Identifying The 4 Parenting Styles
Author: Deanna Mascle

Do you know what kind of parent you are? This is an important
question to answer because as a parent your end goal is to
raise a happy, healthy, successful child and to reach that goal
you need to be the best parent you can be.

The four main parenting styles are determined by the level of
warmth and control that parents exert over their child. These
two key factors then create four categories of parenting
styles: indulgent, authoritarian, authoritative, and
uninvolved. Each of these parenting styles reflects different
natural patterns of parental values, practices, and behaviors
and a distinct balance of response and demand.

* Indulgent parents are more responsive than they are
demanding. Nontraditional and lenient, they do not require
mature behavior, allow much self-regulation, and avoid
confrontation. Indulgent parents may be further divided into
two types: democratic parents, who, though lenient, are more
conscientious, engaged, and committed to the child, and
nondirective or permissive parents.

* Authoritarian parents are highly demanding and directive, but
not responsive. They do not explain orders but expect total
obedience. These parents provide well-ordered and structured
environments with clearly stated rules. Authoritarian parents
can be divided into two types: those who are not intrusive or
autocratic in their use of power and those who are highly
intrusive.

* Authoritative parents are both demanding and responsive. They
set clear standards for their child's conduct, but their
disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They
are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive as they want
their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible,
cooperative, and self-regulated.

* Uninvolved parents are low in both response and demand. In
extreme cases, this parenting style might encompass both
rejection and neglect.

Parenting styles not only differ in terms of response and
demand but also the extent of psychological control they extend
over their child. Psychological control is the attempt to
intrude into the psychological and emotional development of the
child through use of parenting practices such as guilt, shame,
and withdrawal of love. One key difference between
authoritarian and authoritative parenting is in the dimension
of psychological control. Both authoritarian and authoritative
parents place high demands on their children and expect their
children to behave appropriately and obey parental rules.
Authoritarian parents, however, also expect their children to
accept their judgments, values, and goals without question. In
contrast, authoritative parents are more open to give and take
with their children and offer more explanation. Therefore,
although authoritative and authoritarian parents are both high
in behavioral control, authoritative parents tend to be low in
psychological control, while authoritarian parents tend to be
high.

Learning more about your own parenting style can help you
become a more effective parent and raise a more successful
child.


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