Parenting Styles

Along with temperament, parenting styles also influences the way children responses to different situations. The idea of parenting faced a gradual change from "breaking he child's will" in eighteenth century to post 1945 era where children are allowed more freedom.

Parenting styles an vary across two dimensions:

1. Parental - acceptance - responsiveness

    The extend to which parents are supportive,sensitive to their children's needs and willing to provide 

    affection and praise when children meet expectations.

2. Demanding - control or Permissiveness - restrictiveness

    It refers to how much control over decisions lie with parents as opposed to the child.

Diana Baumrind studied 103 pre-school children from 95 families and identified three major parenting styles - Authoritarian, Authoritative and Permissive. Later Eleanor Maccoby and John Martin added a fourth parenting style - the Neglectful or Un-involved parenting style. Researchers have also identified, a new parenting style in some African American families the No Nonsense parenting style that falls between the authoritarian and the authoritative ie; it combines warmth and affection with parental control.

Factors that influence Parenting Styles

Why do parents differ in their parenting styles?

Though the authoritative parenting style is considered the most ideal of all, none can always be sure.When this kind of parenting seems beneficial in European- American kids in setting sensible expectation and realistic standards but for Asian- American families the warmth and supportiveness of authoritarian style would be better.

Socio-cultural and cross-cultural differences affect the way in which parents express affection and discipline their children. Although authoritative style is considered always ideal, the impact varies according to socio-cultural groups (Steinberg and Darling, 1994). Also parents would endorse styles that suits o their respective values and customs.

Increase rates of divorce and single parenthood evidently influences parenting styles. Since parents themselves feel distressed, they become more demanding, less nurturant, less sensitive and less available to their children.Divorced fathers, later may turn more restrictive and mothers less restrictive. The pre and post divorce marital conflicts severely affects their parenting styles. Family violence also pressurizes parenting. This has greater chances of leading to neglectful or uninvolved parenting style.

The context of parents - how they have learned have learned different decision making styles plays significant role on which style they would adopt for their child. Neighborhoods also, if dangerous, affects parenting. Parents may turn more authoritarian if surroundings are danger lurking.

The parenting style to be chosen also depends on the temperament of the child. For an easy child, authoritative or sometimes permissive parenting would be ideal whereas for a difficult child, more authoritarian parenting style would be necessary. Thus, one single style cannot be generalized for all families .

Every parent needs to analyze their child and choose on which parenting style they would employ.

References : Child Development and Education ;Teresa.M.Devitt,Jeanne Ellis Orman.Human Development;  Carol.K.Sigelman, Elizabeth. A Ridar. Human Develoment; D.E Papalia