This week, we discussed raising children and different parenting styles. Four of them were discussed, three at great length. One of them was the authoritarian style, which discouraged free exchange of thoughts and ideas and basically taught children "be seen and not heard" or "do as I say". One of the positives (in fact, the ONLY positive) associated with this style of discipline is that children are taught early on to respect parental authority. The negatives are many, including low self-esteem, depression, irritability, moodiness, and unfriendliness.
The permissive parenting style does not impose any restrictions on a child or children, and they are encouraged to do as they please. The positive aspect of this type of parenting is that children are given confidence and self-esteem and not hemmed in by rules. The negative aspects are that children who are raised with this style of parenting are often immature, rebellious, and irresponsible in their adolescent--and quite possibly, their adult--years.
The authoritarian style of parenting is demanding and restrictive, but to the proper degree. Verbal give-and-take is encouraged, with parents focusing on the rights of the children as well as of themselves to parent. This produces focused, respectful, achievement-oriented children in the long run.
The fourth style of parenting is uninvolved parenting. This type of parenting shows little or no interest in what a child is doing or has done, be it good or bad. Uninvolved parents can be seen as neglectful in the eyes of society.
Taking this course really helps where I work, where I do see all different types of parenting styles; and I think about how I want my own children to be raised. Education is very important in this regard; also, if one wants to become a social worker, he or she would have to know the signs to look for in a family if there is evidence of discord, stress, or abuse.
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2 comments:
Hello, I found your post on a google search for parenting style. It is so important that parents have a game plan and understanding of how to be most effective. I think you meant to say authoritative parenting is restrictive but to the right degree.
I have written several books for parents which detail the concepts and scripts for authoritative parenting. The most recent is Freeing Your Child from Negative Thinking: Powerful, Practical Strategies to Build a Lifetime of Resilience, Flexibility and Happiness.
If you're interested in looking at an excerpt, please check out www.freeingyourchild.com.
All best,
Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.
You're absolutely right; I just re-read my post and I must have been typing really fast, as I normally do. Thank you for catching my error, and it really is important to understand parenting techniques.
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