Parenting Styles developed by Diana Baumrind

The Four Parenting Styles

1. Authoritarian Parenting
   Failure to follow the strict rules, established by the parent,  usually results in punishment. According to Baumrind, these parents "are obedience- and status-oriented, and expect their orders to be obeyed without explanation" (1991).


2. Authoritative Parenting
   Rules and guidelines are established by the parent that children are expected to follow. However, this parenting style is much more democratic. When children don't follow these, the parents are nurturing and forgiving rather than punishing. Baumrind suggests that these parents "monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, and self-regulated as well as cooperative" (1991).


3. Permissive Parenting
    These parents rarely discipline their children. They may have low expectations of their child's maturity and self-control. According to Baumrind, permissive parents "are more responsive than they are demanding. They are nontraditional and lenient, do not require mature behavior, allow considerable self-regulation, and avoid confrontation" (1991). Permissive parents think they are a friend more than that of a parent.


4. Uninvolved Parenting
   Not many demands are made on the child and there may be little communication or responding to the child. These parents fulfill the child's basic needs but may be detached from their child. Extreme cases, show parents who may reject or neglect the needs of their children.