How we parent our children has a huge impact on our kids? lives. Each parent has their own parenting style, and parenting style will impact how their child will develop emotionally and psychologically. As parents, the main goals are typically to ensure child?s safety, prepare children for life as productive adults, and to transmit cultural values. When we talk about parenting styles, these measure the warmth and control given.
The four main parenting styles are authoritarian, permissive, uninvolved, and authoritative. These parenting styles all have different balances of warmth and control which will significantly impact their child?s lives. An authoritarian style means the parent shows low levels of warmth, with high levels of control, where a permissive style tends to show high levels of warmth with low levels of control. With the uninvolved style the parent will show low levels of both warmth and control. Lastly, the authoritative style shows equal levels of warmth and control, which is believed to be the most beneficial for a child?s development.
Each of these mixtures of warmth and control have different effects on the psychological and emotional health of a child as far into their life as adolescence and adulthood. For example, If a child has a parent who shows low levels of both control and warmth, they are more likely to show signs of depression and hostility as a result of not receiving the nurturance or guidance a child requires. If a child receives a large amount of warmth from their parents, but too little guidance and boundaries, they may be more likely to have behavioral problems or issues following structure. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if a child receives too much control from their parents and that control is not followed by enough affection, anxiety may develop in children as well as an inability to make decisions or be dependent in adulthood. If a child is given enough warmth and control, they are usually shown to have high levels of moral reasoning, and exhibit prosocial behavior.
Psychology in Action has much more interesting information about the different parenting styles and their effects on children. To learn more visit:
https://www.psychologyinaction.org/psychology-in-action-1/2018/4/23/k17ziyfqt1vy9tlytr9l9k48epdnur
