1.

Explain the following family structures a) Authoritarian b) Authoritative c) Permissive Before describing the three family structures we shall look at the two analytical tools that formulate the family structures. These tools were, 1) Parental responsiveness vs. parental unresponsiveness: According to Diana Baumrind, responsiveness describes "the extent to which parents intentionally foster individuality, self-regulation, and self-assertion by being attuned, supportive, and acquiescent to children's special needs and demands" (Baumrind, 1991) In other words, responsiveness is about how much or how little parents meet and respond to their children's needs! 2) Parental demandingness vs. parenting undemandingness: In relation to demandingness, Diana Baumrind says that it refers to "the claims parents make on children to become integrated into the family whole, by their maturity demands, supervision, disciplinary efforts and willingness to confront the child who disobeys". (Baumrind, 1991). Another word for demandingness is control. The demandingness continuum (high vs. low) describes the level of behaviour control parents exercise on their kids based on their expectations of 'mature' behaviour.

HIGH RESPONSEVINESS

AUTHORITATIVE

PERMISSIVE

HIGH DEMANDINGNESS

LOW DEMANDINGNESS

AUTHORITARIAN N

LOW RESPONSIVENESS

The authoritative parenting style is high on demandingness and high on reponsiveness (hence placed in the top left corner). The authoritarian parenting style is high also high on demandingness but low on responsiveness (hence placed in the bottom left corner). The permissive parenting style is high on responsiveness but low on demandingness (hence placed in the top right corner).

Now let us see what the 3 family structures are about.

1. Authoritarian
In this family structure there are traditional family values, set family roles, firm rules and everybody behaves in a predictable, orderly fashion. Main child discipline instrument: Strict control maintained via rigid rules. Rules are typically enforced via threat and punishment. The authoritarian parents' behaviour, values and belief system: The authoritarian parents are conservative, conformist and norm abiding. Rigidity, harshness and predictability create a desired sense of being in control. Traditional roles and values are to be followed unquestionably. There are strict rules of child conduct. Misbehaviour is considered a serious threat to the much cherished established order. The authoritarian parents see the world in only black and white, good or bad, right or wrong etc. This means that there is a lot of judgement and evaluation. A child is either good or bad, well-behaved or naughty. Children are often looked upon with critical eye. They are basically perceived as non-equals, and sometimes even subconsciously perceived as enemies that pose a threat to order of things and therefore must be kept down. Rules and orders are not explained but are to be obeyed instantly and unquestionably. Discussion such as give and take dialogue is not encouraged. Praise and reward are potentially dangerous because of the idea that they may lead to children becoming too full of themselves and consequently developing too much autonomy and straying off the good path. A good child is a child that lives up to expectations of 'mature' ('adult') behavior: such as being independent, well-behaved, undemanding, non-emotional, participating in house chores to develop a sound work ethic etc.

Kids' social behavior and inner being (the effect of the authoritarian parenting style): Kids of authoritarian parents quickly learn to adjust to the parents' expectations. In other words they are well-behaved out of fear: "If I don't behave, I will be punished!" They tend to willingly obey authorities. They have internalized and accepted the prevailing norm and value system which means they do relatively well in school, do not engage in 'deviant' behavior such criminal acts or experimental drug or alcohol use. They are not used to making independent choices, taking full responsibility for themselves and do not experiment much with new ways of doing things or alternative ways of thinking. According to research, kids of authoritarian parents are not as socially 'skilled' as kids from authoritative and permissive families. According to research they find it difficult to handle frustration: girls tend to give up in the face of challenges and boys tend to react with aggressiveness. According to research, they are also more prone to suffer from low self esteem, anxiety and depression.

2. Authoritative
Of the three family structures this is the ideal family structure according by Diana Baumrind. Baumrind views authoritative parenting as a sort of middle ground, taking the best from the authoritarian family structure, high control, and the best from the permissive family structure, high responsiveness. Main child discipline instrument: Control is achieved via the use of firm but fair reasoning as a base for 'moderately' open negotiations along with positive reinforcement. The authoritative parents' behavior, value and belief system: Just like the authoritarian parents, the authoritative parents control is firm and standards of behavior are high. The difference is that authoritative parents are not keeping their children down or restricting them as a sort of preventive measure for bad behavior. The authoritative parents strive towards letting their

children live out their potentials but within an overall controlled framework: You can go as far as this point, but exceeding this boundary will not be tolerated! They monitor and impart clear standards for their childrens conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, and self-regulated as well as cooperative (Baumrind, 1991, p. 62). In this way authoritative parents recognize that a child needs to have a degree of say but will always make sure to have the final word. In this way they strive to balance a child's need for autonomy and their own need for discipline and control. Authoritative parents use praise and positive attention as a way to make their child want to behave well: If I behave and do well, I will get positive attention and affection! Authoritative parents make an effort to understand their child and teach them how to understand their own feelings, think of ways to solve problems and encourage them to follow independent but still norm supportive ways.

The effect of the authoritative family structure on children: Because of the use of positive reinforcement (praise) along with logical and fair rules done in a warm, caring manner, the child has learnt that behaving and following the rules feels good and gets them positive attention. Their ability to decode and subsequently live up their parents rules and expectations provide them with well developed social skills and emotional regulation. According to research, kids of authoritative parents do well in school, are self confident and goal orientated.

3. Permissive
In this family structure the child behaves in a unruly fashion, oblivious of other peoples needs and is only interested in having fun. Many people believe that permissive parenting is a curse of the modern age: The child is seen as being too much in the centre!

Main child discipline instrument: Parents use reasoning, manipulation and/or bribes as means to achieve some level of control. The permissive parents' behavior, value and belief system: Permissive parents believe in the autonomy of the individual. The world is seen as a free place filled with opportunities just waiting to be seized. Permissive parents believe in responding to their children's desires in an accepting and affective manner. The child is viewed as a 'child' and is not expected to behave according to mature or adult standards. Traditional child discipline and rigid rules of conduct are seen as restrictive of a child's natural development and free, independent thinking. Children are perceived as equals and are included in decision making processes and are encouraged to communicate and discuss rather than just obey. Permissive parents dislike and tend to avoid confrontations and the overt use of power to shape and regulate their kids behavior.

Effects of the permissive family structure: A complete lack of limits, absence of authority figures, no consistent routines, no predictability may lead to a sense of insecurity in the child: "How far can I go and what can I count on?" Because of the potential experience of wavering, conflict scared parents the child may become bossy or dominating as he or she tries to search for limits where there are none. Because of the installed beliefs that the world is open for experimentation and that there are very few 'musts', children of permissive parents are found to be more impulsive and involved in 'problematic' behavior such as drug and alcohol use and do less well in school than kids from authoritative and authoritarian parents. As these kids are brought up in the belief that they are adults' equals, they are well equipped in dialogue, have high social skills and high self esteem and low levels of depression.