Effects Of The Authoritarian Style Of Parenting

by Alex Jones | May 9, 2018

The almighty parent. Who makes the rules, and doesn’t have to abide by them. Strict and stern, it raises respectable and honorable adults. However, that’s not really the case. Expecting unquestioning obedience from children, through shouting, shaming, and treats for what the parent deems as good behavior, doesn’t produce the adults that are expected. As defined by psychologists, it’s also a style associated with less parental warmth and responsiveness (Baumrind 1991). There are negative effects associated with the authoritarian style strict parenting.

Authoritarianism

Researchers have identified three alternatives of the authoritarian parent.

Permissive Parents 

Emotionally, they are available. Yet, will not enforce the rules they have in place.

Uninvolved Parents 

Will not enforce the rules, the same as permissive parents, emotionally, they are available.

Authoritative Parenting

The set limits and always enforce the rules. Yet, unlike authoritarian parents, authoritative parents are very responsive or nurturing.

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As researchers have shown before. A child who grows up in an environment that is loving, and responsive. Will have much more protection mentally towards stressful situations in their life. Whereas, a child ‘ruled with an iron fist’, will have a harder time feeling protected against toxic stress.

However, stress isn’t the only aspect of a child’s life. Social skills, emotional well-being, and behavior are all aspects that are directly affected by how they are raised, and how nurturing their caregivers are growing up.

The thought process is that a parent who demands excellence and brilliance from their children at all times. Will produce an offspring who is more behaved and driven in life.  Yet, that’s not the case.

Evidence Shows Strict Parenting Negatively Affects Children

Children will act up, much like the sun rises and the ocean ebbs. It is part of their learning and development. However, when parents become frustrated with a constant stream of misbehaving – it is tempting to throw out the threats, and withholding of prized possessions.

The thought process is that as children learn their bad behavior results in reflecting on what they can lose, that they will stop the destructive behavior. However, that is not the case. In a recent meta-analysis of more than 1400 published studies, Martin Pinquart found that harsh control and psychological control were actually the biggest predictors of worsening behavior problems over time.

What about other types of misbehavior? Like adolescent alcohol use? Once again, the most current evidence suggests that kids with authoritarian parents are more, not less likely to use and abuse alcohol (Glozah 2014; Calafat et al 2014).

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Children who are raised in an authoritarian household, are also reported to be less socially adept, and could also result in becoming bullies themselves, as they are trained that this is how we compel people to do as we want. They also don’t learn how to defend themselves, as they are expected to complete and utter obedience thus, leading to becoming victims of bullying either.

Rebellion

While children may in the short-term become overachievers, or just ‘toe the line’ to how the parents want them to act – they subsequently may become jaded at the expectations they are meant to adhere to, and start to rebel in response to their rigid lifestyle. They could also dislike certain activities they are expected to perform, certain music instruments, or sports classes, and develop such a dislike for that particular subject, they exert no effort towards being good at it.

Conservativeness

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