Are conflict and challenge sources of personality development?

The family as an arena for development of ego functions in the offspring is widely accepted. Several studies seem to confirm that the way parents interact with their offspring and how they handle conflict have important consequences for the internalization of ego structures in the offspring (Bell and Bell, 1983; Grotevant and Cooper, 1985; Lamborn et al., 1991; Hauser et al., 1984; Hauser et al., 1987; White et al., 1983). The family also continues to exert influence on the young throughout the adolescent period (Smollar and Youniss, 1989).