F actors A ffecting G rowth and D evelopment The following factors influence the growth and development of a living organism. Heredity Heredity is a biological process that plays an important role in the transmission of physical and social attributes from parents to their children. Height, weight and structure of the body, colour of hair and eyes, intelligence, aptitudes, and instincts of the child are highly influenced by heredity. The behaviour of a living organism is influenced by two factors — heredity and environment.
The biological or psychological characteristics which are transmitted by the parents to their children are known by the name of heredity. It is a biological process of transmission of certain traits of appearance and behaviour of the parents towards their offsprings. Heredity traits are innate, they are present at birth. The essential characteristics inherited by all human beings are physical structure, reflexes, innate drives, intelligence, temperament, etc.
Environment Environment plays an important role in human life. Psychologically a person’s environment consists of the sum total of the stimulations (physical and psychological) which is received from the conception. There are three different types of environment, such as — . Physical: It consists of all outer physical surroundings.
These are both animate and inanimate which have to be manipulated in order to provide food, clothing, and shelter. Geographical conditions such as weather, climate, and physical environment also have considerable impact on an individual child. . Social: It is constituted by the society, individuals, institutions, social laws, and customs that regulate human behaviour.
It refers to the physical and social setting in which a child lives. It includes culture, education, human settlement, etc. . Psychological: It is rooted in an individual’s reaction with an object and situation.
One’s love, affection, emotion, and feeling of friendship and brotherhood will strengthen human bond with one another. Environment is the sum total of the surroundings in which an individual has to live. It is generally divided into two categories—natural and social. Natural environment refers to all those things and forces on, and around the earth that are natural and influence a