Parenting is one of the most important roles that a person can take on in life. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach that works for all parents and children. According to Diana Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Theory, there are four distinct parenting styles that can have an effect on how a child develops.
In this article, we’ll discuss the four types of parenting and the impact they have on kids. We’ll also explore how to recognize each style and how to decide which style is best for you and your family.
Diana Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Theory
You may be familiar with Diana Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Theory, which identifies four types of parenting styles: authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, and uninvolved.
There are also other parenting styles, such as helicopter and free-range, that have emerged in recent years.
The parenting style that a parent adopts can have a major impact on a child’s development.
You may have some questions about this, such as what are the four main types of parenting styles, how do other parenting styles fit in, and how do parenting styles affect a child’s development?
Let’s explore these questions further.
What Are the Four Main Parenting Styles
You may have heard of the four main parenting styles: Authoritarian, Authoritative, Permissive, and Neglectful. Each style has its own set of characteristics that can affect how a child develops.
Authoritarian parenting is disciplinarian and has high expectations, while authoritative parenting is more democratic and encourages self-expression.
Permissive parenting is indulgent, while neglectful parenting is uninvolved or disengaged.
Understanding these styles can help you develop a parenting approach that best suits your family.
Authoritarian Parenting (Disciplinarian)
Struggling to be the disciplinarian? This is where authoritarian parenting comes in. It requires firm rules and strict consequences for breaking them.
Parents who use this style expect their children to obey without question. While this may lead to a sense of security for the child, it can also lead to behavioral problems.
Kids are expected to adhere to strict rules and may feel that their opinions and feelings are not taken into consideration. This can lead to a lack of trust and communication between the parent and child. As a result, the child may experience feelings of guilt and shame.
It’s important for parents to remember to be open to listening to their child’s feelings and respecting their opinions. However, they should still maintain a firm and consistent approach to parenting.
Authoritative Parenting Style (Democratic)
With an authoritative parenting style, you can find a balance between being firm and being open to your child’s feelings and opinions. This style encourages positive communication between parents and children, where children have the opportunity to express their feelings and parents can provide guidance and discipline.
This style also recognizes the importance of setting boundaries and rules while allowing children some level of autonomy. Furthermore, parents using the authoritative style can provide explanations for why certain rules are in place and use positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior.
This type of parenting style encourages children to be independent, to think for themselves, and to be able to make good decisions. This style is also associated with higher self-esteem, better academic performance, and better social skills in children.
Permissive Parenting (Indulgent)
Permissive parenting, also known as indulgent parenting, allows children to make their own decisions while still receiving guidance and support. This style of parenting is characterized by a lack of limit setting and structure.
Children raised in a permissive environment may struggle with self-control as they are not given clear boundaries and rules. They may also have difficulty making decisions on their own since they have not been taught to do so.
While permissive parenting allows children to explore and be independent, it can also lead to feelings of insecurity and confusion about expectations in the long term.
Neglectful Parenting (Uninvolved or disengaged)
Neglectful parenting, often referred to as uninvolved or disengaged, fails to provide children with appropriate levels of guidance, support, and structure. Parents who practice neglectful parenting give very little attention to their children and do not provide rules or guidance.
With no boundaries, kids are left to their own devices and may struggle to learn how to regulate their emotions and behaviors. Neglectful parenting can also lead to issues with self-esteem and a lack of trust in parents.
Research has suggested that children raised by neglectful parents are more likely to develop mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Therefore, it’s important for parents to provide their children with the love, guidance, and support they need to develop healthy attachments and relationships.
Other parenting styles
You may have heard of the four main parenting styles, but there are several other types of parenting that many families choose to employ.
Attachment parenting, Positive Parenting, Gentle Parenting, Helicopter parenting, Tiger parenting, and Free-range parenting are all popular parenting styles that have been gaining more attention in recent years.
Each of these styles has its own unique set of philosophies and approaches to parenting, which can have a significant impact on how children are raised.
Take a look at each of these parenting styles to see which one might work best for your family.
Attachment parenting
Parents who practice attachment parenting create strong, secure bonds with their children that can last a lifetime. Attachment parenting is a style of parenting that emphasizes the importance of forming secure attachments with children from a young age. It encourages parents to be highly responsive to their children’s needs and to take an active role in nurturing their children.
Attachment parenting involves providing physical and emotional closeness with children, such as through breastfeeding, carrying them in a sling or carrier, and co-sleeping. Studies have shown that this style of parenting can lead to stronger, more secure bonds with children and can even help reduce stress levels in both parents and children.
Positive Parenting
You can help your children reach their full potential by practicing positive parenting. This approach focuses on providing love, support, and guidance, and emphasizes the importance of positive reinforcement, setting clear expectations, and open communication.
Positive parenting encourages parents to show love and respect to their children, without using fear, threats, or punishment to control their behavior. It also focuses on teaching children to be independent problem-solvers and to take responsibility for their actions.
By using positive parenting techniques, you can help your children develop the skills they need to become successful, well-adjusted adults.
Gentle Parenting
Gentle parenting offers a way for parents to nurture and guide their children while still allowing them to explore the world around them without feeling overwhelmed or controlled.
This style of parenting focuses on creating an atmosphere of love and acceptance by expressing understanding and empathy. This means that parents will take the time to really listen to their children and understand their feelings and point of view, rather than relying on punishment or rewards to bring about desired behavior.
Gentle parenting encourages parents to respect their child’s autonomy and individuality, and to focus on teaching them to be self-aware and responsible for their own actions. This can be a challenging approach and requires patience and consistency, but many parents find that it helps their children develop strong self-esteem and a greater sense of responsibility.
Helicopter parenting
Helicopter parenting involves closely monitoring a child’s life and being overly involved in their decisions, often to the point of hovering. This style of parenting is often used by parents who are fearful for their child’s safety and future, and it may be caused by the parent’s own upbringing.
Children of helicopter parents can feel a lack of independence and autonomy. Their parents are often making decisions for them that they could make on their own. They may also struggle with making mistakes and developing important life skills, as the parent is often quick to correct or over-correct mistakes that the child makes.
The long-term effects of helicopter parenting may include increased anxiety and difficulty developing healthy interpersonal relationships.
Tiger parenting
You’re struggling to keep up with the high expectations of your tiger parent, feeling the pressure to succeed and meet their standards. Tiger parenting involves parents who push their child to excellence in academics, sports, or extracurricular activities.
This type of parenting style has a strict and demanding atmosphere, and parents expect their children to meet their expectations. Children of tiger parents may feel overwhelmed by the pressure and expectations, but it can also lead to high levels of achievement in areas such as education, sports, and music.
Tiger parenting may also include the use of rewards and punishments to motivate children to excel. However, this can lead to negative effects on the child’s social and emotional well-being, as well as causing feelings of anxiety and stress.
Free-range parenting
You’re feeling the freedom of living with free-range parenting, where you’re encouraged to explore your interests and develop independence. This style of parenting allows children to make their own decisions and take risks in a safe environment.
Free-range parents don’t hover and instead allow their kids to explore, make mistakes, and learn from them. This parenting style is based on trust and being confident in the child’s ability to practice responsible decision-making.
The goal of free-range parenting is to help children become independent and self-reliant, with the assurance that they have a safety net of support and guidance from their parents. Kids who are raised with free-range parenting tend to have higher self-esteem, better decision-making skills, and more independence.
Impact of parenting styles on child development
No matter which approach you take as a parent, it’s important to understand how your actions can shape your child’s development.
Research suggests that each parenting style has a unique effect on a child’s development.
An authoritative style of parenting, for example, which involves high levels of warmth and structure, is associated with higher levels of academic achievement, as well as increased self-esteem and social competence.
On the other hand, an authoritarian style of parenting, which is characterized by low warmth and high control, can lead to lower self-esteem and poorer academic performance.
A permissive style of parenting, which involves low control and high levels of warmth, can lead to children feeling more secure, but also can lead to lower self-discipline and higher levels of aggression.
Finally, free-range parenting, which involves low control and low warmth, can lead to higher levels of independence, but can also lead to a lack of understanding of the consequences of their actions.
In all cases, it’s important to recognize the impact of your parenting style on your child’s development.
FAQ
You may have heard of the four parenting styles that were first introduced by psychologist Diane Baumrind in the 1960s. Of the four, the most effective style is authoritative parenting, where parents are both demanding and responsive.
The most commonly used parenting style is actually the permissive style, which is characterized by low demands and high responsiveness.
The most demanding parenting style is the authoritarian style, where parents are high in demands but low in responsiveness.
Adjust the paragraph structure in the input to logically group complete sentences on their own lines, with a double new line after. Use contractions.
Who introduced the 4 parenting styles?
Wondering who created the framework for understanding how our parenting impacts our children? Psychologist Diane Baumrind is credited with introducing the four parenting styles: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved.
Baumrind described these styles in her 1966 paper, “Effects of Authoritative Parental Control on Child Behavior.” Her research revealed that each style of parenting had a different effect on children, and that the authoritative style was the most effective.
Baumrind’s research continues to be used today to help parents understand how their behavior is impacting their children.
Which of the four parenting styles is most effective?
Research has shown that the authoritative parenting style is the most effective in terms of positive outcomes for children. This style combines both warmth and expectations from a parent, and encourages children to be independent. Parents who use this style set rules and expectations, while still being respectful and supportive.
It allows children to have a sense of control and to make decisions for themselves, while still having guidance and support from the parent. This style encourages open communication between parents and children, allowing children to feel secure and build self-confidence.
Research has shown that children who are raised with the authoritative style have better social skills, greater self-worth, and better academic performance.
What is the most commonly used parenting style?
Moving on from the discussion of which type of parenting style is most effective, it’s important to consider the most commonly used parenting style.
Generally, the most popular parenting style is authoritative. This emphasizes a balance of warmth and discipline, as well as clear expectations and open communication. Authoritative parents tend to have high expectations for their children, but also provide encouragement and guidance to help them reach those expectations.
This style of parenting has been shown to be the most effective in terms of helping children develop socially, emotionally, and academically.
What is the most demanding parenting style?
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by parenting demands? Then you may be familiar with the most demanding parenting style.
This type of parenting is known as authoritarian parenting and is characterized by high expectations, strict rules, and limited communication. Parents who use this style of parenting often provide little to no explanation for their decisions, instead expecting their children to obey without question.
As a result, children may feel like their opinions and feelings don’t matter, and may struggle with problem-solving and decision-making. This type of parenting may also encourage children to become overly reliant on their parents, as they haven’t been given the opportunity to learn how to properly think for themselves.
Conclusion
It’s clear that each parenting style has an impact on a child’s development.
Authoritarian parenting can lead to obedience and self-control, but it can also lead to feelings of resentment and low self-esteem.
On the other hand, permissive parenting can lead to more independence and self-reliance, but can also lead to less discipline and self-control.
Meanwhile, authoritative parenting can lead to children who are self-confident, self-controlled, and socially responsible.
Finally, uninvolved parenting can lead to feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem.
Ultimately, it’s important to find the right balance of parenting styles to ensure that your child is developing in the best possible way.
