Examples Of Parenting Styles In Little Miss Sunshine

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The concept of adolescents struggling with their identities is a popular one in the film industry, but the comedy Little Miss Sunshine depicts this experience in an especially realistic and relatable way. Studies have shown that adolescents who have adequate social and family support experience less stress during times of identity crises (Nair). One of the characters in the film, Dwayne, struggles through an identity crisis and he does not overcome it until he receives support from his family. In addition, the dysfunction and conflict within families have shown to play a role in the symptoms of depression, particularly suicidal ideation, that an adolescent experiences (Prinstein). Similarly, Dwayne exhibits symptoms of depression that can be …show more content…

The textbook “Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach,” by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett identifies the various types of parenting styles, and how these styles can affect adolescents. He wrote that, “Authoritarian parents are high in demandingness but low in responsiveness. They require obedience from their children … Also, they show little in the way of love or warmth toward their children … in a way that shows little emotional attachment” (Arnett, 197). Dwayne’s father was a motivational speaker, and he parented much like the way he did his job, which put an immense amount of pressure on his children to be successful. He often described to his family that “There are two kinds of people in this world, winners and losers,” and he did not show much compassion towards Dwayne (Turtletaub). This is why, after Dwayne realizes he is colorblind, he is so distraught over the idea that he won’t amount to being a “winner,” and that he will be stuck like the rest of his family--who his father often suggests are “losers.” During his breakdown, he angrily yells at his family: “I hate you! Divorce? Bankrupt? Suicide? You’re fucking losers! You are losers!” because his father has ingrained this idea in his head that he must be successful in order to be a “winner” in life (Turtletaub). Towards the end of the film, his father has a change of heart and he starts to realize that showing his family compassion is more important than being cold and demanding towards them. Subsequently, Dwayne’s feelings of stress and disappointment begin to dissipate and he is happy to be with his family because his father is no longer putting the pressure on him to be

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