Attachment and Parenting Style - Research Paper Example

According to Lerner, (2003), “a parenting style consists of several elements that combine to create the emotional climate in which parents communicate their attitudes and feelings to their child” (67). Through parenting styles, children are able to learn their parent’s feeling through body language, tone of voice, emotional displays, and quality of attention (Lerner, 2003). Parenting styles are considered as traits due to their consistency across time. Virtually, all aspects of parenting are determined by culture, and each culture prescribes unique socialization patterns and traditions to achieve their childrearing goals (Eunjung, 2007).

“Therefore, it is worth noting that there is no optimal parenting style for all cultures, and the implication of one parenting style may vary from different cultural and socioeconomic contexts” (Talay-Ongan & Emily, 2005, 128) . Types of parenting style The authoritative parenting style An authoritative parent “exerts firm control over the child, expects maturity, and establishes reasonable guidelines for the child to abide” (Lerner, 2003, 69). At the same time, authoritative parents decide the discipline measures to take by integrating the point of view of the child as long as the parent believes it to be reasonable.

“However, they are careful not to use harsh forms of punishment or restrict their child’s autonomy” (Janette, & Marshall, 2009, 29). . dialogue consists of parents being open to the opinions of the child but at the same time not failing to express their own opinions” (Talay-Ongan & Emily, 2005, 130). Authoritative parenting is like a democracy in which the feelings and ideas of both parents and the children are recognized and supported. It can be argued that children brought up in an authoritative parenting style may develop secure type of attachment.

This is true because the child has the feeling that he or she can depend and rely on his parents. The child knows that the parent will be there for him/her. The permissive parenting style A permissive parent is described as having “a high level of nurturance and clarity of communication, pared with low levels of control or maturity demands” (Lerner, 2003, 70). They expects little maturity behaviors from their children. They allow the child to act as they please. Permissive parent rarely governs time schedules of their children and allow their children to choose an appropriate time to do their activities.

“They rarely require children to do chores around the house” (Lerner, 2003, 70). Additionally, permissive parents tend to “accept and support all the child’s behavior and actions including sexual and aggressive impulses” (Talay-Ongan & Emily, 2005, 130). Levine, & Munsch, (2011) asserted that permissive parents also hold the view that restricting child’s actions in any way might “infringe on the child’s autonomy, in turn hindering normative child development” (Lerner, 2003, 70).

In light with this, the permissive parents rarely set rules for the child’s behavior. In fact, a permissive parent is more concerned about “being the child’s friend than an authority figure” (Levine, & Munsch, 2011, 28). They tend to refrain from