Leading Marines Developing Leaders Practice Test

The primary source of our values is often linked to our parents. Parents play a crucial role in the early development of an individual's belief system, ethics, and values as they are the primary caregivers and influencers in a child's life. From the moment a child is born, parents instill foundational values through their actions, teachings, and the environment they create. This influence shapes how children understand concepts like respect, responsibility, honesty, and compassion, which often carry over into their adult lives.

While friends, teachers, and siblings can certainly influence values throughout a person's development, the foundational values typically stem from parental guidance and modeling. It is through the familial context that one first learns and internalizes what is deemed important and acceptable within the society they grow up in. This relationship and the lessons imparted by parents often have a lasting impact compared to other sources of influence.