seemingly little things like this can affect many areas of our lives.
The interesting thing to me, with respect to this 'path dependency' concept, is that we have a choice as to HOW those things affect us.
My dad chose to break the cycle of absentee-fatherhood. He could have just as easily (or actually, more easily) chosen to wallow in self-pity and promulgate the cycle rather than breaking it.
Yes, fortunately we can break the cycle and it's really impressive he was able to do that.
Usually it takes a good proactive thinker to break away from cycles that their environment and situations strap them to. If one doesn't reflect on life, think about the things they have a high tendency and seem predisposed to do and then decide to make conscious effort to change a couple of things they would keep going around living according to the dictates of their upbringing.