Permissive Parenting Style

Parenting style is considered a psychological construct which is directly linked to strategies used in child rearing. “The term is a complex activity that includes much specific behavior that works individually and collectively to influence the child” (Kordi 2010, p. 218). It can further be described as “normative patterns of behavior and tactics that parents use to socialize and control their children.” (Wentzel & Russel, 2009). Diane Baumrind conceptualized three types of parenting styles authoritative, authoritarian and permissive in 1971. This conceptualization was further extended by Maccoby and Martin to include two fundamental processes which consists of the number and types of demand made by parents and the contingency of parental reinforcement (as cited in Darling & Sternberg, 1993). Both these styles are described by a level of demandingness and responsiveness.
“Demandingness refers to the extent to which parents show control, maturity demands, and supervision in their parenting.” (Aunola, Stattin, & Nurmi, 2000, p. 206). Other important factors that are linked to demandingness are parent’s use of disciplinary methods as well as their readiness to confront a disobedient child; (Baumrind, as cited in Grolnick, 2003).Responsiveness refers to the “extent to which parents
Parents are usually very warm, caring and loving to their children, but are not assertive or controlling, there are no demands from these parents (Wentzel & Russel 2009). Hence the reason why this parenting style has been highly associated with children’s and adolescents’ underachievement (Onatsu-Arvilommi & Nurmi, as cited in Aunola et al., 2000). The permissive parent promotes immaturity as well as lack of impulse control and self-reliance, the child also exhibits a lack of independence and social and cognitive competence (Baumrind, as cited in Starr,