In modern psychology it is a well established notion within the field that effective parenting is crucial in developing healthy psychosocial development amongst children. Psychologists like Freud and Erikson recognized the importance of the parents in the child's emotional, social and psychological development. Much of our adult life sense of adjustment or maladjustment is due to our childhood experiences and our parental relationship or caregivers during our formative years.
Psychologist Diana Baumrind was fascinated by the correlation between parent/s and child and the psychosocial development interplay which exist. Parenting is fraught with pitfalls and grey zones. There is certainly no manual that comes along with the new borne stipulating right or wrong parenting approaches. These are formulated through trial and error. Baumrind sought to establish a theoretical framework identifying and outlining the various types of parenting approaches. She theorized that parenting styles could be placed into three distinct categories. Baumrind conceived that parenting was permissive, authoritarian or authoritative.
Monochrome portrait of American psychologist Diana...
Me And My Parents
Cover of ParentingAuthoritarian parents and Permissive parents lie at opposite ends of the parental divide with the authoritative parenting approach seemingly striking an equilibrium between the two.
Permissive parents approach parenting in a laid back withdrawn manner establishing very few rules or parameters with which to govern the child's behaviour. It is a general consensus that the permissive approach to parenting produces unfavourable results. Parents who display this benign attitude towards a child generally serve as a poor role model. The child is less likely to adopt positive standards of conduct.
Authoritarian parents on the other hand institute a series of convoluted regulations, rigid rules and rely strongly on punishment in order to maintain control. They view them selves as the omnipotent authority and do not appreciate being questioned. The child is not encouraged to exert any autonomy and exploration is not promoted. There...