Revisiting parenting styles and its effects on children

Parents play a crucial role in their children’s lives during their growing up years. They help shape their children’s skills, behaviour, attitudes and value systems that are necessary for successful adjustment in an ever changing society. Parenting Styles are a composite set of behaviours, practices and an emotional climate which provide the context in which children learn social and instrumental competence. For several decades, researchers have been interested in the influence of parenting styles on development of children. While the concept of Parenting Styles, its classification and influence of each style on children’s personality originated in the western world, several researchers in other parts of the world have questioned the concept, its classification and its impact on children as related research conducted in other continents have often given contradictory results. This review paper attempts to explore and understand the concept of parenting styles and its influence across cultures and regions.