According to psychology, parenting style is the outlook that parents have towards guiding, controlling, and socializing their children. It includes the attitude that parents adopt with their children and the resulting emotional environment between the parent and the child.
The balance that parents strike between the support they extend to their children, and the control they exert over the children, also forms a part of the parenting style.
Your parenting style and the way you interact with your child can affect their growth and development and have a lifelong influence on them.
Psychology experts have identified four types of parenting styles, each with a distinguishing set of characteristics. Each of these parenting styles is also known to have distinct effects on the children it is applied to.
1. Authoritative Parenting Style
Authoritative parenting is considered the most balanced parenting style. Authoritative parents have rules and consequences for their children but they try to strike a balance between being firm and supportive. They take their children's opinions and feelings into consideration.
These parents discuss rules and expectations as a family and do not force the rules on the kids. However, they stay firmly in charge and hold the kids accountable for not doing what was expected of them. They also invest time and effort into anticipating and preventing behavioral problems.
This table provides a list of the defining parental and child characteristics in this parenting style.
2. Authoritarian (or Disciplinarian) Parenting Style
Authoritarian and authoritative parenting styles may sound similar. However, they are different in their approach. Authoritarian parenting style focuses on obedience and is characterised by high levels of parental control.
Authoritarian parents believe that kids should follow the rules without any exception and enforce the consequences without any regard for the child's opinion or feelings. Often, they use punishment to control their kids.
Lets see the distinguishing parental and child characteristics for this parenting style.
3. Permissive (or Indulgent) Parenting Style
This parenting style is recognized for having very few rules and boundaries and a reluctance to enforce rules. These parents like to take on a friend’s role and do not like to disappoint their children.
Permissive parents are lenient and forgiving. They will seem approachable to their child but do not put much effort into enforcing consequences or discouraging bad behavior.
A list of the parental and child characteristics for this parenting style is included in this table.
4. Neglectful (or Uninvolved) Parenting Style
This parenting style is marked by indifference to a child’s needs and no involvement in their lives. These parents may not know about child development or may be overwhelmed with other issues. They do not provide nurturing or guidance to their children and expect them to raise themselves.
The neglect from uninvolved parents may not always be intentional. They could be battling mental health or substance abuse issues or could have faced neglect when they were kids.
Let us have a look at the parental and child characteristics of this parenting style.
The situations and capabilities of parents across the world are widely different from each other. It is also not necessary that your parenting style will fall into one neat bracket all the time. However, psychologists and psychiatrists agree that the authoritative parenting style is the best parenting style.
You can also consider seeking help from a psychologist to discuss and improve your parenting style.
Disclaimer: This article is written by the Practitioner for informational and educational purposes only. The content presented on this page should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. Please "DO NOT SELF-MEDICATE" and seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns. Practo will not be responsible for any act or omission arising from the interpretation of the content present on this page.