Is Authoritative Parenting the Best Parenting Style?

Abstract

Over the past 60 years, parenting style has been consistently explored, particularly with regard to its role in children’s development in western society. Various studies show that authoritative parenting is the best and the most effective parenting style to be applied universally to support optimal children’s development. This paper aims at exploring how the implementation of parenting style is highly affected by the cultural context of the society. Different cultural values reflected in individualist and collectivist cultures shape different understandings of parenting and thus different parenting styles. The two cultures perceive authoritative parenting style differently. To collect information, the author reviewed the literature on parenting practices in Asian, European, and American countries. The results of this paper highlight the need of having a better understanding on how the parenting style which is considered the best in one culture can be distinctly perceived by other cultures.