Individual Pathways

The aspect of individual pathways was a concept that especially stuck out to me in this reading. I feel that in today’s society we tend to link certain, single traits to specific results pertaining to health and quality of life. For instance, Friedman and Martin speak of a girl with divorced parents. Most would agree this girl would experience struggles in relationships throughout her life because of this specific circumstance. However, Friedman and Martin also outline the importance of individual pathways. This means that it is not just specific circumstances that affect quality of life as a whole, but rather a collaboration of these circumstances and how they react with one another throughout one’s life. Even though the mentioned girl had divorced parents, she was not doomed to plagued relationships. Rather, she was happily married. This is because a single circumstance does not solely determine one’s overall health and quality of life, but many factors contribute to this phenomenon.

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