To Spank or Not to Spank?

• Arguments against physical punishment

Parenting Styles

Diana Baumrind• Dimensions of parenting– Warmth or nurturance– Level of expectations (maturity demands)

Control and Communication Between Parent and Child

• Baumrind’s Parenting Styles

The Authoritarian Type

• Parents attempt to mold and control behaviors and attitudes– Emphasize obedience, respect for authority, order– Expect rules to be followed without discussion

The Permissive Type

• Parents who exercise little authority and are indulgent while showing warmth

The Authoritative Type• Most consistently positive outcomes

associated with this type– Parents set clear limits– Expect and reinforce socially mature behaviors– Respond to the child’s individual needs– Willing to discipline the child appropriately• Use time out or mild punishments

The Neglecting Type

• Most consistently negative outcomes• Psychologically unavailable mother– Depressed– Overwhelmed with life stressors– No deep emotional connection to the child

Parenting Styles and Development

• Study of 11,000 high school students (Steinberg et al., 1994)– 6,900 followed over a two-year period– Measured parenting style by asking teenagers to

respond to questions– Classified results in the Maccoby and Martin

category system– Looked at relationship between family style and

teen behaviors

Parenting Styles and Development

• Authoritative style produced the best outcomes

• Authoritarian families

• Neglected families

• Research has been replicated across a variety of cultures

Steinberg and Dornbusch’s Study of Parenting Style and Delinquency