Parenting Styles Ver1.0 – November 2020 Page 1
Information from your Patient Aligned Care Team
Parenting Styles
What are the different types of parenting styles?
Authoritative parents provide high warmth and support, firm limits, good communication, and
high supervision. Authoritarian parents are demanding, and provide low warmth and support,
firm and inflexible limits, and one-way communication. Permissive parents have high warmth
and support but place very few limits and poor supervision. Uninvolved parents provide low
warmth and support, very few limits, little communication, poor supervision, and are
considered neglectful. Research suggests that the authoritative parenting style is the best
approach to parenting. Review table below for specific examples of behaviors associated with
the different types of parenting styles. Which one are you most like?
Parenting
Style
Typical Behaviors
Authoritarian
This type of parent values obedience. Commands the child about what to do
and what not to do, rules are clear and unbending. The parent pours the
"right" information into the child who is considered an empty vessel.
Misbehavior is strictly punished.
Permissive
Instead of following the strict rules of parents, children are encouraged to
think for themselves, avoid inhibitions, and not value conformity. Parents take
a "hands-off" approach, allowing children to learn from the consequences of
their actions. Misbehavior is usually ignored.
Uninvolved
These parents are “do nothing and say nothing” parents. Parents permit the
children to do whatever they want to do, whenever they want to do it,
without any rewards or consequences for their behavior. In extreme cases,
this parenting style can develop into neglect or rejection of the children.
Authoritative
These parents establish basic guidelines for children. Clarifying issues, they
give reasons for limits. Learning to take responsibility is a high priority.
Children are given lots of practice in making choices and guided to see the
consequences of those choices. Misbehavior is handled with an appropriate
consequence or by problem-solving with the child to find an acceptable way
to get desires met. Out-of-control children have "cool-off" time, not
punishment. Children are part of deciding how to make amends when
someone or something has been hurt.
