From: choi@wk59.nas.nasa.gov (Diana Choi)
Subject: Re: WAS 20/20 and Spanking - IS Child Rearing
Organization: NAS Program, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 18:10:44 GMT

(Elise Wade) writes:
> (Diana Choi) writes:
>>
>>Along these lines, there is an interesting set of studies done by
>>Diana Baumrind, noting different methods of child rearing and the resultant
>>child behavior.  She divided up the different methods into authoritarian,
>>authoritative, permissive.  Each was described in terms of four factors:
>>
>>  1. Parental Control - measure of strict discipline (does NOT mean spanking)
>>
>>  2. Clarity of Parent-Child communications - extent to which child's
>>        opinion is solicited on family decisions, extent to which parent 
>>	offers reasons for punitive or restrictive measures.
>>
>>  3. Maturity demands - parental pressure or encouragement to perform well 
>>	in the intellectual, social, or social sphere.
>>
>>  4. Nurturance - warmth and involvement in caretaking, extent to which
>>	parent expresses concern for child's well-being or pleasure in
>>	child's accomplishments.
>>
>>The results:
>>
>>     AUTHORITARIAN parents:
>>	high control, low communication, high maturity, low nurturance. 
>>     Their children :
>>	 withdrawn, showing relatively little vitality and eagerness in 
>>	 their daily activity. In addition, they were shy and generally
>>	 uneasy around peers.  Children showed a lack of instrumental
>>	 competence, self-reliance, vitality and self-control.
>>
>>     AUTHORITATIVE parents:
>>	high control, high communication, high maturity, high nurturance. 
>>     Their children :
>>	 self-assertive, independent, friendly with peers, and cooperative
>>	 with parents. Both intellectually and socially they demonstrated 
>>	 success, enjoyment and strong motivation toward achievement.
>>
>>
>>     PERMISSIVE parents:
>>	low control, high communication, low maturity, high nurturance
>>     Their children :
>>	 Children showed a lack of instrumental competence, self-reliance, 
>>	 vitality and self-control, BUT were more positive in their moods
>>	 and showed more vitality than children of authoritarian families.
>>
>>from "Social and Personality Development", by William Damon.
>>
>>
>>diana
>>
>
>So what do you have if you have high control, high communication, low
>maturity, and high nurturance?  I mean what's so great about pushing
>your child beyond their age intellectually or socially?  The other
>areas I can see ... (Assume by high control that means consistent
>discipline.)
>
>Elise. 

Oops , there was a typo...it should have read (emotional...not social twice):

  3. Maturity demands - parental pressure or encouragement to perform well 
	in the intellectual, social, or emotional sphere.

I don't think they meant pushing the child beyond their age ...rather
expecting the child to act their age...you know, to act "mature" - like
a "big boy", or "big girl".

A while ago, I were discussing this study with a friend, who characterized 
the way he and his wife raised his 3 children exactly that way : high control,
high communication, low maturity, and high nurturance.  Their children
all seem to be somewhat pessimistic, not particularly warm or sympathetic
to other people, and slightly "behind" their friends emotionally and socially.

The oldest girl, who is 32, single, just got her PHD, has been in therapy 
for a while.  The second, a boy, who is 30, a doctor of medicine, just met 
his first girlfriend.  The youngest, a boy, is 27, lives with Mom, neither 
works nor goes to school, spends most of his time feeling sorry for himself.

Don't you just hate these stories where someone says but ..I have a
friend who ....as if to prove a point?  Nope... here's just a couple of 
data points.        


diana
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