I frequently see people around the web supporting various arguments with the following statement: 

> 
> "children need stability." 
> 
> 
> 

Is there any evidence for this, and more importantly can there be such a thing as too much stability? Is there any evidence that lack of change leaves children unprepared for/unable to deal with small changes? 

An example of a child reacting poorly to change: 

When a friend of mine was six years old her mother changed the plate over the light switch in the bathroom, the six year old girl was so upset about this change that she hid under the sink in the kitchen and refused to come out. To this day she gets very stressed during periods of change. Could this be genetic?

I realize I've just asked many questions, but they are all aspects of one:

**How important is stability for children?**