.

The individualistic perspective focuses on the biological properties of the individual to study

behaviour. The genetic makeup of different species helps in understanding the association of some

traits with the behaviour. The functionality of relationships is based on the interdependency of

different relationship domains constructing a system in which individuals interact at different

levels of social domains. This multi-level system becomes highly complex and integrated as the

individual enters a new stage of development. The nested system of relationships exists in the

immediate surroundings of the individual. The periodic evolution of these systems with the

passage of time shapes the personality and emotional, intellectual and mental development of the

individual. The relationship education improves the functioning of the individual in different social

domains and a better understanding of roles of different relationships by the identification and

recognition of needs of interpersonal relationships.

The relationship education encompasses the connection of humanity with nature. The strong

relationship between people and different components of nature influence the development of

human and plays a critical role in sustainability. The promotion of pro-environment behaviours

becomes a part of relationship education and shapes the interaction of people with nature. The

qualitative nature of this relationship is based on the experiences of individuals with a wide variety

of nature’s component. The emotional and experiential are two major types of relationships in the

domain of human and nature connection. According to Ives et al. (2017), the study of the

connection between human and nature is imperative for sustainable development.

The environmental psychology focuses on the behaviour of individuals towards nature and

analyzes different factors which influence this behaviour. The relationship education can facilitate

the development and enhances the prospects of sustainability by strengthening the relationship

between human and people. The integration of cultural and social values with environmental

values can be a major step towards sustainable development (Ives, et al., 2017). This

heterogeneous relationship is encompassed various factors which either implicitly or explicitly

influence the development.

An interview would be conducted with two different groups of individuals. The first group would

consist of three individuals of an individualistic culture. These individuals would at a different

stage of development. The second group consists of individuals of collective cultures. The

interview questions would investigate the experiences of individuals, personality traits, socio-

economic conditions, level of relationship education they received, expectation associated with

different roles of interpersonal relationships, perceived social contexts, practices rules or principles

for different categories of relationships, differences and similarities in principles for different types

of social interactions and perceived quality of interpersonal relationships. The socio-ecological

transformations significantly influence the interactions of individuals with nature and their attitude

towards the environment.

Cross-Cultural Comparison

The impact of relationship education on human development varies across different cultures. These

variations depend on social norms, beliefs and practices. The social context of one may differ from

the social context of another culture. The motivations, needs and demands of the interpersonal

relationships in different societies determine the influence of relationship education. The

interpersonal relationship context of the collective societies is different from the social context of

individualistic societies. The culture of collectivism promotes interdependence. However, in these

societies, the extent of socialization is relatively lower than that of individualistic societies, but the

level of intimacy is high. The role-based expectations are high in the social context of collective

cultures in which the influences of interpersonal relationships is high.

The social context serves as the medium for the transmission of cultural values. The cross-cultural

examination shows that the development of children in the collective cultures is largely influenced

by the interpersonal relationship experiences. In these societies, the people tend to avoid the risk

and depend on others for making their decision. This approach limits the intellectual and emotional

growth of the individuals. On the contrary, the individuals of individualistic are independent and

tend to take risks. The reduced interdependence in the individualistic societies minimizes the need

for cooperation and eventually, reduces the significance of interpersonal relationships and their

influence on the behaviour of the individual.

The difference in the level of power distribution influences the needs, motivations and expectations

related to interpersonal relationships. The centrality of relationships is determined by the

perception of individual towards their functions and consequences. The concept of survival is

highly significant in the determination of tendency to the cooperation and collectivism. In

collective cultures, social relationships are perceived as a strategy of survival. This perception

complements the experiences of individuals eventually, influencing the development of the

individual. It implies that the relationship education has relatively more influence on the human

development of collectivistic cultures than that of the development of individuals in the

individualistic societies.

References

Ives, C. D., Giusti, M., Fischer, J., Abson, D. J., Klaniecki, K., Dorninger, C., & Raymond, C. M.

(2017). Human–nature connection: a multidisciplinary review. Current Opinion in

Environmental Sustainability, 26, 106-113.

Reis, H. T., Collins, W. A., & Berscheid, E. (2000). The relationship context of human behavior

and development. Psychological bulletin, 126(6), 844.

Sallis, J. F., Owen, N., & Fisher, E. (2015). Ecological models of health behavior. Health behavior:

Theory, research, and practice, 5, 43-64.