Parenting Styles & Developmental Tasks

Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Aims of Lecture Outline

  • Outline the stages of a Rite of Passage.
  • Define Rites of Passage.
  • Outline the developmental tasks of adolescence and young adulthood.
  • Explore how children may respond to the different parenting patterns.
  • Outline the dimensions of parenting.
  • Outline the different types of parenting patterns.

Different Styles of Parenting (LO 4)

  • Diana Baumrind’s classification of parenting styles (1967, 1971):
    • Based on methods of discipline and interaction.
Authoritarian Parenting

  • Characteristics:

    • Power-assertion method of discipline.
    • Parent’s word is law: children must obey without question.
    • Minimal communication; no explanations given for rules.
    • Use of physical punishment is common.

  • Positive effects:

    • Children may exhibit obedience and quietness.

  • Negative effects:

    • Can result in low self-esteem, misery, depression, and withdrawal.
    • Internalization of frustrations leading to self-blame when things go wrong.
    • Potential for rebellion during adolescence.
Permissive Parenting/Indulgent Parenting

  • Characteristics:

    • Parents allow the child to have their own way, with few controls.
    • Discipline is lax; parents are nurturing and accepting.

  • Positive consequences:

    • Fosters self-confidence, independence, initiative, and spontaneity.

  • Negative consequences:

    • Some children may become aggressive, unhappy, and immature with inadequate emotional regulation.
    • Issues with disobedience and lack of self-control.
Authoritative Parenting

  • Characteristics:

    • Parents set firm limits while believing in the importance of rules.
    • Parents explain the reasoning behind rules.
    • They listen to reasonable demands from the child.

  • Positive consequences:

    • Children tend to be compliant, well-behaved, with a highly developed sense of right and wrong.
    • High levels of self-esteem leading to success and happiness.
Neglectful/Uninvolved Parenting
  • Characteristics:
    • Parents are often unaware of their children's activities and indifferent toward them.
    • Children may exhibit immaturity, sadness, and loneliness, and be at risk of abuse.

Problems with Baumrind’s Parenting Styles

  • Baumrind’s research had limitations due to:
    • Homogeneity in socio-economic status (SES), ethnicity, and culture among participants.
    • Some authoritarian parents may be affectionate, which was not accounted for.
    • The child's contribution to parent-child relationships was overlooked.

Research Findings on Cultural Differences

  • Cherry (2012, cited in Amos, 2013) highlights that parenting styles differ based on several factors:

    • Culture
    • Personality
    • Parental background
    • Educational level
    • Socio-economic status
    • Family size
    • Religion

  • O’Neil (2006, cited in Amos, 2013) emphasizes universal human cultural traits and how they influence parenting.

  • In South Africa, research focusing on parenting is limited, particularly regarding parenting styles and behaviors that affect child outcomes (Kritzaz & Grobler, 2007; Latouf, 2008; Makwakwa, 2011, cited by Roman, Makwakwa, and Lacante, 2016).

Corporal Punishment in South Africa

  • On September 18, 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled:

    • The common law defense of "reasonable and moderate chastisement" was unconstitutional, banning all corporal punishment of children.

  • Court examined Article 12(1)(c) of the 1996 Constitution, which guarantees the right to be free from all forms of violence, referencing:

    • Definition of violence as behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill.

  • Found that corporal punishment always aims to cause discomfort or fear, classifying moderate chastisement as legally excusable assault.

Developmental Tasks: Adolescence (LO 7)

  1. Establishment of identity
  2. Developing the capacity for intimacy and commitment
  3. Defining basic values and moral standards
  4. Choosing and preparing for an occupation
  5. Becoming independent psychologically and economically
  6. Adjusting to the adult world
  7. Defining long-term life goals

Definition of Youth (Not Examinable)

  • Youth is seen as a preparatory period for adult responsibilities and roles, focusing on:

    • Occupation
    • Marriage
    • Parenthood
    • Identity formation and values

  • Typically spans ages 18 to 22 years (Gerdes, pg. 276).

Developmental Tasks of Early Adulthood (LO 7)

Tasks Relating to the Self
  • Achieving Independence/Responsibility
  • Establishing and Stabilizing Identity
  • Defining Values
Tasks Relating to the Family
  • Selecting a partner
  • Learning to live with a spouse
  • Becoming a parent and rearing children
  • Establishing and managing a home
Tasks Relating to Work and Leisure
  • Becoming established in an occupation

Rites of Passage (LO 7)

  • Ceremonies or rituals marking the transition from one status to another, particularly into adulthood.
Types of Rites of Passage
  1. Rites of Separation: Transition from the original status.
  2. Rites of the Threshold: Experience of the process of passage.
  3. Rites of Incorporation: Marks the end of the ritual.

Examples of Rites of Passage

  • South African Example: Xhosa Initiation ceremony.
  • References to related materials and video links for visual explanations (e.g., National Geographic).

References

  • Prescribed text: Berger (2005, 2011, 2018). The Developing Person: Through the Life Span (8th Ed./10th Edition) New York: Worth Publishers.
  • Additional literature on developmental tasks and rites of passage.
  • Speaker: Lisa de Paulo