The Other Wes Moores Upbringing Differences

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The Other Wes Moore illustrates the differences in upbringing between two Wes Moores. The differences drastically alter the outcomes of their lives. It is important to analyze the differences between the Wes Moores’ upbringing in order to identify what factors encourage a favorable path. Concepts from the Psychology 1100 Textbook can be used to explain the lives of the two Wes Moores. In the afterword the author talks about some of the speculations people have as to why Wes 1 and Wes 2 ended up so different. Naturally, the question of genetics and nature always comes up as an explanation for the defining difference between the two Wes Moores. On the other hand, certain points in the nature/upbringing of the two Wes Moores, such as Wes 2’s parents neglecting birth control, were speculated as the defining reason for the outcomes of the two Wes Moores. The author emphasizes that all these factors are actually woven together (Moore, 183). Similarly, the concepts of nature and nurture are closely meshed in the field of psychology (Textbook, 73). This means changing the lives of one of the Wes Moore’s cannot be done by simply changing a step in their paths. Instead, lives must be holistically …show more content…

Wes 2 had a mom who tried to have an authoritative parenting style where she gave love and discipline, but because of their unfortunate circumstances she could not get control of Wes 2 and her parenting style was essentially uninvolved. On the other hand, Wes 1 went to military school where he was given many authoritative mentors, such as Captain Hill, who gave discipline and guidance (Moore, 97). Children who go through an uninvolved parenting style are the least likely to fit society’s norms, while kids who go through an authoritative parenting style are more likely to fit society’s norms (Textbook, 427). These different upbringings could be why Wes 1 is an outstanding citizen and Wes 2 is in jail right