Psychology

Family is one of the most important factors in the lives of people. Through families, children are honed and provided different types of values which will be very important during adulthood. Hence, it is very important that children have the most normal kind upbringing in order for them to have a normal life. The normalcy is defined through the appropriate activities and individuals who are present in the lives of children.

In the book The Bond (2007) presents the lives of different individuals who had been exposed to a different type of upbringing. The book was written by men who had not been with their fathers due to their abusive characteristics or did not simply become present during their childhood. Therefore, the authors had experienced a woman-filled childhood where in their mothers or grandmothers had to fill in the responsibilities of their fathers as they grow up.

Although the book is about the lost of their fathers during their childhood years, the book is not about giving hope to people who had not been with their fathers. The book analyses the subject of child development where in the role of man also plays a huge role in the growth of children. Moreover, the book is able to celebrate the fact that children or individuals could still reconnect with their parents. Thus, there are different questions which are entertained in order to make the novel much realistic. In addition to this, the book is mainly written for the male perspectives and attaining various kinds of information regarding their childhood and the changes they had to go through.

In order to analyze the book, it is important to utilize a theory which would be able to explain the aspects of child hood development of men and little boys due to the absence of their father or a male presence in their lives. The theory of Urie Bronfenbrenner (1981) regarding Ecological Systems Theory which states that there are different systems in the society which help hone a child through his development. These are The Microsystem which is the most immediate group or the nearest group that a child experiences the mesosystem is environment of a child where in the microsystem is usually connected such as schools etc. the third is the Exosystem which is a farther environment from the individual such as the workplace of the parents and etc the Macrosystem which is the largest environment which the individual is included. This aspect is must related to the nation, culture and politics which the person is included the last level is the Chronosystem is the patterns of different activities of the environment as well as the changes which are often occurring in the society.

Hence, the most effective aspect of this theory is the Microsystems which discuss the family and its influence to childhood development. Moreover, in order to focus on the effects of the theory one character in the story shall be focused. George is one of the characters in book which shall be given the main highlight. Hence, his story is mostly related to how his life gotten into his relationship with his father. Upon providing his story it is very evident that his childhood was filled with people whom her mom could trust in order for him and his brother to grow up as good children. George and his brother were often surrounded with people who would not hurt or create a negative action against them. Furthermore, George was often with women who could nurture and love them in a way that his father would not be able to do.

Accordingly, Georges father was effortless in terms of reconnecting with his children. After the time his mother moved out of the house, Georges father did not seek for them or did not show any desire of being with them. Thus, there are no letters, cards, or a telephone call that would make him present to the life of George. Therefore, George grew up seeing and experiencing more female attributes rather than male attributes. One of these signs is fighting. It must be noted that a man is expected to fight. In the social context, men are often expected to fight with other men. It is violence, strength, power and courage which define them. In a way, having an aggressive behavior is few of the main characteristics that a man must have. However due to his family background, he was often reacts in a feminine way. The femininity comes from the ideology of women which he had encountered in his life. Therefore, George had a different kind of upbringing compared to other children. Most children are mostly playful and they do not take things seriously hence the quote men will always be boys. But then, George is fairly different for he values his studies while also focusing on developing himself in terms of his academic skills (Gavis et. al., 2007).

On the other hand although George admitted that the absence of his father is normal for him, he suddenly felt that he needed a father during difficult times. One of these moments was the time that he needed to shave his moustache or beard. George also had a difficult time putting on ties which made him feel that a father must be responsible for teaching his children some of such activities. Moreover, he only found guidance from different people who were not closely related to him.

Hence, George is a man of courage of what he had to go through. His normalcy is often inquiring or moving out of his Microsytem in order for him to have a direct idea how to shave or fix a tie. Hence the mesosystem and the exosystem played a huge role in honing him as a person. At some point, the macrosystem is judging him because of his unique upbringing. Nevertheless such challenges did not become a hindrance for George.  The character was able to utilize different environments surrounding him in order to gain knowledge. Therefore, George is greatly influenced by 4 different levels presented by Urie Bronfenbenner.