Running head: PARENTING STYLES

How Parenting Styles Effects the Child

Samantha Starkey
University of Memphis

PARENTING STYLES
Have you ever been around someone who parents their child and thought that is a good
idea or why would you ever do that? Each family parents their child in a different way. You learn
to parent from the way you were raised or maybe from reading book. There are four different
types of parenting. Those four different types of parenting include authoritative, authoritarian,
permissive, and neglectful. There are two major factor determining what style a parent parents
their child with. These two factors include responsiveness and demandingness. Responsiveness
includes communication between the child and parent, how well the parent listens, and even
includes how well the parent supports the child. Demandingness is how much the parent pushes
the child to excel, follow the rules, and sets the child up for certain expectations to be met. Both
of these two factors can be taken into account. For example, authoritative parents show both high
demandingness and high responsiveness. On the other hand, the authoritarian parenting style
demonstrates high demandingness but low responsiveness. Permissive parents are opposite. They
display low demandingness and high responsiveness. Neglectful parents show both low
demandingness and low responsiveness. Each child is effected with which parenting style they
are parented with, whether it be positive or negative.
As said before, the first parenting style is authoritative which displays high
demandingness and high responsiveness. This is the most ideal parenting style, because the child
always almost benefits positively from the parenting style. In other words, the parents demands a
lot from their child and also shows a high level of support. According to Winsor, Murrell,
Magun- Jackson (2015), The authoritative parent uses verbal reasoning with the child, focuses
on mutual respect, and values both autonomous self-will and disciplined conformity (p.9). The
parent that demonstrates this parenting style pushes the child and is firm with their parenting.
They encourage the child to ask questions and to speak their mind. With this being said, the child

PARENTING STYLES
is more prone to express themselves and to stand up for what they think is to be true and believe
in. The child is effected in a positive way with this certain parenting style. The adolescent is
expected to do well in school, because of the high demandingness and good verbal skills.
According to Steinberg, Elmen, and Mounts (1989), Although there were minor variations from
the general trend, the analyses indicated that in virtually each ethnic, socioecomic, and family
structure group, students whose parents were less permissive, less authoritarian, and more
authoritative performed better in school than their peers. They are to advance higher than most
students. The child always remembers the constant encouragement and support to go above and
beyond, and this sets the child to excel in life.
Secondly, the authoritarian parenting style is similar to the authoritative parenting style.
Similarly, both authoritarian and authoritative parents both have high demandingness. On the
contrast, authoritarian parents display low responsiveness. Meaning, the parent that demonstrates
the authoritarian parenting style, demands for the child to excel in life, but does not show the
support to do so. According to Winsor, Murrell, Magun- Jackson (2015), The authoritarian
parent uses expressive language, values obedience and traditional values, and relies on corporal
punishment and set a standard of conduct to discipline the child (p.9-10). The authoritarian
parenting style has been known to be associated with the parent being in the center instead of the
child. It is more selfish approach to parenting, and the parent tends to think more of themselves
than the child and how he or she is affected. In correlation with this, the child may suffer
confidence issues. According to Dornbusch, Ritter, Leiderman, Roberts and Fraleigh (1987),
Baurmrinds study of preschool children found that such a mode of family interaction was
associated with low levels of independence and social responsibility (p.1245). This certain
parenting style has more of a negative effect on the child. It is understood that generally the child

PARENTING STYLES
may not do as well in school. Also, according to Winsor, Murrell, Magun- Jackson (2015),
Because of the lack of verbal abilities and confidence in challenging the status quo, children
from authoritarian households are likely to reach the higher stages of cognitive and moral
development (p.10). All in all, it is evident through research that authoritarian parenting style
can affect the child more negatively than positively.
Next, the parenting style that displays high responsiveness but low demandingness is
called the permissive parenting style. This is the kind of parent that most kids want while
growing up, because instead of acting like a parent they act more like a friend. One good thing
about permissive parenting is that the child can tell the parent more, because the child is not
scared of getting into trouble. The parent does less of disciplining the child. The parent is there
for support but lacks in the aspect of guidance and demanding to do well. Children who have
permissive parents have a lot of freedom and basically can do whatever they want. This does
give them a lot of self-confidence. This kind of parenting style can lead the child into trouble
such as the use of alcohol and substance abuse, because the child has no direction or parental
guidance. Permissive parents and children doing poorly in school go hand in hand. In other
words, the permissive parent has many negative effects on the child, but not always is it seen that
way. Some children may just be used to this kind of relationship, and as they grow older they
always see their parent as a friend.
The last parenting style if you can even call it parenting is the neglectful parent. The
neglectful parent has both low demandingness and low responsiveness. The neglectful parent
does not show any kind of discipline, encouragement, or support in the childs life. With
permissive parenting, the child suffers from issues of getting attention. Since these adolescents
are not receiving any attention from their parents or at home, they will almost do anything to get

PARENTING STYLES
attention. This is where teenagers will begin to party, drink alcohol, do drugs, have sex, or do
anything to get attention and fill that hole. These children will act up in school and their grades
will be poor. According to Maepa, Idemudia, and Ofondeu (2015), The gentle guidance and
unobtrusive supervision offered by a sensitive primary caregiver helps to create the conditions
for the childs subsequent ways to deal with a potentially dangerous environment; whereas,
consistent rejection by a primary caregiver disrupts this dynamic and results in the child
experiencing insecurity about how best to maintain proximity to the caregiver (p.555).
Ultimately, a child needs for a parent to show love, guidance, direction, and support. If not, the
child can suffer immensely in many aspect of life.
In conclusion, it is very evident through much research that parenting styles do indeed
effect the child or adolescent. There may be some instances in bad households or bad parenting
that the child might be able to still excel through life and be successful. It is not always the case
that this trend follows. Some children may even see how their parent acts and grow up knowing
that they will parent their child so much better. Baumrinds theory on parenting styles does
conclude that a household that has no consistent upbringing could result in an unstable
household. This is where a lot of crime and bad schooling also correlates with an unstable
household. Also, parenting style plays a huge role in education. If a child is raised in a household
where the parent demonstrates permissive parenting style, then the teacher is most likely to teach
in that way. When teaching, it is always advised for the teacher to always consider the way a
child may be brought up at home. Some children may not be getting enough attention, thus will
cause trouble in the classroom. Likewise, a child may not be getting sufficient support and
encouragement to always do well in school and teach the importance of it. The teacher is such a
great and big influence beside the parent, and the teacher can provide support for that child. This

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is one example that shows that children can be influenced by others besides just their parents.
Taking everything into account, parenting styles have such an immense outcome on the rest of
the child or adolescents life.

PARENTING STYLES
References
Dornbusch, S., Ritter, P., Leiderman, P., Roberts, D., & Fraleigh, M. (1987). The relation of
parenting style to adolescent school performance. Child Development,
58(5), 1244-1257.
Mapea, M. P., Idemudia, E. S., & Ofonedu, M. E. (2015). The relationship between
parenting styles and childhood trauma: A study of street children in Limpopo
Province, South Africa. African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation &
Dance, 21(2), 552-565.
Winsor, D., Murrell, V.S., & Magun-Jackson, S. (2015). Lifespan development an education
psychology perspective. 9-11.