authoritarian parenting. Rules and demands are numerous, arbitrary, and rigid and need no justification; behavior is mostly shaped by punishment; children’s emotional needs are low priorities. Parental motivation is often that it’s a tough, unforgiving world and kids better be prepared. Authoritarian parenting tends to produce adults who may be narrowly successful, obedient, conformist (often with an undercurrent of resentment that can explode), and not particularly happy. Moreover, social skills are often poor because, instead of learning by experience, they grew up following orders.
