Definition
Authoritative education is a style of education that represents a kind of golden mean between authoritarian and permissive education. Authoritarian education is characterized by a clear hierarchy in which the parents are in charge and work with the reward and punishment system. Parents who educate their children permissively tend to behave in a reserved, tolerant and compliant manner.
The authoritative parenting style combines elements from both parenting styles and is therefore considered very successful. It is all about setting clear rules and enforcing them consistently while giving the children a lot of love and support. The parents communicate openly with the children and explain the established rules to the children so that they understand why some things have to be observed.
At the same time, the parents make sure that the rules are implemented and exemplify behaviour as exemplary as possible. With this style of upbringing, the children are expected to have a high standard, but initiative and creativity are also encouraged. If a child does not follow the rules, punishments are to be expected, as in the case of the authoritarian style of education.
Advantages
The authoritative parenting style is considered a good compromise between parenting styles and is therefore very popular and successful. The children learn about boundaries in a loving environment. They often grow up to be self-confident, responsible people with social competence and an understanding of justice.
It is easy for them to fit in with their social environment and hierarchies, which makes later adult life easier. In most cases, the children integrate very well into society and rarely have difficulties at school or at work. Through the loving, trusting relationship with their parents, most children are later able to engage in emotional partnerships. By talking and working out problems together, the children learn to articulate themselves, to discuss and to find solutions. They often become compromising and independent adults.
Disadvantages
With the authoritative style of education the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The consistent enforcement of rules and above all punishments, however, can also be a disadvantage in some situations. Theoretically, consistent behaviour by parents is desirable, but in practice exceptions and mistakes should be allowed from time to time. Under certain conditions it can even be an advantage to explain children their misconduct and still be lenient. For information on obtaining external help in raising your child, please contact Parental guidance
What is the criticism of authoritative education?
In fact, the authoritative style of education is a compromise between rules, boundaries and loving interaction with the children. The advantages of this upbringing and the consequences in adulthood speak for the success of the authoritative style of upbringing. In many cases, children grow up carefree into adults who have fewer difficulties than others in many areas. The rules lead to the children being able to get along well in groups and the love of the parents strengthens the children’s self-confidence, self-assurance and self-realisation. It is a suitable model for helping children to become independent, happy adults.
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