Parenting Styles: Authoritarian and Uninvolved Parents

Becoming a parent is something that most people dream of at least once in their life. When making the decision to become a parent, people need to take into consideration their personality and how that will affect their parenting. With that being said, there are four main types of parenting styles. Authoritarian and authoritative being the more strict parenting styles, while permissive and uninvolved being the less strict parenting styles. The authoritarian parent is overly involved in their children’s life, while the uninvolved parent is the least bit involved.

An authoritarian parent will believe that a child should be seen and not heard. When it comes to following rules, an authoritarian parent will have it no other way than their way. These types of parents do not take their child’s feelings into consideration. Although children who are raised by an authoritarian parent tend to follow rules exceptionally, their self-esteem development is at a high risk. These parents do not allow children to get involved in solving problems, challenges, or obstacles. Instead, the parent makes the rules and enforces whatever consequences they see fit, with little to no regard for the child’s opinion or feelings. Authoritarian parents often use punishments rather than discipline. This practice makes children feel sorry for their mistakes, rather than teach them how to make better decisions. Children raised by an authoritarian parent may become aggressive or hostile because they focus on the anger they feel towards their parents for the strict rules they have to follow. Since authoritarian parents are so strict, children tend to become good liars in hopes of avoiding punishment.

In comparison, an uninvolved parent is the complete opposite of an authoritarian parent. These parents rarely, if at all, ask their child about school or homework. Uninvolved parents rarely know where their child is or whom they are with. Overall, uninvolved parents simply do not spend much time with their child. There tends to be a lack of rules in an uninvolved parent’s home. A lack of nurturing, parental attention, and guidance is prominent in the household of an uninvolved parent. These parents expect children to basically raise themselves, because they do not want to devote the energy or the time required to meet a child’s basic needs. An uninvolved parent’s neglectfulness is not always intentional. For example, a parent with substance abuse problems or mental health issues will not be capable of caring for a child. Other times, a parent may be overwhelmed with other day to day issues, such as work, managing a household, and bills. Being raised by an uninvolved parent can have many negative impacts on a child, but also some positive effects. Of those negative impacts a child can lack self-esteem, and the ability to follow the basic rules of society. Those positive being that a child can be more mature and know how to take care of themselves from a young age.

Both authoritarian and uninvolved parents negatively and positively impact their children. They negatively affect the development of the child’s self-esteem, either by providing too much punishment or too little punishment. Children raised by both types of parents may become aggressive because of the over involvement and the lack of involvement. The over involvement of an authoritarian parent is just as detrimental and the un-involvement of the uninvolved parent.  

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