Diane Baumrind’s (1971) pioneering work on parenting styles has led to many insights into family life (Table 36-1).

Authoritarian parents aim to control their children’s behavior by enforcing absolute standards for behavior. They value unquestioned respect for and compliance with authority, and they discourage verbal give-and-take with their children. Authoritarian parents resolve conflicts through power assertion; that is, they lay down the law “or else.” They may be warm, but not responsive. Their children lack spontaneity, are overly polite, and develop an external locus of control, meaning that they perceive powerful others to be responsible for events. Thus personal initiative and prosocial behaviors are neither valued nor exhibited. Boys, in particular, have lower self-esteem. They experience power assertion as punishment, and are aggressive outside of the home but not necessarily within the family.

Authoritative parents also make high demands on their children but they are more responsive. They expect mature behavior from their children and actively guide them toward that end. Standards are clear and enforced through contingencies; that is, children are held responsible for the foreseeable consequences of their decisions. This requires some verbal give-and-take, during which parents use inductive reasoning to help children think through their actions. Discipline meted out in this way is
not experienced as punitive. Children grow up to be socially competent, friendly, with good self-esteem. Their internal locus of control allows them to believe they are responsible for events, so they take initiative and are achievement oriented. They are more prosocial than other children, and less aggressive.