Big Question!!

What impact does family have on one's life, personality, and outlook?!?

This question interests me because family plays a big role in the characters' lives and especially in my life. I come from a large, blended family. Something is always going on in my family's lives that causes it to be hectic and dramatic. Without the role of my family, I would not be who I am today. I have learned how to deal with diversity and how to not be influenced by other's decisions. I have also become very independent because my parents must attend to my sibling's needs. I also have learned the importance of family in one's life.

I wonder about this question because I want to know the role of family in other's lives. Does it influence others as heavily as it influences me? How are the main and minor characters affected by family? Do they do what they do because of they way their family is?