Authoritarian Parenting Styles Research Paper
Authoritarian Parenting Style: The Negative Effect On Children
Clarice Moyer
Liberty University
COUN 502-D12
May 11, 2011
Abstract
The Authoritarian Parenting Style is one of four parenting styles used to rear children. Authoritarian Parenting style is described by Feldman (2011) as “parents that are controlling, punitive, rigid, cold. Their word is law, and they value strict, unquestioning obedience……; they do not tolerate expressions of disagreement (p.251).” Because children are unable to explore their own feelings, values and opinions, they, grow up with various negative effects. Some of those effects are anxiety, low self-esteem, lack of social skills and bullying other people. The negative effects, that these children …show more content…
inherit, naturally follow them into their adulthood. Feldman (2011) confirms “Children of authoritarian parents tend to be withdrawn…..they are not very friendly….boys are unusually hostile (p. 251).” The parenting style we choose to raise our children is so pivotal because it will shape the traits, personality and mannerisms of our children. As parents, ultimately we want to produce Godly, respectable, successful children that will one day be an asset to society.
Parenting Styles Children reared with an authoritarian parenting style are laden with various negative effects that produce: anxiety, low self-esteem, over-aggression in males, dependence in females, lack of social skills, and becoming a bully. Although for this paper we will be focusing primary on the negative effects of the authoritarian parenting style, it is fitting to discuss the other methods of parenting. There are four types of parenting styles and they are permissive, authoritative, uninvolved and authoritarian. The permissive parenting style is as Feldman (2011) states is a parent that “Provide lax and inconsistent feedback…..they require little from their children, and they don’t see themselves as holding much responsibility for how their children turn out. They place little or no limits or control on their children’s behavior (p. 251).” The permissive parenting style in many respects is comparable to the authoritarian parenting style because, the characteristics of the children are the same for both parenting styles. The children tend to not fare well socially, they are withdrawn. Children raised with this parenting style tend to “lack self control, are moody and are not very friendly ( Feldman.2011.).” In this parenting style, children are not given structure and limits which in turn inhibits them from adjusting to various settings. Children of permissive parents lack boundaries and sometimes infringe on others boundaries. They don’t follow rules outside of the home setting because boundaries are not declared in the home. Some of the children from these household’s sometimes-not all- grow up delinquents defying legal boundaries.
Authoritative is the parenting style proven to give children the best balance of structure and the freedom of the child to explore parameters.
Authoritative parenting style is described by Feldman (2011) as “parents are firm, setting clear and consistent limits…they tend to be strict…they are loving and emotionally supportive. They also try to reason with their children….they encourage their children to be independent (p.251).” Authoritative parents provide structure, strict expectations, however, are loving and supportive of their children. They allow their children to use their reasoning skills by explaining why it is necessary to do certain task or make certain decisions. These parents give their children tools to make great decisions in future transactions of life. Children raised in this environment are “friendly, independent….they have a strong motivation to achieve (Feldman.2011)”. This parenting style takes a guiding approach to our children’s lives. The parents enable them to be independent thinkers therefore they are about to engage their rationalization skills. Based on Feldman (2011) in adolescence there is a transition in the prefrontal cortex where myelination contributes to the adolescences’ ability to reason. Myelination according to Feldman (2011) “is the process in which nerve cell are insulated by a covering of fat cells-increases and continues to make the transmissions of neural messages more efficient (pg, 358).” Adolescence asks more questions …show more content…
because of a new ability they have, not just to be a nuisance. An authoritative parent would encourage these teenagers to be independent thinkers and allow them to safely explore their thoughts. Great thinkers are an asset to our community and ultimately to the world. Uninvolved parents are just that- not involved. They believe their role is to feed and clothe the child without providing support, guidance or input. Uninvolved parents “Display indifferent, rejecting behavior…. They are detached emotionally ….in the most extreme form….results in neglect ( Feldman.2011).” The lack of their parent’s involvement affects their cognitive abilities. “Their parents’ lack of involvement disrupts their emotional development…. Leading them to feel unloved and emotionally detached ( Feldman, 2011). The authoritarian parenting style is the remaining focus of this paper will be to explore this parenting style and to discuss in detail its negative effects. The authoritarian parenting style is the last of the four parenting styles used to rear children. The authoritarian parenting style is described by Feldman (2011) as “parents that are controlling, punitive, rigid, cold. Their word is law, and they value strict, unquestioning obedience……; they do not tolerate expressions of disagreement (p.251).” Because children are unable to explore their own feelings, values and opinions, they, grow up with various negative effects. Some of those effects are anxiety, low self-esteem, lack of social skills and becoming bullies to other people. The negative effects of this upbringing, follows them into their adulthood.
Reasons why the Authoritarian Style is used There are various reasons people decide to raise their children with this parenting style such as economic pressures, depression, single/divorced parents, and mimicking parents’ model.
Economic Pressure Parents sometimes use the authoritarian style due to economic pressure and stress related to not having enough to make ends meet. While this does not excuse this style, it may explain the reason for its use. Due to a lack of money, poor families have an added pressure of how to provide for a family with “not enough”. This lack of money may cause them to work more than one job, with little time for interaction and instruction. From the parent’s point of view, one would say they are working hard to make sure their children eat and have a place to stay; they may have the mindset “just do what I say”. Maybe they have a limited time at the home and just want it quiet so they can take a nap and go to the next job. Due to limited time, they may need the children to respond quickly, in the manner that I state it. Due to the lack of jobs some parents may not be working and are trying to figure out, how to pay the bills and provide a meal for their children. This constant pressure adds stress to the parent and may cause them to lash out at their children instead of dealing with their stress and anger properly.
Depression
Due to parents experiencing depression, they are unable to exude warmth to their children. Depressed mothers are often disengaged with their children, they interact with them, but often they are withdrawn or intrusive to their children. Depending upon the severity of the depression, their behavior’s can be neglectful and borderline abusive to their children. Infant Behavior & Development (2007) did an experiment Getting a toddler to comply with instructions is a common task for mothers, and one that may evoke different parenting styles as early as toddlerhood.
In the present study, depressed adolescent mothers were classified by the “parenting styles” defined by Baumrind (1991) as authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, or disengaged based on their behavior during a structured play/compliance task with their toddlers. Few studies have examined interactions that involve toddlers’ compliance with their mothers. In a prior study from our lab, toddlers were seated on a floor while their depressed mothers were instructed to engage the toddler with various toys and then put the toys in a box (Hart, Field, Del Valle & Pelaez-Nogueras, 1998). In that first study, the behavior ratings showed that the toddlers of depressed mothers were less engaged, and showed less positive and more negative affect than the toddlers of non-depressed mothers… Based on depressed mothers’ parenting styles with older children (Susman, Trickett, Ianotti, Hollenbeck, & Zahn-Waxler, 1985) and data on depressive mothers of infants showing withdrawn and intrusive interaction styles (Field, Hernandez-Reif, & Diego, 2006), the depressed mothers in the present study were expected to show either more disengaged or more authoritarian behavior patterns than non-depressed mothers when interacting with their toddlers in the play/compliance session.
Because these children lack affirmation it is likely that
these children grow up without self-esteem. The children of these parents often experience depression as a child or a teen. Many teenagers that experience severe depression during adolescence result in suicide. A mother, who provides no guidance and a father who does the same still – in the end – provide no help for their children.
Single/Divorced Parents So whether the parent is divorced or just a single parent, raising children there are immense time strain. Feldman (2011) states that “the economic status of the single-parent family plays a role in determining the consequences for children. Single-parent families are often less well-off financially than two-parent families, and living in relative poverty has a negative impact on children (p.335).” Parents may be bitter and feeling somewhat overwhelmed with the pressure, this may cause the parent to be more authoritarian.
If the school does not have uniforms instituted at their school, may not have “up to date” clothes and thus may be teased or outcast by their peers.
If the children are old enough they may be asked to work in order to help out with the financial obligations of the home. This time at work may limit or prohibit school activities or social time with friends which may later cause some repercussions.
Mimicking Parents Parenting Style Parents reared in overprotective/ authoritarian household, must learn how to detach from their dependent tendency. There is a high likeliness that a parent raised in an authoritarian household, will raise their children in like manner. Some of these parents do not see anything wrong with an authoritarian parenting style; they say “it worked for me, so it will work for my children.” People who think in this manner tend to replicate this mode.
Despite the reason of the authoritative parent there is the repercussion that the child will live out. Because of the children enduring such aggression, they tend to lash out at other students. The aggression they experience, they tend to copy. Feldman (2011) states that “girls who are raised by authoritarian parents are especially dependant of their parents, whereas boys are un usually hostile.” K. Fehr (2010) studies states that
“research has determined that parents who are very controlling or very permissive often have children who are more aggressive than their peers later during childhood…Research has shown that aggression is especially prominent during the preschool years as children struggle with the freedom and demands of attending school (Cantor & Nathanson, 1997). Many teachers and parents of children in early elementary years have commented on the controversy surrounding how to best react to aggressive themes...”
Aggression from parents means that the children will exude aggression even in themes of play. It is better for parents to address their aggression in other ways such as exercise, or an activity or some constructive way to get rid of it. If aggression is used to rear a child they will mimic this aggression and more than likely show this aggression to their very own children. Conclusion There should be more research done with children in regards to this field of study. The study should follow the children in adulthood and then report the full implications of an authoritarian parenting style. I would also like to see research done to see the percentage of children that “beat the odds”; so despite authoritarian parents they became successful people and loving parents. If I had the opportunity to counsel one of these youths that grew up in an authoritarian home, I would of course obtain consent, and then establish a relationship with them. I would try to discuss the importance of structure and ask them other ways that things within their life can be restructured. I would allow, through conversation, them to explore their thoughts and evaluate how they express themselves. Depending upon how the authoritarian parenting style has affected them, we would work to reverse that effect. I would explore career options with them and give homework for it. I would lastly explore the type of parent they would want to be. We would do compare and contrast to what they have experienced to what they plan on doing when they are in that situation. I believe the child will be a little apprehensive about exploring their thoughts because this is unfamiliar to them, however time, hopefully they will enjoy the exploration. In everyone one of the negative effects of an authoritarian parents there are some people that defy the odds and are contributing members of society!
Reference Page
Fehr,K. (2010). Pretend Aggression in Play, Aggressive behavior and parenting style
Dehart, T. Pelham, B. T. , & Tennen. H.(2006).What lies beneath: Parenting style and implicit self-esteem. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42, 1-17.
Williams .L. R., Degnan. K.A., Perez-Edgar. K, Henderson. H, Rubin. K., Pine. D., Steinberg. L., & Fox. N. (2009). Impact of Behavioral Inhibition and Parenting Style on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems from Early Childhood through Adolescence. Journal Abnormal Child Psychology,37(8), 1063-1075.
Pelaez. M., Field. T., Pickens. J. N., & Hart. S.(2007) Disengaged and authoritarian parenting behavior of depressed mothers with their toddlers. Infant Behavior & Development,31, 145-148.
Bornstein. L., Bornstein. M. (2007)., Parenting Style and Child Social Development. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development.
Milevsky. A., Schlechter. M., & Machlev. M. (2011), Effects of parenting style and involvement in sibling conflict on adolescent sibling relationships. Journal of Social & Personal Relationship.
Turner. E., Chandler. M., Heffer. R., (2009)., The Influence of Parenting Style, Achievement Motivation, and Self-Efficacy on Academic Performance in College Students. Journal of college Students Development, 50(3).
Timpano, Kiara. R., Keough, Meghan. E., Mahaffey., Brittain; Schmidt, Norman. B., & Abramowitz.(2009). Parenting and Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms; Implication of Authoritative parents. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 24(3).
Shaffer. M., & Clark. S. (2008). The Role of Empathy and Parenting Style in the Development of Antisocial Behaviors. Crime and Delinquency.
Montgomery. C., Moore. J., Craig. L., & Fisk John. (2008). The effects of perceived parenting style on the propensity for illicit drug use; the importance of parent warmth. Drug and Alcohol Review, 27(6).
Feldman.R.S. (2011). Development Across the Life Span. Upper Saddle, NJ:Prentice Hall
Clarice Moyer
Liberty University
COUN 502-D12
May 11, 2011
Abstract
The Authoritarian Parenting Style is one of four parenting styles used to rear children. Authoritarian Parenting style is described by Feldman (2011) as “parents that are controlling, punitive, rigid, cold. Their word is law, and they value strict, unquestioning obedience……; they do not tolerate expressions of disagreement (p.251).” Because children are unable to explore their own feelings, values and opinions, they, grow up with various negative effects. Some of those effects are anxiety, low self-esteem, lack of social skills and bullying other people. The negative effects, that these children …show more content…
inherit, naturally follow them into their adulthood. Feldman (2011) confirms “Children of authoritarian parents tend to be withdrawn…..they are not very friendly….boys are unusually hostile (p. 251).” The parenting style we choose to raise our children is so pivotal because it will shape the traits, personality and mannerisms of our children. As parents, ultimately we want to produce Godly, respectable, successful children that will one day be an asset to society.
Parenting Styles Children reared with an authoritarian parenting style are laden with various negative effects that produce: anxiety, low self-esteem, over-aggression in males, dependence in females, lack of social skills, and becoming a bully. Although for this paper we will be focusing primary on the negative effects of the authoritarian parenting style, it is fitting to discuss the other methods of parenting. There are four types of parenting styles and they are permissive, authoritative, uninvolved and authoritarian. The permissive parenting style is as Feldman (2011) states is a parent that “Provide lax and inconsistent feedback…..they require little from their children, and they don’t see themselves as holding much responsibility for how their children turn out. They place little or no limits or control on their children’s behavior (p. 251).” The permissive parenting style in many respects is comparable to the authoritarian parenting style because, the characteristics of the children are the same for both parenting styles. The children tend to not fare well socially, they are withdrawn. Children raised with this parenting style tend to “lack self control, are moody and are not very friendly ( Feldman.2011.).” In this parenting style, children are not given structure and limits which in turn inhibits them from adjusting to various settings. Children of permissive parents lack boundaries and sometimes infringe on others boundaries. They don’t follow rules outside of the home setting because boundaries are not declared in the home. Some of the children from these household’s sometimes-not all- grow up delinquents defying legal boundaries.
Authoritative is the parenting style proven to give children the best balance of structure and the freedom of the child to explore parameters.
Authoritative parenting style is described by Feldman (2011) as “parents are firm, setting clear and consistent limits…they tend to be strict…they are loving and emotionally supportive. They also try to reason with their children….they encourage their children to be independent (p.251).” Authoritative parents provide structure, strict expectations, however, are loving and supportive of their children. They allow their children to use their reasoning skills by explaining why it is necessary to do certain task or make certain decisions. These parents give their children tools to make great decisions in future transactions of life. Children raised in this environment are “friendly, independent….they have a strong motivation to achieve (Feldman.2011)”. This parenting style takes a guiding approach to our children’s lives. The parents enable them to be independent thinkers therefore they are about to engage their rationalization skills. Based on Feldman (2011) in adolescence there is a transition in the prefrontal cortex where myelination contributes to the adolescences’ ability to reason. Myelination according to Feldman (2011) “is the process in which nerve cell are insulated by a covering of fat cells-increases and continues to make the transmissions of neural messages more efficient (pg, 358).” Adolescence asks more questions …show more content…
because of a new ability they have, not just to be a nuisance. An authoritative parent would encourage these teenagers to be independent thinkers and allow them to safely explore their thoughts. Great thinkers are an asset to our community and ultimately to the world. Uninvolved parents are just that- not involved. They believe their role is to feed and clothe the child without providing support, guidance or input. Uninvolved parents “Display indifferent, rejecting behavior…. They are detached emotionally ….in the most extreme form….results in neglect ( Feldman.2011).” The lack of their parent’s involvement affects their cognitive abilities. “Their parents’ lack of involvement disrupts their emotional development…. Leading them to feel unloved and emotionally detached ( Feldman, 2011). The authoritarian parenting style is the remaining focus of this paper will be to explore this parenting style and to discuss in detail its negative effects. The authoritarian parenting style is the last of the four parenting styles used to rear children. The authoritarian parenting style is described by Feldman (2011) as “parents that are controlling, punitive, rigid, cold. Their word is law, and they value strict, unquestioning obedience……; they do not tolerate expressions of disagreement (p.251).” Because children are unable to explore their own feelings, values and opinions, they, grow up with various negative effects. Some of those effects are anxiety, low self-esteem, lack of social skills and becoming bullies to other people. The negative effects of this upbringing, follows them into their adulthood.
Reasons why the Authoritarian Style is used There are various reasons people decide to raise their children with this parenting style such as economic pressures, depression, single/divorced parents, and mimicking parents’ model.
Economic Pressure Parents sometimes use the authoritarian style due to economic pressure and stress related to not having enough to make ends meet. While this does not excuse this style, it may explain the reason for its use. Due to a lack of money, poor families have an added pressure of how to provide for a family with “not enough”. This lack of money may cause them to work more than one job, with little time for interaction and instruction. From the parent’s point of view, one would say they are working hard to make sure their children eat and have a place to stay; they may have the mindset “just do what I say”. Maybe they have a limited time at the home and just want it quiet so they can take a nap and go to the next job. Due to limited time, they may need the children to respond quickly, in the manner that I state it. Due to the lack of jobs some parents may not be working and are trying to figure out, how to pay the bills and provide a meal for their children. This constant pressure adds stress to the parent and may cause them to lash out at their children instead of dealing with their stress and anger properly.
Depression
Due to parents experiencing depression, they are unable to exude warmth to their children. Depressed mothers are often disengaged with their children, they interact with them, but often they are withdrawn or intrusive to their children. Depending upon the severity of the depression, their behavior’s can be neglectful and borderline abusive to their children. Infant Behavior & Development (2007) did an experiment Getting a toddler to comply with instructions is a common task for mothers, and one that may evoke different parenting styles as early as toddlerhood.
In the present study, depressed adolescent mothers were classified by the “parenting styles” defined by Baumrind (1991) as authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, or disengaged based on their behavior during a structured play/compliance task with their toddlers. Few studies have examined interactions that involve toddlers’ compliance with their mothers. In a prior study from our lab, toddlers were seated on a floor while their depressed mothers were instructed to engage the toddler with various toys and then put the toys in a box (Hart, Field, Del Valle & Pelaez-Nogueras, 1998). In that first study, the behavior ratings showed that the toddlers of depressed mothers were less engaged, and showed less positive and more negative affect than the toddlers of non-depressed mothers… Based on depressed mothers’ parenting styles with older children (Susman, Trickett, Ianotti, Hollenbeck, & Zahn-Waxler, 1985) and data on depressive mothers of infants showing withdrawn and intrusive interaction styles (Field, Hernandez-Reif, & Diego, 2006), the depressed mothers in the present study were expected to show either more disengaged or more authoritarian behavior patterns than non-depressed mothers when interacting with their toddlers in the play/compliance session.
Because these children lack affirmation it is likely that
these children grow up without self-esteem. The children of these parents often experience depression as a child or a teen. Many teenagers that experience severe depression during adolescence result in suicide. A mother, who provides no guidance and a father who does the same still – in the end – provide no help for their children.
Single/Divorced Parents So whether the parent is divorced or just a single parent, raising children there are immense time strain. Feldman (2011) states that “the economic status of the single-parent family plays a role in determining the consequences for children. Single-parent families are often less well-off financially than two-parent families, and living in relative poverty has a negative impact on children (p.335).” Parents may be bitter and feeling somewhat overwhelmed with the pressure, this may cause the parent to be more authoritarian.
If the school does not have uniforms instituted at their school, may not have “up to date” clothes and thus may be teased or outcast by their peers.
If the children are old enough they may be asked to work in order to help out with the financial obligations of the home. This time at work may limit or prohibit school activities or social time with friends which may later cause some repercussions.
Mimicking Parents Parenting Style Parents reared in overprotective/ authoritarian household, must learn how to detach from their dependent tendency. There is a high likeliness that a parent raised in an authoritarian household, will raise their children in like manner. Some of these parents do not see anything wrong with an authoritarian parenting style; they say “it worked for me, so it will work for my children.” People who think in this manner tend to replicate this mode.
Despite the reason of the authoritative parent there is the repercussion that the child will live out. Because of the children enduring such aggression, they tend to lash out at other students. The aggression they experience, they tend to copy. Feldman (2011) states that “girls who are raised by authoritarian parents are especially dependant of their parents, whereas boys are un usually hostile.” K. Fehr (2010) studies states that
“research has determined that parents who are very controlling or very permissive often have children who are more aggressive than their peers later during childhood…Research has shown that aggression is especially prominent during the preschool years as children struggle with the freedom and demands of attending school (Cantor & Nathanson, 1997). Many teachers and parents of children in early elementary years have commented on the controversy surrounding how to best react to aggressive themes...”
Aggression from parents means that the children will exude aggression even in themes of play. It is better for parents to address their aggression in other ways such as exercise, or an activity or some constructive way to get rid of it. If aggression is used to rear a child they will mimic this aggression and more than likely show this aggression to their very own children. Conclusion There should be more research done with children in regards to this field of study. The study should follow the children in adulthood and then report the full implications of an authoritarian parenting style. I would also like to see research done to see the percentage of children that “beat the odds”; so despite authoritarian parents they became successful people and loving parents. If I had the opportunity to counsel one of these youths that grew up in an authoritarian home, I would of course obtain consent, and then establish a relationship with them. I would try to discuss the importance of structure and ask them other ways that things within their life can be restructured. I would allow, through conversation, them to explore their thoughts and evaluate how they express themselves. Depending upon how the authoritarian parenting style has affected them, we would work to reverse that effect. I would explore career options with them and give homework for it. I would lastly explore the type of parent they would want to be. We would do compare and contrast to what they have experienced to what they plan on doing when they are in that situation. I believe the child will be a little apprehensive about exploring their thoughts because this is unfamiliar to them, however time, hopefully they will enjoy the exploration. In everyone one of the negative effects of an authoritarian parents there are some people that defy the odds and are contributing members of society!
Reference Page
Fehr,K. (2010). Pretend Aggression in Play, Aggressive behavior and parenting style
Dehart, T. Pelham, B. T. , & Tennen. H.(2006).What lies beneath: Parenting style and implicit self-esteem. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42, 1-17.
Williams .L. R., Degnan. K.A., Perez-Edgar. K, Henderson. H, Rubin. K., Pine. D., Steinberg. L., & Fox. N. (2009). Impact of Behavioral Inhibition and Parenting Style on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems from Early Childhood through Adolescence. Journal Abnormal Child Psychology,37(8), 1063-1075.
Pelaez. M., Field. T., Pickens. J. N., & Hart. S.(2007) Disengaged and authoritarian parenting behavior of depressed mothers with their toddlers. Infant Behavior & Development,31, 145-148.
Bornstein. L., Bornstein. M. (2007)., Parenting Style and Child Social Development. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development.
Milevsky. A., Schlechter. M., & Machlev. M. (2011), Effects of parenting style and involvement in sibling conflict on adolescent sibling relationships. Journal of Social & Personal Relationship.
Turner. E., Chandler. M., Heffer. R., (2009)., The Influence of Parenting Style, Achievement Motivation, and Self-Efficacy on Academic Performance in College Students. Journal of college Students Development, 50(3).
Timpano, Kiara. R., Keough, Meghan. E., Mahaffey., Brittain; Schmidt, Norman. B., & Abramowitz.(2009). Parenting and Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms; Implication of Authoritative parents. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 24(3).
Shaffer. M., & Clark. S. (2008). The Role of Empathy and Parenting Style in the Development of Antisocial Behaviors. Crime and Delinquency.
Montgomery. C., Moore. J., Craig. L., & Fisk John. (2008). The effects of perceived parenting style on the propensity for illicit drug use; the importance of parent warmth. Drug and Alcohol Review, 27(6).
Feldman.R.S. (2011). Development Across the Life Span. Upper Saddle, NJ:Prentice Hall