The Psychology of Parenting Styles

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The Psychology of Parenting Styles Would you have come out different if your parents used a different parenting style? If you are considered “cool” now could you have come out a nerd if your parents would have used a different parenting style? “Parenting style is one of the primary determinants of your child’s outcome whether he succeeds, achieves, meets the challenges, flounders, gives up, or runs from or fails in handling life.” (6) The purpose of this paper is to describe the outcomes, processes, labor, and techniques of parenting in a psychological point of view. Parenting styles are defined as the “manner in which parents express their beliefs on how to be a good or bad parent.” (4) Each parenting style has its weaknesses and strengths. All parents incorporate love and limit in their style of parenting. There are four different types of parenting styles: authoritarian, permissive, democratic, and uninvolved parents. The first type of parenting style is called authoritarian. In this parenting style the parents are the boss. They make strict rules and they enforce them. They focus more on restrictions than a loving relationship with their child. They believe it is their job as parents to catch their children being bad and punish them. These parents use external control on their children instead of taking time to tell the kid what they did wrong and why they should not do it again. Something these parents do not realize is that they do not catch their kids being good. Authoritarian parents are firm and unsympathetic. Authoritarian parents love to use discipline. An example can be if Timmy decides he wants to go to a party on Friday. His parents tell him he has to be back by 9:00 pm. He gets angry and decides to come back home at 11:00 pm. When he gets home his parents punish him by beating him with a stick. They do not explain to him why they are hitting him or they do not take the time to ask why he has arrived home late. As a result to this form of discipline the children usually react quickly and do not make an attempt to negotiate with their parents in fear that they will receive more discipline. The outcome of this type of parenting style is that the child usually becomes unfriendly, anxious, distrusted, and withdrawn. Most of them also have a low self-esteem. A positive outcome is that the child becomes academically successful beca... ... middle of paper ... ...d not do it again. All parents want to be good parents. When parents use the parenting style that their parents once used it is usually because they do not know any other parenting style to use. Or they think that since their parent’s parenting style worked on them, then it will work on their children. Making decisions to help mold your child into a good person can be controversial amongst families. The “lowest point in marriage” is when kids in the family reach teenage years. (2) Think twice next time before you discipline your child. Think about which parenting style is best so that they will grow up to become magnificent people. Works Cited: 1. Galdwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Little, Brown & Company. January 2002. 2. Stahl Michael, Phillip. Parenting After Divorce. Psychology, October 2000. 3. Phelan, Thomas. Surviving Your Adolescents Parentmagic, Inc. January 1998. 4. Reichlin, Gail. The Pocket Parent. Workman Publishing Company, Inc. October 2001. 5. http://www.kidsource.com/better.world.press/parenting.html 6.http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%253D150741%2526M%253D50018%2C00.html

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