Many people feel that their parents were harder on them than on their brother or sister. And many are quick to blame  negative results in adulthood on it. But results from a Temple University study published this month suggest that it is not necessarily true. Researchers have found that among siblings in the same family,recalled negative early experiences such as conflicts  with parents seem to have little influence over psychological wellbeing  in midlife. "Existing research suggests the importance of early childhood parental treatment on later wellbeing,but respondents in this study who thought they were treated less favorably than their siblings have been found to be just as satisfied in their lives,"said Adam Davey,a psychologist in the College of Health Professions. Davey's study looked at data collected from 1,369 siblings between the ages of 26--74 from 498 different families to determine the extent to which different childhood treatment reached into adulthood. Each sibling answered a series of questions about their memories of parental affection ,conflicts with their parents when they were young and current wellbeing. Davey and his team found that those who remembered having more conflicts with their parents than their siblings still tended to have generally high levels of wellbeing in adulthood. Not surprisingly,they also found that happier memories,such as memories of affection and warmth,can have positive effects. Older respondents who were married and had children of their own tended to have a more positive recollection of their childhood. Davey says these findings could suggest that life experience acts as a filter for remembering childhood memories. He adds that personality also plays a role:those who were more outgoing tended to have a better recollection of their childhood. "Even people who grow up in the same environment can have different ways of recalling the past. And it's not necessarily what happens in the past,but the way we remember it that makes a difference to our wellbeing,"said Davey. What's the purpose of the passage?
To show how to improve wellbeing in midlife. To teach parents how to give their children a happier childhood. To blame some parents for being harder on one of their children. To show the link between negative childhood experiences and wellbeing in adulthood.