Adages are associated with a long history tracing back centuries ago, and they, therefore, are widely known by people having a shared history with no individual claiming ownership. “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree” use is claimed to have started in the 16th century where it was put that one may straighten a stick when green, and it may not be crooked. The current form of this saying can is attributed to Alexander Pope's Epistles to Several Persons (1732).
Despite being pithy-short and straightforward, sayings have a deeper meaning which is utterly different from the outward manifestation. It's an everyday scenario that a tree grows according to how it is bent. Apparently, this fact is applied from this saying to represent how events eventually unfold as you shaped them to be at the beginning. The twig can, therefore, be taken to represent a child or something at its early stages, the bending is how you raise it, or the inputs and the tree represent the mature person's state or the final result of the initial deed.
In lifespan development, this saying is very applicable to human beings in this field of education. The lifespan is heavily dependent on the early years of an offspring which affects the behavioral progress. The physical and socio-emotional development of a child have a great influence in the later ages of a human being. It is, therefore, important to bring up a baby in the best way possible so that it grows to the maximum age the environment can sustain.
As one progresses from one stage to another, the preceding stage determines a lot about the kind of lifestyle one lives and the general interaction and approach to life. Take from childhood to adolescence; a teen behaves like he was brought up. People who have an addiction pick this habit from the guardian or a person they interacted during their early ages. Depending on the raising during adolescence, a person carries on their behavior to early adulthood. At full maturity, a person has already cultivated their personality depending on the childhood and adolescent stages. The final person is, therefore, a product of the upbringing.
References.
Dombeck, M. & Adamowicz, W.M. (December 16th, 2008) Introduction to lifespan development. Mentalhelp.net. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/introduction-to-lifespan-development/
Speake, J (2008). Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. 5th ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
