Parenting Styles in Differnt Cultures - 2804 Words

Parenting Styles in Different Cultures Elizabeth L. Walsh Psychology 223 Parenting style is one of many factors that strongly influence child development. One’s choice of parenting style is most often molded by their cultural background. American parents use a myriad of parenting styles, all of which have their roots in various cultural beliefs about which method is best to raise a child. In 1971, clinical and developmental psychologist, Diana Baumrind, recognized three different categories of parenting styles that she believed described most parents’ methods (Berger, 2011). Parents who fell into the authoritarian style of parenting set high standards and strict rules for their children. Disobedience was not tolerated and was met†¦show more content†¦Thus, the children will be socialized under different conditions. Authoritarian and permissive parenting styles practiced in select cultures outside of the European-American context exemplify this. Criticized by many Westerners for its harshness and controlling approach, authorita rian parenting has found more success in Asian and Arab cultures (Grusec, Rudy, Martini, 1997; Dwairy et al., 2006). In Asian cultures, which would include the Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans, Japanese, etc., Confucian principles are strongly embraced, and therefore, profoundly shape social relationships and moral ethics. In particular, Confucius stressed that a person should respect and obey authority without question, and to seize every opportunity to learn and perfect oneself (Chao, 1994). Rooted in this philosophy, Asians have chosen to use a very strict, controlling, and restrictive approach to parenting. Recently adding fuel to the notion that Asian’s authoritarian parenting style is harsh, oppressive, and sometimes even cruel, is the controversial book, â€Å"Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom,† by Amy Chua (2011), a Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Chua’s book shares her experiences raising her two daughters â€Å"the Chinese way.† Some of her m emoirs describing her authoritarian parental tactics were viewed by the American public as disturbing. Chua (2011)