Photo credit: Psychology Magazine
There are many parenting styles and types depending on families and cultural backgrounds. Every parent has a different approach to interacting with and guiding their children. A child’s morals, principles, and conduct are generally established through this bond.
Broadly, parenting styles are grouped into four categories: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved. Each category employs a unique approach to raising children.
Authoritarian Parenting:
Parents using this style tend to have a one-way mode of communication. The parent establishes strict rules that the child obeys. There is hardly any room for negotiation from the child. The rules are rarely explained. The children are expected to uphold the standards while making no errors. If there is an error, it generally leads to punishment. Authoritarian parents tend to be rigid while expecting a lot from the child.
While children brought up by authoritarian parents tend to be the most well-behaved due to consequences of misbehaving and best at adhering to precise instructions, the parenting style can result in children having higher levels of aggression, being socially inept and unable to make their own decisions.
Aggression may remain uncontrolled, as children have difficulty managing anger because they were not provided with proper guidance. They also have poor self-esteem, which further reinforces their ability to make decisions. Strict parental rules and punishments often influence children to rebel against authority figures as they grow older.
Authoritative Parenting:
It develops a close, nurturing relationship with the children. They have clear guidelines for their expectations and explain the reasons associated with disciplinary actions. Disciplinary methods are used as a way of support rather than punishment. Children have input into goals and expectations. There are also frequent and appropriate levels of communication between the parents and children. This parenting style leads to the healthiest outcomes for children but requires a lot of patience and effort from both parties.
This parenting style results in children who are confident, responsible, and able to self-regulate. They can manage their negative emotions more effectively, leading to better social outcomes and emotional health. Since parents encourage independence, children will learn to accomplish goals independently. This results in children who grow up with higher self-esteem. The children also have high academic achievements and school performance.
Permissive Parenting:
Parents tend to be warm and nurturing and usually have minimal expectations in permissive parenting. Limited rules are imposed on the children. Communication remains open, but parents allow their children to figure things out for themselves. These low levels of expectation usually result in rare uses of discipline. They act more like friends than parents.
Limited rules can lead to unhealthy eating habits among children, which might lead to obesity and other health problems later in life. Since the child has unlimited freedom to decide their bedtime, when to do homework, and screen time with the computer and television, it can lead to other negative habits as the parent does not provide much guidance on moderation. Overall, the children usually have some self-esteem and decent social skills. However, they can be impulsive, demanding, selfish, and lack self-regulation.
Uninvolved Parenting:
Children are given much freedom since the parent stays out of the way. They fulfil the child’s basic needs while remaining detached from the child’s life. The parent does not utilize a particular disciplining style and has limited communication with the child. They tend to offer little nurturing while having little or no expectations of their children.
The children are usually resilient and may even be more self-sufficient than children with other upbringings. However, these skills are developed out of necessity. They may also have trouble controlling their emotions, less effective coping strategies, academic challenges, and difficulty maintaining or nurturing social relationships.
