Parenting Styles

Erikson proposed that personality is the product of interacting with the environment throughout life. He stated there are eight stages in the life span. At any stage, the individual can go in either a positive direction or a negative direction depending on the environmental experiences encountered by the individual. The coming together of all these life span experiences then determines the individual’s personality.

Research has discovered that parenting styles can be understood through four different types that have important implications for children. Authoritarian parenting which is when a parent becomes restricted which forces the children to follow the parents demands and to value work and effort. Authoritative parenting is when a parent is letting their child have independence but at the same time has some restrictions. There is also affection shown towards the child. Neglectful parenting, which is when parents are not involved in their childs life at all. Finally, indulgent parenting is when a parent is involved with their child but set few limits.

Judith Rich Harris, an author, identifies children’s relations with their parents argues that how parents raise their children do not make a difference in their children’s behaviors. She believes genes and peers are way more important than their parents rearing. She also believes children learn through different sources and their learning is specific to certain context. They imitate their parents in a home setting but imitate their peers in an outside setting. She fights that if you leave the children in the same schools but switch parents they will come out the same adults.