Melody_3.3_DQ12

I definitely think that experiences in infancy affect later relationships. I have seen and heard of many cases in which people experience something during their childhood that left a huge emotional impact on them, and unless they have actively dealt with those things, those experiences still affect their relationships right now. I think this is because when something emotionally damaging happens, and by this I'm referring more to familial things since familial relationships are the most important relationships in one's childhood, one's self-worth or trust in other people or emotional well-being in general is usually negatively affected. I believe that these experiences in childhood affect future relationships because even though people grow up and are able to rationalize and understand most of the things that they went through during their childhood, the emotional wounds that they had when they were children stay with them unless they are sorted through and dealt with. With that being said, I do not at all believe that we are prisoners of our past. I fully believe that changes can be made and wounds can be healed.

I think people, especially in the culture that we live in, tend to underestimate the impact that familial issues leave on individuals, especially when the individuals are young. Even the smallest thing like a parent saying something offensive to his or her child can really affect the self-worth of the child which then affects the emotional well-being of the child even into adulthood.