Question

What cultural and environmental factors in the united states may have contributed to the shift from an authoritarian "spare the rod" parenting style to an authoritative one since wwii? is another shift underway?

Answer 1

The correct answer is the following.  

The first term, “spare the rod and spoil the child” means that parents need to punish the child when he/she does something wrong. If they do not do that, the child is not going to learn the lesson and he/she grows, it is going to be more difficult to do the right thing.

The cultural environmental factors that have contributed to the shift of that parenting style to an authoritative one after World War II, are moral values and beliefs changed and the perspective of the difficulties to be “someone” and to “have something” also were different since WWII.

The children observe the parents’ behaviors and often they imitate what they see. Parents work very hard to set an example and do the right thing in order to teach children that nothing in life is free. They have to pay a price if they want to have something they like: money, leisure time to do what they want, home, a family, vacation, among others.  

Is another shift underway? Probably, many homes are single-mother, single-father homes. The education children receive is different. Most of the times, the mother or the father has to go to work and they are not spending the same amount of quality time with their children. Today’s kids are most influenced by Mass Media or what the see in Social Media, and that represents a big risk.

Answer 2

Question 1

An authoritarian parenting style is one that is based on the idea of children as strong-willed and self-indulgent. Parents who subscribe to it value obedience as a virtue in itself, and want the will of the child to bend to authority.

On the other hand, parents who are authoritative take a more pragmatic, case-by-case approach to discipline. They try to balance the child's needs with those of society instead of subscribing to one absolute standard.

Question 2

It is difficult to know what factors, if any, have caused a difference in parenting styles. However, if they do exist, they could be linked to a better understanding of children's emotional and social development. As the economy improves, and children no longer have to help support their family, there are also less expectations of children behaving as adults. The loss of social ties with the community could have also contributed to it, as parents look inward towards their nuclear family more, and therefore get to know their children better.

It is impossible to predict whether a new parenting style will arise. However, with the changes in economy and, in particular in technology, in recent years, this could be a plausible scenario.