What are Baumrind’s parenting styles?
Baumrind’s parenting styles are a classification of parenting proposed by American developmental psychologist Diana Baumrind. Based on observations and interviews with parents and preschool children in the 1960s, she described three styles: authoritative, authoritarian and permissive. Maccoby and Martin (1983) later organized the styles along two dimensions, responsiveness and demandingness, and added a fourth, neglectful (uninvolved) style.
- Proposed by
- Diana Baumrind (1966), extended by Maccoby & Martin (1983)
- Two dimensions
- Responsiveness (warmth, acceptance) and demandingness (rules, supervision)
- Four styles
- Authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, neglectful
- Field
- Developmental psychology, family studies
The four styles
| Style | Responsiveness | Demandingness | Typical features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authoritative | High | High | Clear rules with explanations; listens to the child |
| Authoritarian | Low | High | Values obedience; "because I said so" |
| Permissive | High | Low | Warm, but sets few rules or limits |
| Neglectful | Low | Low | Little involvement or supervision |
What the research shows
Which parenting style is best for children? In Baumrind’s early work and many later studies, authoritative parenting, which combines warmth with clear expectations, has generally been associated with better self-regulation, social competence and school adjustment. Neglectful parenting, with low warmth and low supervision, has been most consistently associated with adjustment problems.
Most of this research is correlational, so the direction of influence can run both ways: a child’s temperament also shapes how parents respond. The meaning of strict control also varies across cultures, and some studies find that authoritarian parenting has different associations in East Asian families than in Western samples.
Law and policy context
In the United States, physical discipline by parents remains legal in every state, though the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against spanking. South Korea removed the parental "right to discipline" from its Civil Code in 2021, and Japan removed a similar provision in 2022, moving both countries toward explanation-based limit setting.
Putting it into practice
- Give rules with reasons: "Hold my hand near the road because cars are dangerous."
- Accept feelings, limit behavior: "I know you’re angry, but hitting is not okay."
- Offer age-appropriate choices: let children make small decisions.
- Reflect on your own upbringing: your style is shaped by your family of origin, and a child’s sense of security connects to attachment.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the four Baumrind parenting styles?
- Authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful, defined by whether responsiveness and demandingness are high or low.
- What is the difference between authoritative and authoritarian parenting?
- Both set clear rules, but authoritative parents are warm, explain their reasons and listen, while authoritarian parents demand obedience without explanation.
- Did Baumrind create the neglectful style?
- No. Baumrind described three styles; Maccoby and Martin (1983) added the neglectful style when they reorganized the model into two dimensions.
References
- Baumrind, D. (1966). Effects of authoritative parental control on child behavior. Child Development, 37(4), 887–907. https://doi.org/10.2307/1126611
- Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent–child interaction. In P. H. Mussen (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (4th ed., Vol. 4, pp. 1–101). Wiley.