Educational styles: ineffective parenting beliefs and behaviors.

A summary of the educational styles that exist and their effects on child development.

Since Diana Baumrind proposed her classification of the different educational styles in the sixties the different educational styles to the present time, several researches have been oriented to review and update the knowledge available in this field of psychology.

Most of the different theoretical models proposed have valued as determining factors in the distinction of educational styles variables such as: the level of control, the power exercised, the degree of affection, the level of maturity demanded, the support and care expressed or also the type of communication existing between parents and children.

Initially, the classification proposed by Baumrind (1966) differentiated three types of educational styles: authoritarian, permissive and democratic. Later, McCoby and Martin (1983) combined in their research the factors of control and affective involvement to give rise to four categories: reciprocal, repressive, indulgent and negligent. In the nineties, other authors such as López Franco (1998) or Torres et al. (1994) have developed models that, in essence, maintain many of the elements of the previous theories.

The family as the main socializing agent

On the other hand, there can be no doubt that the family is the main socializing agent of the infant in the first years of life.

Thus, the parental figures exert an enormous influence on the children by transmitting to them the set of beliefs and moral values, as well as the behaviors and actions of their children.The family is the main socializing agent of the infant in the early years of life.

The EEP proposal: educational styles and associated psychological effects.

Studies conclude that there are significant differences in the psychological configuration and in the personal development of the infant depending on the educational style and the socialization strategies that parents tend to apply with their children at the pedagogical level.

Specifically, Magaz and Perez elaborated in 2011 a psychometric test useful to assess the educational style of parents, the PEE (Profile of Educational Styles)which reflects some examples of parental beliefs and behaviors related to four types of profiles: overprotective, inhibitionist, punitive and assertive.

These are some of these approaches that are ineffective and/or harmful, considering the emotional and behavioral consequences they have on the conformation of the personality of the little ones.

1. Overprotective educational style

• "Life is already very hard and as long as I can make it easier for him/her until he/she gets older, I have to do it so that he/she enjoys as much as possible".
• "He/she is still too young to...".

According to the authors, this type of belief corresponds to a parenting style called overprotective, since it is based on hyper-responsibility values. based on values of hyper-responsibility and high parental guilt in the face of potential adversities that the child may suffer. that the child may suffer. Thus, the possibility of the child learning to be autonomous and to take active responsibility for his/her own behaviors is inhibited.

This excessive parental concern and nervousness can cause the child to take initiatives and develop a low level of self-concept, since he/she has not had the opportunity to practice self-care or social interaction skills, and can also generate a high level of personal insecurity.

2. Inhibitionist educational style

• "If I solve the problems for him/her, he/she will never learn to face them by him/herself".

This type of ideas are typical of an inhibitionist education.This is the complete opposite of the previous one, since there is a high lack of blame and an almost null level of responsibility on the part of the parents. This type of parents feel annoyed or nervous when the child asks for help and are calm only when the child acts independently and autonomously, as they tend to confuse the concept of help with that of dependence. On the other hand, this type of parent tends to pay very little attention or recognition to the child's "normalized" behavior, while at the same time punishing in a random manner for inappropriate behaviors, without a coherent or consistent criterion.

The consequences of practicing this kind of parenting can be negative for the offspring, causing the continuous search for support from other authority figures, as well as a tendency to developThe consequences of this type of parenting can be negative for the offspring, resulting in a continuous search for support from other authority figures, as well as a tendency to develop generalized disinterest and unconcern in dealing with the issues that concern them. Deficits in social skills may also be observed, specifically in the ability to empathize with others.

3. Punitive educational style

• "My child has to learn to behave in the right way".

This style corresponds to a punitive educationwhich is based on values such as demanding, intolerance to alternative points of view and incomprehension. Parental reactions are usually explosive fury when the child disobeys instructions and lack of recognition in the face of appropriate "normative" behaviors.

On the other hand, this type of parent behaves in a critical manner and tend to focus on their children's mistakes or imperfections, valuing only outstanding actions.They tend to value only outstanding actions. Thus, they issue frequent and disproportionate random punishments and previous threats. They also tend to attribute to the person the qualities of the specific behavior, in such a way that they stigmatize and generalize negative characteristics of the children.

The effect that this educational dynamic has on the child is the development of a high level of ungratefulness and normalization of criticism, high levels of anxiety and personal insecurity, as well as a negative self-concept.and at the same time a negative self-concept may appear. A feeling of resentment towards the educator is normalized and decision making tends to be based on criteria of failure or punishment instead of success orientation.

4. The assertive educational style

• "It is important that he learns to behave appropriately and that he acquires personal habits and skills".
• "He will learn little by little as he practices and makes his own mistakes."
• "It is reasonable that his tastes, wants and needs may differ from those of the people around him."

These approaches are typical of an assertive educational style. In this case, parenting is based on values such as patience, tolerance, understanding and responsibility balanced with freedom..

Thus, parents understand that mistakes and inadequate behaviors are understood as natural in the process of learning and personal maturation, although on the other hand they apply consequences to such behaviors in order to promote the value of the child's responsibility.

On the other hand, attention is paid to progress, and achievement or appropriate behavior is recognized as something positive, and the expression of one's own likes and opinions is also valued.

In contrast to the previous one, parents do not usually attribute the qualities of the behavior to the person, so they do not generalize or label the child negatively. negatively.

This style leads the child to develop healthier consequences derived from the recognition and positive reinforcement obtained from his/her parents. This results in a higher level of consolidation of personal and social learning, as well as the promotion of a favorable level of self-concept, greater personal security and a more positive degree of motivation to achieve individual goals.

On the other hand, children brought up in this way often learn to tolerate criticism in an appropriate manner and to base their active and to base active decision making on more rational issues, such as the consequences they may have.