The Authoritarian Parenting Style: What Does It Look Like?

One of the most important units in society is the family. It gives physical, moral, mental and social development and child’s first socializing agent (Roska & Potter, 2011; Cavanagh & Fomby, 2012). Family functioning and the process of child-rearing is a universal phenomenon called “parenting” (Darling & Steinberg, 1993). Parents must corroborate children’s safety and ensuring health, to be prepared for the life of an adult and to teach them cultural ethics and beliefs. Children conform in a group of people on how parents raised them.

It shows that children’s attitude reflects on how parents thought them how to treat people and thought them what is wrong and what is right. Some parents are authoritative on raising their child and some are not.

Authoritative parents want their child to do things based on their teachings in life, and how they discipline them and some children do not conform on this kind of upbringing. A study shows that authoritarian parenting style leads the children to become rebellious and adopt problematic behaviour due to more than necessary power exercise on children by parents (Sarwar, 2016).

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In contrast, the authoritative parenting style is effective for children, as it encourages moderate parenting styles.

Parents play an important role in moulding children’s well-being. A home environment that embodies safety, supportive and positivity is considered to have a protective influence on children’s mental health (Bogels and Brechmant-Toussaint, 2006). It shows that a family who embodies positivity are more often results in a good impact on children’s behaviour.

Parenting is one of the biggest influences of children’s behaviour. Some children are more likely to be competitive and goal-oriented and some are more likely to be rebellious and neglectful. Baumrind’s (1971), classifications of parenting styles that influence children and adolescents behaviour. These three parenting styles are classified as authoritarian- parents who are often strict and harsh and focus on gaining a child’s obedience to parental demands rather than responding to the demands of the child. Permissive- parents who place few restrictions, rules or limits on their children’s behaviour. Authoritative- parents who are flexible and responsive to the child’s needs but still enforce reasonable standards of conduct.

Authoritarian Parenting Style

Parenting style is a universal phenomenon that involves the working of family and the process of raising a child where the parent’s attitudes are shown (Darling & Steinberg, 1993). Some of the parents are strict, let their children do what they want, and sometimes both. Based on the children’s behaviour and responsiveness, parenting style was divided into four classes (Maccoby and Martin, 1983; Baumrind, 1991). Baumrid (1966) put children under scrutiny for patterns and behaviour and made a supposition that includes the three parenting styles: Authoritarian, Authoritative, and Permissive Parenting (also called Indulgent Parenting). Maccoby and Martin (1983) summed it up by expanding and adding Uninvolved (also known as Neglectful Parenting.)

According to Baumrid, “Authoritarian parents are austere, harsh and demanding” she added, “Parents are trying to manipulate, mould and teach the children with their own behaviours, not their children’s.” (1968). A study concluded that because of their authoritarian parents, they started drinking alcohol, although they are not classified as binge drinkers (Kusmierski, McDonnell, & Nichols, n.d.).

Authoritarian parenting focuses on the child’s obedience to the rules and regulations they set and not responding to the child’s wants or demands. Authoritarian parenting styles obtained a negative impact in Western literature, primarily because of the negative child and adolescent’s behaviour. Parenting styles among Asian countries (particularly in China) have been variously described as authoritarian, controlling, restrictive and hostile (Lin & Fu, 1990; Steinberg, Dornbusch, & Brown, 1992). In contrast, (Baumrind, 1972), found a positive effect on authoritarian parenting style resulting in independence or self-assertiveness of the children. In Chen, Dong, and Zhou (1997) study found that authoritarian parenting has a positive effect on aggression, and have a negative effect on sociability-competence and peer acceptance in second-grade children from Beijing, China.