Date of Award

1997

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

First Advisor

Marilyn Patterson

Second Advisor

Pamela Nickels

Third Advisor

Priscilla Timmerberg

Abstract

The discipline style of one's parents is often discussed as a factor toward various behavioral outcomes of their children. In some literature, certain types of families, "step"- families for example, have been labeled as exhibiting a particular parenting style perhaps more than some other type of family. In this project 3 parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive) are reviewed and examined in relation to 3 types of families (blended families, single parent families, and families with 2 biological parents present in the home). In particular, the parenting style of the fathers or stepfathers was examined. Parenting style was determined in the families of 50 college students by administering a Parental Authority Questionnaire to the students, thus judging style from the perspective of the student. It was determined that there was significant disagreement between parenting styles as compared with family types, indicating that there is some relationship between the two.

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