Parenting and parenting styles and practices differ widely across the globe. These reflect a given society’s cultural, ethical, and socioeconomic values and idiosyncrasies. These factors have a significant effect on parenting practice and, ultimately, on the development of a child, and as such are important and active areas of investigation.
By definition, a parenting style is parameterised by sociology and psychology, presenting the strategies used by parents in the raising of their offspring. While most parents will develop their own styles of parenting in an evolutionary process affected by both the parents and the child’s personalities and so on, the major constructs of parenting are governed by culture and society. The main styles of parenting, pioneered by Diana Baumrind, are authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, and neglectful parenting.
· Authoritative – This style centres on the child, with the understanding of the child’s feelings and prerogatives of the most importance. This style of parenting encourages the offspring to be independent; the teaching of self-control by the parents is crucial in ensuring successful independence. For example, limits and controls can be set by the parents on the child’s actions. Communication and active participation is highly important for this style of parenting.
· Authoritarian – This is regarded as a strict form of parenting, with many demands set by the parents but little interpersonal interaction or response. Conformity and compliance by the child is necessary, whereby the parent informs the child on what they believe to be the best practise with many associated rules and boundaries set.
· Indulgent – This is a liberal parenting style, with the parent highly responsive but not demanding. Few expectations, sanctions, rules and boundaries are set, while acceptance and love are usually pronounced.
· Neglectful – Parents in this category are neither responsive nor demanding. The child’s basic human needs are fulfilled, such as food, housing and so on, but other psychological and developmental needs are not.
A child’s future behaviour is significantly linked to their upbringing. Research paper in this field is about the assessment of a parenting style on an individual, or the contribution of different parenting styles towards overall statistical knowledge. Each parenting style can have positive and negative effects on development, and this makes research important for the future wellbeing of children and for the parents’ guidance.
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