Parents have different styles of raising their children. Some may emphasize the importance of respect and obedience from their children; some others may show a great deal of warmth and emotion to their children; others still may be low both in parental control and affection. Thus, parenting style is the general way parents relate to and discipline their children (Lammana et al., 2015). There are two dimensions of parenting style: parental warmth (emotional nurturing and support) and parental monitoring (direction, guidance, control, or restriction) of their children. Based on these dimensions, three parenting styles can be possible: authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive parenting styles (Baumrind, 1991). In this study, I will examine how each parenting style is high or low in relation to the two dimensions of parenting style; that is, parental warmth and control. I will also examine the empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of each parenting style.
Authoritarian Parenting Style
The authoritarian parenting style is one that involves low emotional warmth and nurturing but high (if not excessively high) parental direction and control. Authoritarian parents emphasize respect and obedience from their children. They always use harsh restrictions and rules to let their children know that they are in charge. They do not encourage verbal interaction. They are more likely to spank their children or use otherwise harsh punishment to control their children’s behavior (Baumrind, 1991; Dominguez & Carton, 1997; Lammna et al., 2015).
Studies have shown that the authoritarian parenting style is associated with children’s decreased sense of personal effectiveness and mastery over situation, low level of self-actualization, children’s and adolescents’ depression, and poor mental health (Dominguez & Carton, 1997; Hall, 2008; Moorman & Pomerantz, 2008). Also, this parenting style is associated with low school performance, behavior problems, high rates of teen sexuality and pregnancy, and juvenile delinquency (Dominguez & Carton, 1997; Hall, 2008; Moorman & Pomerantz, 2008; Waldfogel, 2006).
Authoritative Parenting Style
This parenting style has both parental warmth/nurturing and non excessively high monitoring/direction. It combines parental nurturing and support with conscientious parental direction, and thus, comprises warmth, firmness, and fairness simultaneously. Hence, parents using the authoritative parenting style would not make their decisions final with regard to their children’s wills and desires but would also consider their children’s wishes and opinions. They would equally value their children’s achievements and support their efforts. This parenting style, therefore, gives children the opportunity of exploring their potentials, and so encourages a child’s individuality, emerging independence and talents without, at the same time, letting down parental directions and controls (Baumrind, 1989; 1991; Lammana et al., 2015). Empirical evidence has shown that children of authoritative parents, regardless of family structure, were more likely than others to do better in school, developed emerging talents and maturity, had high levels of independence, became socially competent, had relatively high self-esteem and became self-actualized (Baumrind, 1989, 191; Crawford & Novak, 2008; Dominguez & Carton, 1997).
Permissive Parenting Style
Permissive parenting style, the third parenting style, is one that is low on parental control/monitoring but may or may not be high on parental warmth. It is seen as being a neglectful parenting style. Permissive parents tend not to take an active role in shaping and determining their children’s behavior, make a few demands, and use little punishment (Baumrind, 1991). Permissive parenting has two variants. The first form of permissive parenting style is characterized by a situation of permissive-indulgent, which gives children low parental restriction but high on emotional warmth/nurturing. The so-called “spoiled child” has been associated with this parenting style (Lammana et al., 2015). The second form of permissive parenting style involves emotional-neglect, being low on both parental monitoring and emotional warmth/nurturing. Like the authoritarian parenting style, research showed that the permissive parenting style was also associated with children’s and adolescents’ depression, poor mental health, low school performance, behavior problem, high rate of teen sexuality and pregnancy, and juvenile delinquency (Hall, 2008; Moorman & Pomerantz, 2008; Waldfogel, 2006).
Experts’ Views on the Three Parenting Styles
Among the three parenting styles that we have described above, the authoritative parenting style is recommended by most experts as the most effective parenting style. This is because it is a parenting style that combines parental warmth with conscientious (non excessively high) parental direction. In other words, the authoritative parenting style involves simultaneously emotional nurturing and support, firmness, and fairness. Put in a different explanation, it avails children the opportunity of exploring their potentials, while at the same time, consciously setting limits and clearly communicating and enforcing rules.
Furthermore, research has shown that children of authoritative parents do better in school, develop emerging talents and independence, have high esteem, and are socially competent and self-actualized. For instance, among the white, middle-class children, empirical evidence has shown that an authoritative parental style is the most effective of the three possible styles (Lammana et al., 2015). Additionally, college students who reported that their parents gave them warmth and emotional support without harsh control and monitoring (i.e., an authoritative parenting style) were more self-actualized than those whose parents were authoritarian (Dominguez & Carton, 1997). Consequently, the authoritative parenting style is sometimes known as positive parenting.
Conclusion
It is important to emphasize that the authoritarian/authoritative/permissive model has been accused of being bias and ethnocentric or Eurocentric by some scholars. For these scholars, the authoritative parenting style can only predict the behavior for children of European descent and does not seem to do so among children of other races/ethnicity. In other words, the European family background and the parenting style are used as a standard for other parenting styles. In any case, we must underscore the success of the authoritative parenting style in raising children. However, its non-punishing character seems to render it ineffective when used by parents of other races/ethnicities that have a long tradition of disciplining their children with punishment.
References
Baumrind, D. (1991). Parenting styles and adolescent development. In J. Brooks-Gunn, R. Lerner, & A. C. Petersen (Eds.). The Encyclopedia of Adolescence (pp.746-758). New York: Garland.
Crawford, E. A., & Novak, K. B. (2008). Parent-child relations and peer association as mediators of the family structure-substance use relationship. Journal of Family Issues, 29, 155-184. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases
Dominguez, M. M., & Carton, J. S. (1997). The relationship between self-actualization and parenting style. Journal of Social Behaviour and Personality, 12 (4), 10903-1100. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases
Hall, S, K. (2008). Raising kids in the 21st century. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Lammana, M. A., Riedmann, A., & Stewart, S. (2015). Marriage, families, and relationships: Making choices in a diverse society (12th ed.). USA: Cengage Learning.
Moorman, E., & Pomerantz, E. (2008). The role of mothers’ control in children mastery orientation: A time frame analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 22 (5),1281-1304. doi: 10.1037/0893-3200.22.5.734
Waldfogel, J. 2006). What do children need? Public Policy Research, 13, 26-34. doi: 10.1111/j.1070-3535.2006.00417.x.
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