Parenting Styles

Baumrind identified three styles of parenting; authoritative, permissive, and authoritarian.  Kohn focused on conformity and self-direction.  Lareau highlighted concerted cultivation and accomplishment of natural growth.

Kohn and Lareau demonstrated the correlation between social class and parenting styles.  Kohn focused on how the world of the parents affected the traits they tried to install in their children; children were brought up in a way to learn the traits their parents thought to be most important.  In comparison, Lareau showed how parenting styles differed depending on whether they were middle, working, or lower class.

Baumrind essentially created a spectrum for parenting styles:

• little control over children/too much freedom: permissive
• balance of control & freedom: authoritative- the most desirable type of parenting stye
• extreme control over children/lack of freedom: authoritarian

I agree with the typology created when Baumrind identified three styles of parenting, because I have seen families that perfectly represent each typology.  Although I do acknowledge social class plays a part in a parent's style of raising their child, I have to agree with Baumrind in that most parents can fit in either of the three categories.