ABSTRACT
Childhood events can have a major influence on our lives. In some measure, all of us have unconscious drives and phobias, often originating in our earliest years and which constitute our inner world. The American sociologist, Morris Massey, neatly defines three phases of development from infancy through childhood and adolescence. The first of these, the imprint stage, takes us up to the age of seven. During this period, we absorb everything around us, accepting much of it as true, especially when it comes from our parents. Next comes the modelling period. From the ages of eight to thirteen we copy people, often our parents, but others as well. Rather than blind acceptance, we tend to test ideas out for ourselves to see how they fit. Finally, there is the socializing phase, from thirteen to twenty-one, when we are largely influenced by our peers. As we develop as individuals, we naturally turn to people who seem like us.
