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Dec 6, 2023

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1 Authoritative Parenting Sierra Owen Department of English, Jacksonville State University EH 102 Mr. Pruitt November 16, 2021

2 AUTHORITATIVE PARENTING Abstract In child development, the role of the parent can be a crucial one. So often do parenting styles play into children's well beings later in life. For example, strict, authoritarian parenting styles can often contribute to mental health issues for children in the form of depression, anxiety, or other social disorders. On the other side of the spectrum, permissive, uninvolved parenting styles can lead to a lack of discipline and negatively affect children's academic performance and delays in development because of improper guidance. However, one parenting style is believed to be the most effective at maximizing a child's potential while also contributing to a child's mental well- being and development: a gentle, positive authoritative approach. Over the course of this essay, the reader will see, based on evidence provided, that an attachment-based, authoritarian parenting style is the most effective in terms of academic performance, mental health, and growing relationships between parent and offspring later in life. In order to properly verify that the authoritative parenting style is the most effective, the parenting styles must be defined. While parenting styles are infinitely diverse categories, many studies classify them into four categories with differing terms. For criteria, many studies use warmth and strictness of parenting to classify the styles. "Warmth" refers to the parent's (or parents') overall empathy toward the child's emotional well-being and desire for the child to be mentally healthy. "Strictness" is referring to a strong structure of discipline and accountability that a parent or parents impose on his/her/their child. For the sake of this essay, the parenting styles will be defined as authoritative (both warm and strict), authoritarian (strict, but not warm), permissive (warm, but not strict), and uninvolved (neither warm nor strict).

3 AUTHORITATIVE PARENTING Many have argued a "spare the rod, spoil the child" approach in parenting as opposed to a more gentle one. This is referring to an overly strict parenting style that is based off of Judeo- Christian literature. In today's culture, especially in the American South, this is often regarded as the only way to keep children out of trouble later in life. Some even cite a study in which an entire prison was surveyed to see if the inmates were spanked as children, and either none or close to none of the inmates were spanked as children, using this "research" to prove that there is a direct correlation between using corporal punishment and the likelihood that children will not be incarcerated. However, through scholarly research, not only has no such study been found, but other studies which support the notion that corporal punishment actually leads to violent offenses are more rampant. Through thorough research and peer-reviewed articles, the "spare the rod, spoil the child" ideology seems to do more harm than good. In terms of methods of teaching children how to behave appropriately, if corporal punishment does not work, what does? Luckily, there are numerous articles of research that determine what effective parenting looks like without having to resort to spanking. However, there is not one clear-cut way of implementing punishment but concepts and structures. Many studies show that regardless of the actual method of discipline, a method that is both structurally sound and consistently implemented is the most effective in teaching children how to behave while also being conducive to their mental health, which is highly pertinent later in life. Therefore, a consistent, structured coaching method is much more effective than corporal punishment. While this essay focuses on the overall effectiveness of the authoritative parenting style, there is still something to be said about the merit of the other types. Some parents may not be suited emotionally for their particular set of requirements. There are some benefits in child development that the different styles may have over the authoritative style. For example, the

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