Impact of Positive Parenting on Child Psychology

Running head: IMPACT OF POSITVE PARENTING ON CHILD PSYCHOLOGY
IMPACT OF POSITIVE PARENTING ON CHILD PSYCHOLOGY
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IMPACT OF POSITIVE PARENTING ON CHILD PSYCHOLOGY
Developmental psychology is considered to be a scientific approach that aims to make
the individuals understand the about growth, change as well as a consistency that is seen
through the lifespan. It is a part of psychology that shows how thinking, behaviour, and
feelings change throughout the life of a person (Hurry 2018). However, it primarily aims to
focus on the development and changes that take place during childhood, as this is the time
where maximum changes are made. These developments are initiated by positive parenting.
The most crucial role of a parent is to provide support, love, encouragement and activities
that help the child to grasp the developmental tasks. Since parents stay with children when
they are young, they are the ones who have the maximum impact on the psychology of their
child (Newman and Newman 2017). It is essential for the parents to maintain a healthy
relationship with the child as well as keep the home environment healthy. Therefore, the
essay aims to throw light on the impact of positive parenting on the psychology of a child.
To describe the term development, it is essential to focus on both typical (normative
development) and individual patterns of change; the latter is also referred to as idiographic
development (Lerner 2019). When one is trying to understand the psychology of a child, it is
essential to look at two crucial aspects- nature as well as nurture. Nature comprises of the
biological development of a child as well as maturation, whereas nurture is the impact of the
environment on the child that consists of learning through various experiences. Development
psychology is looked at from many theories that are proposed by different psychologists
(Morss 2017). For instance, a psychologist, while examining the intellectual development in a
child, will consider the theory of cognitive development that was as proposed by Piaget
(Meadows 2017). He outlined the stages that children go through as they learn. Psychologists
are also keen to understand how social relationships affect the development of a child. This is
where the role of parents comes in. Children, while they are young, are vulnerable to the
changes that take place around them. They tend to learn what they see. Therefore, parents

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IMPACT OF POSITIVE PARENTING ON CHILD PSYCHOLOGY
need to make sure that they create a positive environment for their children so that they are
psychologically, mentally and physically healthy. Positive parenting is based on the learning
of social theory as well as developmental psychology. It ensures a harmonious relationship
between the child and the parent as well as the family as a whole. It also includes mutual
respect, taking care of the child’s emotional as well as social needs, appreciating them,
setting strict rules along with friendly behavior, and communication (Pastorelli et al 2016).
Baumrind's attachment theory suggests that children always need attachment with
human beings, especially the primary caregiver with whom the child is most attached. This
attachment period is for the initial 2-3 years, and if broken before this span, the psychology of
the child is affected and he/she feels distressed. Baumrind Parenting Typology is a theory
proposed by Baumrind that focuses on the various parenting behaviour that affects the
psychology of the child differently (Ebrahimi et al 2017). Attachment theory is also a
psychological, ethological as well as evolutionary theory that is concerned with the
relationship between human beings (Fonagy 2018). There are various types of attachments of
a child with his/her parents- secure, avoidant and disoriented. A child when he/she feels safe
with his parents can engage with strangers. The extent of exploration, as well as distress, are
affected by the attachment status. Parents should always respond to their child’s needs so that
the child feels secure (Van, Van and Van 2016). These children can give their best as they
have a sense of security. This type of parenting is the most adaptive style of attachment.
However, this feeling of security if felt from childhood, can be fruitful in the long run. An
infant with an avoidant style of attachment will try to ignore his caregiver when they are
around them. These children do not explore regardless of the people present there. This
generally happens when the parents ignore the child and his/her needs are not met (Zalaznik,
Weiss and Huppert 2019). Avoidance is of two types- when the child is avoidant, he
maintains a distance from his/her caregiver, and secondly, the cognitive process that leads to

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IMPACT OF POSITIVE PARENTING ON CHILD PSYCHOLOGY
avoidant behaviour helps is gaining the desired attention from the caregiver. Infant behaviour
is of many types that have been listed in the Strange Situation Protocol defined as
disorganized that includes over feelings of fear, freezing and other contradictory behaviours.
Parental behaviour, along with a parent-child relationship with the family as well as
the community, affects the development of a child. A child’s behaviour is directly
proportional to his/her relationship with their parents. The positive psychological
development of a child is a result of parenting effectiveness. The latter means a set of actions
by parents that helps the child to develop as well as adjust to the environment. In the west, a
developed child is described as someone friendly, has potential, is emotionally stable and
educated. According to the framework proposed by Bradley and Caldwell, parents must
follow these steps to ensure the psychological health of their child- sustenance, structure,
stimulation, support and surveillance (Cline and Edwards 2017). These are all related to
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. At the time of infancy sensitivity as well as positive parenting
needs to be built with the child to ensure attachment, moral development, cooperation and
security. Positive parenting leads to a feeling of motivation, protection, affection, guidance
and consistency. When a child goes into the adolescent stage parents need to understand the
importance of safeguarding the autonomy as well as individuality that helps to formulate the
psychology and behavioral development. All the elements including positive social,
emotional, physical as well as cognitive development of a child, can be transformed. Rather
than telling children the difference between right and wrong positive parenting helps the
children to realise themselves and intrinsically say to the difference between right and wrong.
According to Adler, positive parenting is all about firmness and kindness (Kyriazos and
Stalikas 2018). To help the child develop positive psychology and a healthy mentality it is
crucial to keep them away from all kinds of violent parental behaviour to avoid any unwanted
behaviour from children.