Parenting Styles (Essay Sample)

Parenting Styles
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Parenting Styles
There are four types of parenting styles: authoritative, authoritarian, neglectful and indulgent. Authoritative parenting fosters independence in children while still limiting and controlling their actions (Santrock, 2009). Children with authoritative parents often become self-controlled, cheerful, achievement-oriented and independent. Authoritarian parenting, on the other hand, produces children who are mostly fearful and depressed. This is because their parents enforce rules rigidly and give no room for verbal exchange. Lack of verbal communication hinders the children’s vocal competence.
Neglectful parents leave children to their own devices. Children with such parents usually get the impression that their parents’ lives are more salient than theirs. Consequently, they get low morale and do not easily reach maturity (Santrock, 2009). Such children may show signs of truancy and delinquency. Indulgent parenting allows children to do what they want but exerts a little control over them. However, such children have problems respecting other people and can barely contain their behavior. They may also become narcissistic, domineering and noncompliant.
Culture plays an critical role in influencing parenting styles. Numerous examples can illustrate this fact. Research shows that African American parents are more likely to resort to corporal punishment than white parents (Santrock, 2009). This is because African American parents recognize the need to enforce rules in the violent world in which most of them live. African American parents, therefore, employ authoritarian parenting in raring their children. African American parents need absolute obedience from their children hoping that it would keep from engaging in anti-social behavior whose consequen...