HUMAN AND LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT

Human and Lifespan Development

Human and Lifespan Development

Introduction

The way parents influence the development of their children has always been a source of interest to various people such as educators, psychologists and parents themselves. There is a growing concern about the amount of children with problems. Children who are resilient do better in coping with the many challenges of life. There is a belief that adjustments to the family/ parenting environment have the potential to improve children's resilience and therefore their circumstances. Because of adolescence being a time of change and adjustment, this essay will focus on the parenting styles influence on the adolescent's resilience during these years.

There is evidence however that parental warmth, inductive discipline, non punitive punishment practices and consistency in child rearing are associated with positive outcomes in children. These are the building blocks for the authoritative parenting style, and proof to be more successful in supporting the child in being resilient. The parent - child relationship is unique and important when compared with other relationships. The reason for this is mainly because the parent - child relationship is not equal. The parent is more experienced, has higher cognitive development and therefore should be the one providing a secure base and guidance. When looking at the importance of the parent - child relationship and child resilience, it is essential to remember that it is not simple or direct. The way a child experience his/her parent's behaviour will influence their emotional development. In stressing the importance of sensitivity and responsiveness it is crucial to keep in mind the individual needs of the child and to adjust parental responses appropriately.



Parenting Style Defined

Parenting is a complex activity that includes many specific behaviors that work individually and together to influence child outcomes. Although specific parenting behaviors, such as spanking or reading aloud, may influence child development, looking at any specific behavior in isolation may be misleading. Many writers have noted that specific parenting practices are less important in predicting child well-being than is the broad pattern of parenting. Most researchers who attempt to describe this broad parental milieu rely on Diana Baumrind's concept of parenting style. The construct of parenting style is used to capture normal variations in parents' attempts to control and socialize their children (Baumrind, 1991).

Two points are critical in understanding this definition. First, parenting style is meant to describe normal variations in parenting. In other words, the parenting style typology Baumrind developed should not be understood to include deviant parenting, such as might be observed in abusive or neglectful homes. Second, Baumrind assumes that normal parenting revolves around issues of control. Although parents may differ in how they try to control or socialize their children and the extent to which they do so, it is assumed that the primary role of all parents is to influence, teach, and control their children.

Parenting style captures two important elements of parenting: parental responsiveness and parental demandingness (Maccoby & Martin, ...