Parenting Styles

Team "A" Response

In the early 1960s, a developmental psychologist by the name of Diana Baumrind conducted a very popular child care research project known today as "Baumrind Parenting Styles."

During her study she and a research team followed and monitored more than 100 children of preschool-age, most of the research was in form of interviews and observation.

The goal of Diana Baumrind's child parent behavior study was to conduct an evaluation of the effects of typical Western parenting styles. Diana Baumrind's three parenting styles are the Authoritarian, the Permissive and finally Authoritative.

Team A will elaborate on the influences of parenting styles and how they were affected by the influences in their personal lives.

Parenting styles are influenced by the era, culture, and social attitudes within a respective society. These influences create experiences that provide an ideal template of the type of behavior the parent desires for their child. A parent reared in an authoritarian style home that learned by imitating their parent and considers themselves to be successful, will desire to rear their child in the same manner. In addition, the society they live in experiences little change as the way of life is accepted as is (Dinwiddie, 2000). Permissive parents are influenced the by social attitudes within their society, and authoritative parents are influenced by the era; for example, permissive parents are more concerned with their children learning from their own mistakes instead of conforming to social customs (Dinwiddie, 2000). Authoritative parents offer guidance based on the era. Today's rapidly changing era is filled with more than one correct answer (Dinwiddie, 2000). Parents encourage children to make the correct decisions through guidance and consequences appropriate to making poor decisions (Dinwiddie, 2000).

The main influence that affected my parenting style would have to be my mother. Growing up in a rough neighborhood, my mother became a statistic in the drug world. She thought that by letting us run the streets while she got her fix was parenting. I would stay away from "home" for several days and only return to gather more clothes. My mother was not really engaged in my life for any reason. I grew up and had to learn things on my own and the hard way, but I did learn. I now have two children and I am very engaged in their lives. I try to not shield my kids from the world and tell them I love them every day and every chance I get. I explain to my children that family comes first and not matter what happens, we need to be there for each other.

My father came from a strict German and Costa Rican up brining where authoritarian style was followed to the letter of the law. Failure to follow what his parents directed would result in punishment by spanking with a