Parenting

How Parenting Affects Child Behavior

By December 22, 2018 No Comments

How Parenting Affects Child Behavior Lifeworks Counseling CenterThe debate of nature vs. nurture has been ongoing for quite some time. The case of nature vs. nurture concerns that of the level of influence that genetics have a child’s personality and their behaviors in comparison to the level of influence that parenting has on a child’s personality and their behaviors. It is largely argued that both are recognizably responsible in the contribution of a child’s development and both should be considered.

However, with nature and nurture both considered, your child therapist in Carrolton will insist that the only one in which we as humans have control over when raising a child is the nurturing factor. Parenting has a vital influence on the development of your child and their behavior, and it is important to understand how your parenting style is affecting your child’s behavior. Keep reading to learn about the styles of parenting and how they may be affecting your child.

Styles of parenting can typically be categorized into 4 different types, which include the following:

  1. Authoritarian Parenting
    This type of parenting is categorized as a dominating style of parenting that has an adherence to rules and a large control factor by the parents over the child. This style involves low levels of warmth but with high levels of control and strict discipline with minimal negotiation. This type of parent has high expectations of their child, is a firm punisher, and enforces one-way communication. Authoritarian parenting has been associated with children developing hostility, rebellious tendencies, and anti-social aggression. Children raised in this style often develop authoritarian tendencies themselves as adults.
  2. Neglectful Parenting
    The neglectful or uninvolved style of parenting is a combination of low levels of warmth as well as low levels of control. This parent is not involved in their child’s life or enforce much discipline, if any at all. There is little communication and the child has high levels of freedom. Children are highly dependent upon discipline and parental support; therefore, this style of parenting can be very damaging. This style of parenting has been associated with child depression as well as aggressive behaviors, hostility, delinquency, and attention issues. Children often will develop behavioral problems and have a very low level of self-control as well as poor communication skills.
  3. Indulgent Parenting
    Indulgent, or permissive parenting, involves high levels of warmth with low levels of control. Therefore, there is a lot of nurturing, warmth and interaction, but few rules and constraints. This type of parenting usually entails parents being seen as more of a friend than an authoritative figure. There are usually little expectations as well as little guidance. This often leads to difficult controlling the children’s behaviors or implementing boundaries. It can also cause children to have decreased social competence and lower academic achievement. These children can turn out displaying traits such as bossiness, impulsiveness, low self-control, and difficulty learning persistence and emotional control.
  4. Authoritative Parenting

This style of parenting has proven to be the best out of all of the 4 styles. It contributes high levels of warmth as well as high levels of control. Parents in this category encourage their children to be independent but still give prevalent boundaries. Discipline is present but in a manner that is supportive of the child.

Communication goes two ways in this style of parenting. While the parent displays prominently that they are the authoritative figure, they also take their children’s feelings and competency into consideration and listen to them. This style of parenting is associated with greater competence among children as well as maturity, self-control, and assertiveness. These children have also been known to display high levels of moral, reasoning and conscientiousness.

Being a parent is a difficult feat, and sometimes, as hard as you try, children still display behavioral problems. It is important to give yourself credit as a parent where it is deserved, and to accept that sometimes you may need some extra help. Many parents are turning to the professionals at our child counseling center in Carrolton. If your child is displaying any behavioral problems, signs of depression, social incompetency, etc., give us a call today at Lifeworks to schedule an appointment.

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