Saturday, May 03, 2008

The Results of Authoritarian Parenting

From "For Whom He Wore Black", an excellent article
in the May issue of THE REPUBLIC


In The Politics of Denial, (MIT Press, 1996), political
psychologists Michael Milburn and Sheree Conrad write that
while punitive parenting elicits immediate obedience, it tends
to worsen children’s behaviour over time. Children subjected
to it are at greater risk in later life of suicidal thoughts,
depression, drug addiction, and health problems, and of being
abusive towards their spouses and their own children.
They’re also more likely to display aggressive behaviour, and
to both tolerate violence and approve of its use. Punitive
parenting impairs creativity and problem-solving, and can lead
to lifelong anxiety and anger issues. The more punitive the
parenting, the worse the risks become
.

For the complete article see:

http://republic-news.org/archive/187-repub/187_nenonen.html

2 comments:

  1. When I was in Scandinavia, a few decades ago, I first heard of the concept of making it illegal to hit a child. It was then I realized I was in another country.

    I was in a bus recently, when a mother told her cute toddler, to, "shut her fuckin' mouth." I thought she should be arrested.

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  2. See the last two posts at Louis Proyect's blog.

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