Impact of different parenting styles on child development

In this blog, we are covering one of the short answer type questions, which briefs upon the parents, their parenting styles and its respective impact upon childhood growth and psychology.

I) Authoritarian or Demanding style

1. In authoritarian parenting style the children becomes obedient and follows their parent’s advice and instruction due to parental punishment.  
2. The children become responsive to their parents, who spring to their attention, when their parents ask them to do something immediately.  For example:- If the mother says to bring something from the market the child do it.
3. Children may keep waiting for their parents instructions. For example:- If the child want to attain the friends party, so the child will wait for their parents view.
4. As the child is always dependent on their parents. And he knows that nothing will happen from his side, all will be done from his parents view. Though he wishes something but he will not have the capability to speak in front of his parents. So the children may rank very low in the level of happiness of life. For example:- If the child want red shirt, but the parent want yellow shirt for child. The child will not put his will that he want the red shirt due to strict nature and punishment of the parents, which put a very low level of happiness in child’s life.

II) Authoritative or Firm style

• In authoritative parenting style, children are well known about their parent’s behaviour. As the parent has provided a free and humble behaviour to their children. The children respond according to it. For example:- If a child wants a car. And the parent’s has instructed to do lesson first. So the child knows if he / she will finish her lesson than he / she will get a car. So here in this style children knows, when to respond to their parents instructions and demands.

• As the parents talk and listen to their children, provide opportunity for independence, and provide explanation for discipline and even for work. Children grow up in automotive homes tend to co-operate their parents. For example:- As at home some guest are going to arrive the child will co-operate with their parents by helping them in household things.

• Authoritative parents set realistic expectation for their children, and they provide their children with fair (or natural) consequences. Natural consequences are those that occur as a result of the child’s behaviour. In which the children becomes obedient and responsive.

• Authoritative parents are warmth and nurturing, create loving home environment and provide a high degree of emotion and support which make the child obedient and responsive.

III) Permissive or Liberal Style

• The parents are nurturing, warm and accepting. The permissive parents are overindulgent and allow their children to make their own lives and therefore inattentive and exhibit little control over their children. Which in return may display very poor competency and capability in the children. For example:- If activity is given in the class and parent just not interested in child work. The child will also develop a same feeling and slowly it lessens the competency and capability of the child.

• Parents have low expectations, use minimal discipline and do not feel responsible for how their children will turn out. Their main concerns are let children express their creativity and individuality and to make them happy in the belief that this will teach them right from wrong. In such conditions the child may not do well in their classroom studies and tests. For example:- If parents will not take any interest in the child studies they will throw all the burden on the child. The child will run away from the studies and thus he may not do well in his studies.

• As the parents find it hard to set clear limit, provide structure, are inconsistent disciplinaries and reward lead behaviour regularly. Due to this child display very poor competency and capabilities, which may rank very low in happiness index.

• They may face future problems in self regulating their emotions. As they have not been taught how to control or discipline themselves, they are less likely to develop self-respect. This lack of discipline and structure engenders a desire for some type of control and so they put “a lot of energy into controlling parents and trying to get parents to control them.” Their unmet psychological needs make them “vulnerable to being easily discouraged by everyday problems and turn the child away from full and satisfying participation in the world.

IV) Uninvolved or Impassive style

• Children, who are raised in this manner could face a lot of problems in life. As the parents are neglectful towards their child’s live. They are not bothered about their child’s future. And just they are caught up in their own problems and issues. For example:- In one’s family the parents are indulged in their own fighting. Here in this type of family the child could face a lot of problems in life.

• Such child lack self-control. The child can face a lot of problem in his life due to neglectful parents or those who are un-involved in their child activities. For example:- The disturbed family will generate a child who lack his self-control like – anger, because the child see this in his everyday life.

• They may also lack self-image and self-esteem. In some case, as the parents are such neglectful that they don’t even provide an adequate basic resources to their child, which leads to the child to lose his self image and esteem. For example:- If the child is from a poor neglected family, he will stole the good from the shop, which kills the self-esteem of the child.

• They could be less competent than their peers. As in some parenting style the parent not even provide the basic needs of the child. Than how can the child feel like competent with his peers.  He just sees others and feels like to be different from other children. The child feel insecure and lonely due to this he could be less competent than their peers.

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