4 Different Parenting Styles and their Effects on
Children
Dimensions of Parenting
 Parental warmth – The
degree to which parents
are accepting, responsive,
and compassionate with
their children.
 Parental control – The
degree to which parents
set limits, enforce rules,
and maintain discipline
with children.
Four styles of parenting
(Baumrind, 1973, 1991; Maccoby & Martin, 1983)
 Authoritarian
parents – Exert firm
control but are
rejecting or
unresponsive to their
children.
Warmth: Low
Control: High
1st Parenting Style:
AUTHORITARIAN
 Parent:
 Expect children to follow strict rules
 Does not explain why rules should be obeyed
 Punish children who disobey rules
 Are controlling/power-oriented
 Use verbal threats or spanking
1st Parenting Style:
AUTHORITARIAN
 Effects of Parenting Style on Child:
 Obedient
 Proficient (good at what they do)
 may view parent as enemy
 May be confused about what is right/wrong
 Have  levels happiness & self-esteem compared to
children who do not have authoritarian parents
Authoritarian Style:
Limits without Freedom.




Parents’ word is law, parents have absolute control.
Misconduct is punished
Affection and praise are rarely give
Parents try to control children's’ behavior and
attitudes
 They value unquestioned obedience
 Children are told what to do, how to do it, and where
to do it, and when to do it.
Outcomes of Authoritarian Style
 Blindly
Obedient
 Distrustful
 Withdrawn
 Unhappy
 Hostile
 Not High
Achievers
 Passive
 Children from
authoritarian homes
are so strictly
controlled that they
are often prevented
from making their
own decisions
Four styles of parenting
(Baumrind, 1973, 1991; Maccoby & Martin, 1983)
 Permissive parents –
Warm but have little
control over their
children.
Warmth: High
Control: Low
2nd Parenting Style:
PERMISSIVE
 Parent:
 Has no firm rules, lenient
 Accepts child as he/she is
 Disciplines through love, praise and affection
 Child can do no wrong
 Communicates and nurtures child
 Acts more like a friend than parent
2nd Parenting Style:
PERMISSIVE
 Effects of Parenting Style on Child:
 Dependent
 Irresponsible / lack self-control
 Immature
 Experiences problems with authority
 Experiences problems in school (i.e. completing
projects)
Permissive Style:
Freedom without limits
 Parents allow their children to do their
own thing.
 Little respect for order and routine.
 Parents make few demands on
children.
 Discipline is lax: rarely punish
 Non controlling, non-demanding
 Usually warm, indulgent
 Children walk all over the parents
Outcome of Permissive Parenting
 Aggressive
 Least self-
reliant
 Least selfcontrolled
 Least
exploratory
 Most unhappy
 Children from
permissive homes
often get used to
having what they
want, but without
guidance; they can
be spoiled, aimless,
anxious, insecure,
rebellious
Four styles of parenting
(Baumrind, 1973, 1991; Maccoby & Martin, 1983)
 Rejecting/neglecting
parents – Don’t set
limits and are
unresponsive to their
children’s needs.
Warmth: Low
Control: Low
3rd Parenting Style:
UNINVOLVED
 Parent:
 Makes few demands
 Low responsiveness to child
 Detached from child, but fulfills his/her basic needs
 In extreme cases parents REJECT or NEGLECT needs of
child
3rd Parenting Style:
UNINVOLVED
 Effects of Parenting Style on Child:
 Feel neglected / abandoned, have  self-esteem
 Lack self-control
Outcomes
 Children raised by rejecting/neglecting parents fare
the worst of all.
 Compared to other children, they show higher rates of
delinquency, alcohol and drug use, and early sexual
activities.
 They perform more poorly in school and show other
disruptions in peer relations and cognitive
development (Park & Buriel, 1998).
Four styles of parenting
(Baumrind, 1973, 1991; Maccoby & Martin, 1983)
 Authoritative
parents – Are warm
and exert firm control.
Warmth: High
Control: High
4th Parenting Style:
DEMOCRATIC or Authoritative
 Parent:
 Responsive
 Supportive of child’s decisions
 Guides and shows by example
 Willing to discuss choices they or their child makes and the
reasoning behind these choices
 Disciplinary methods are nurturing & forgiving ≠ punitive
 Want child to be socially responsible, self-regulated, cooperative
4th Parenting Style:
DEMOCRATIC or Authoritative
 Effects of Parenting Style on Child:
 Good decision makers
 Independent, but seek help when needed
 Happy
 Capable
 Successful
Democratic (Authoritative):
Freedom within limits
 Middle ground
 Parents set reasonable limits and enforce rules
 Willing to listen receptively to child’s requests
interests, and questions.
 Children contribute to discussion of issues and
make some of their own decisions
 Exert firm control when necessary, but explain
reasoning behind it.
 Loving, consistent, demanding
 Combine control with encouragement
Outcomes of Democratic Style
 Happy
 Mostly self-
reliant
 Friendly,
generous
 Cooperative
 High-achiever’
 Less likely to be
disruptive or
delinquent
 Children whose parents
expect them to perform
well, to fulfill
commitments, and to
participate actively in
family duties,
experience the
satisfaction that comes
from meeting
responsibilities and
achieving success.
Parental Control
 Psychological control – Attempts at control that affect a
child’s psychological and emotional development (Barber,
1996). Includes inducting guilt, withdrawing love, or
shaming.
 Behavioral control – “The claims parents make on children
to become integrated into the family whole, by their
maturity demands, supervision, disciplinary efforts and
willingness to confront the child who disobeys" (Baumrind,
1991, pp. 61-62).
(Darling, 1996)
Ways that parents can build a child's self-esteem:
Provide more
successes than
failures for the
child.
Give
unconditional
love.
Eliminate the
negative.
Give them
freedom to fail
with
acceptance.
Do not set
standards
unreasonably
high.
Give lots of
encouragement.
Allow
independence.
Avoid
ridicule.
Ways that parents can build a child's self-esteem:
Be available.
Give your children
responsibility
Take their ideas, emotions
and feelings seriously.
Set Limits
Be a good
role model.
Help your child
develop talents
Allow exploration and
encourage questions.
Discipline: Spare the Rod and Spare the Child?
 Discipline – Techniques used to teach children
appropriate behavior.
 Punishment – Techniques used to eliminate or reduce
undesirable behavior.
 Often overemphasize punishment when disciplining
children.
 84% of American adults state that “it is sometimes
necessary to discipline a child with a good hard spanking”
(Lehman, 1989; Straus, 1994).
Discipline: Spare the Rod and Spare the Child?
In the short run, spanking seems to work; however, in the
long run, spanking is not effective (Holden, 2002)
 Models violent behavior
 Creates fear of parents
 Focuses on what not to do; does not teach what to do.
Discipline: Spare the Rod and Spare the Child?
Children who are spanked are:
 more physically violent and aggressive;
 twice as likely to attack their siblings;
 more likely to steal property, commit assaults, and commit
other delinquent acts; and
 have lower moral standards and lower self-esteem (Straus,
1994; Straus, Sugarman, & Giles-Sims, 1997).
Outcomes are related to frequency, severity of spankings. All
findings are correlational.
Appropriate Discipline
 Remember
 Discipline refers to techniques used to teach children
appropriate behaviors; rather than punish.
 No technique works all the time and right away.
Appropriate Discipline
 Recommendations
 Manage the situation
 Set clear rules and limits
 Praise good behavior
 Use explanation and reasoning
 If you must punish, try removing privileges or using timeouts (a
disciplinary technique that involves removing the child from the
situation and anything that is encouraging the misbehavior to
continue, placing the child in a safe and quiet environment).
Mothers and Fathers: Cooperating through
Thick and Thin?
 Raising children puts a great strain on most marriages.
 Vast majority of couples report a significant decline in
marital satisfaction in the first year after the births of their
first babies.
 Most parents work outside the home.
 When children are born, couples tend to move toward
more traditional gender roles.
 Mothers spent 23 hours per week alone with children,
whereas fathers spent only 2 hours (Russell & Russell,
1987).
Mothers and Fathers: Cooperating through
Thick and Thin?
 Types of time spent with mothers and fathers is
different.
 Fathers’ play tends to be more physical and rough-and-
tumble, while mothers’ play tends to be more toyoriented and verbal (Park, 1996; Russell & Russell, 1987).
 Cultural differences.
Questions
 Which parenting style is the most effective?
 Democratic ✔
 Uninvolved ✗
 Permissive ≈
 Authoritarian ≈
 What if parents do not share the same parenting style?
 Need to have complementary parenting styles

Authoritarian + Permissive