Sentence:  These values give direction to the life of the middle-class man or woman , dictating the <WSD>methods</WSD> of child rearing , determining the pattern of community participation , setting the style for the psychiatric treatment of middle-class illness , and informing the congregational life of the major denominations . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)