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Family Differences

The Murray family had six children, all of whom are now grown. Each of the children, while having certain similarities also is markedly different in many ways. Although all of the siblings grew up in the same house, they developed into distinct, unique human beings. Most of the Murray siblings are slightly on the taller side of normal and either average weight or slightly overweight. Derrick is an exception and is lean and muscular due to his athleticism, and Monica is an exception on the other end, as she is shorter and the most overweight of the six.

· Wayne is the first born, and is outgoing and very bright. He excelled in school and is well-liked by his peers. He never experienced any significant difficulties in life and is very successful. He is the most “straight-laced” of the Murray family and takes himself fairly seriously.

· Sasha is the second child, born one year after Wayne. She struggled in school but is a talented writer. She posts fanciful short stories on her blog, and does not have many friends aside from people she has met online with whom she discusses writing

· Derrick is the third – one year younger than Sasha – and was a class clown. He is creative, very friendly and outgoing, very well-liked, and has multiple friends. Derrick is probably the most popular of the Murray family due to his upbeat personality and supportive attitude. Derrick is also a notably talented athlete, but unfortunately he has a learning disability that negatively impacted his performance in school and caused his parents concern during his childhood.

· Kim is the fourth child, born 3 years after Derrick. She is very shy, not athletically or particularly academically talented, and has always felt like she’s lived in the shadow of her older siblings. She has one best friend and is prone to feeling depressed and lonely.

· Lea is the fifth child, born 1 year after Kim. She is friendly, generally happy, and confident. She did not stand out academically or with athletic or artistic talents, but she generally feels content with life. She has a very close relationship with Monica, her younger sister, and took on a care-taking role when Monica was first born.

· Monica is the youngest, born 7 years after Lea. She is the baby of the family and has always been a little spoiled. She barely remembers life with her three oldest siblings since they were grown and moved out of the house during Monica’s first few years of life. She is friendly but is also known to be a bit of a “drama queen.”  Monica is creative and expresses this mostly through her singing.

Discuss and give specific examples of the role of genetics on development within a family unit. Consider the impact of non-shared environmental effects on the members of the family. Include in the discussion birth order, gender, parental influences, and sibling influences on the development of the children in the family.