INFLUENCES ON PARENTING DEVELOPMENT

  

HOW DO PARENTS INFLUENCE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT?

DIMENSIONS OF CHILD REARING

  • Dimensions of child-rearing approaches in Western cultures include:
      1. Acceptance, warmth, and involvement
      2. Parental control
         - Range from restrictiveness to permissiveness

MEASUREMENT OF RESPONSIVENESS AND CONTROL

  • Responsiveness defined as warmth and acceptance towards child.

  • Control defined as the degree of restrictiveness imposed by parents.

Responsiveness vs. Control Matrix

  • High Responsiveness, Low Control: Warm, supportive parents

  • Low Responsiveness, Low Control: Detached, uninvolved parents

  • High Responsiveness, High Control: Authoritative parents, clear standards and guidance

  • Low Responsiveness, High Control: Authoritarian, rigid rules

1. ACCEPTANCE, WARMTH, AND PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT (RESPONSIVENESS/WARMTH)

  

Characteristics of Warm Parents:

  - Affectionate, caring, and supportive towards children.
  - Less likely to use physical discipline compared to cold parents.

Characteristics of Cold Parents:

  - Show few feelings of affection towards children.
  - Complain that children are naughty or have a mind of their own.

2. PARENTAL CONTROL (RESTRICTIVENESS-PERMISSIVENESS)

  • Defines how parents impose rules and level of control.

Characteristics of Restrictive Parents:

  • Impose many rules and firmly enforce them.

Characteristics of Permissive Parents:

  • Impose few or no rules and do not supervise children closely.

PARENTING STYLES

  • Psychologist Diana Baumrind explored the relationship between parenting styles and children’s behaviors using warmth-coldness and restrictiveness-permissiveness dimensions.

Four Parenting Styles Proposed by Baumrind:

  1. Authoritarian

  2. Authoritative

  3. Permissive

  4. Rejecting-Neglecting (Uninvolved)
       - Foundational studies conducted in 1966 and 1967.

Detailed Analysis of Parenting Styles

  • Authoritative
      - High warmth, high restrictiveness
      - Encourages independence and fosters high self-esteem and social competence.

  • Authoritarian
      - Low warmth, high restrictiveness
      - Focus on strict obedience, often utilizing punishment over discipline.

  • Permissive
      - High warmth, low restrictiveness
      - Few rules; children are often less competent academically but socially competent and confident.

  • Rejecting-Neglecting (Uninvolved)
      - Low warmth and low restrictiveness
      - Children are the least competent academically and most deviant.

Baumrind's Patterns of Parenting

  • Parental Behaviour Patterns and Styles:

Parental Style

Restrictiveness and Control

Warmth and Responsiveness

Authoritative

High

High

Authoritarian

High

Low

Permissive-Indulgent

Low

High

Rejecting-Neglecting

Low

Low

IMPACT OF PARENTING STYLES

  • Authoritarian Parenting:
      - Characteristics: Low warmth and high restrictiveness.
      - Effects on children: Lower self-reliance, lower self-esteem, less social competence compared to authoritative peers.

  • Authoritative Parenting:
      - Characteristics: High warmth and high restrictiveness.
      - Effects on children: More independent, high self-esteem, socially competent.

  • Permissive-Indulgent Parenting:
      - Characteristics: High warmth and low restrictiveness.
      - Effects on children: Less academically competent, higher social competence, and self-confidence.

  • Rejecting-Neglecting Parenting:
      - Characteristics: Low warmth and low restrictiveness.
      - Effects on children: Least academically competent, most deviant behaviors.

DIMENSIONS OF CHILD REARING IN THE CONTEXT OF CULTURE

  • Child-rearing practices are heavily influenced by cultural practices.

  • Culture significantly shapes the methods of parenting and the types of parenting styles utilized.

  • It is imperative that parenting styles are examined within cultural contexts to understand their implications fully.

PARENTING IN INDIVIDUALISTIC CULTURES

  • Characteristics:
      - More rules are established.
      - Parents listen to children’s opinions.
      - Utilize external punishment approaches.

PARENTING IN COLLECTIVIST CULTURES

  • Characteristics:
      - Fewer demands on children.
      - More indulgent parenting style.
      - Verbal commands and explanations used as discipline measures.

TECHNIQUES PARENTS USE TO RESTRICT CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR

  1. Inductive Techniques:
       - Involves reasoning and explaining consequences.

  2. Power Assertive Techniques:
       - Includes physical punishment, denial of privileges.

  3. Withdrawal of Love:
       - Use of threats and isolation towards the child.

REFERENCES

  • Baumrind, D. (1966). Effects of Authoritative Parental Control on Child Behavior, Child Development, 37(4), 887-907.

  • Baumrind, D. (1967). Child care practices anteceding three patterns of preschool behavior. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 75(1), 43-88.