Parenting Styles

Tiger Mom:

The term “Tiger Mom” comes from Amy Chua’s memoir, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”. This type of parenting style originated in Asia, and is predominately practiced in Asia, but is seen across all types of cultures and families. Parents approach their children with extremely high expectations regarding all aspects of life, strict rules, and they constantly push their children to perfection. This approach can be beneficial, as there is research showing high academic performance, exceptional musical abilities, and success in careers later in life as a result of children who have been parented by a “tiger mom”. On the down side, children who have grown up with tiger parents can be depressed, lonely, have low self-esteem and anxiety because their parents tend to not be supportive emotionally. Tiger mom best fits with Baumrind’s “authoritarian” parenting style. Baumrind describes the parent to be cold, rejecting, and critical to the child. The child can become self-conscious and have a low self-esteem.

Jellyfish Dads:

“Jellyfish parents” are permissive parents. They tend to not give their children rules or punishments, allowing them to learn from their own mistakes. They also overindulge their children and can be assumed to be push-overs. The bad-side to this type of parenting is the child can fail to develop respect for authority. They can seem spoiled and demanding. When it is time for them to go on into the work world, they might have difficulty finding a job due to lack of determination and difficulty keeping a job because of authority issues. Contrarily, jellyfish parenting can prevent conflict between the parents and the child. Also, making one’s own mistakes and learning from them can be beneficial. This style most closely relates to Baumrind’s “uninvolved” parenting style. Parents have “little time for child rearing” and are emotionally detached. Kids can have little motivation and be disobedient to authority.

Helicopter Parents:

Helicopter parents are best defined as parents who “hover” their kids and do not want to see them fail. They are extremely involved with their child’s activities, and maybe a little too involved. The parents often try to solve their children’s problems for them and leave them with no room to learn for themselves. This type of style works positively in the fact the child receives positive attention from his/her parents, but negatively in the fact the child does not have room to make decisions and succeed on their own. This style is similar to Baumrind’s “permissive” parenting style. Parents are warm and loving, but overindulgent. Kids can become too dependent on their parents and unaware of how to act on their own.

Good parenting is a cross between all three styles. Parents need to set high standards and goals for their children, but be able to love them and help them when they fail, because they will. Parents need to be involved with their child’s life, but not to the extent the kids are completely dependent on their parents. Rules and boundaries should be set, so they know how to deal with authority. Children often need to make their own mistakes to learn from, but they need parents to aid them through the process.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_mother

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-dolphin-way/201405/how-the-tigers-dolphins-and-jellyfish-parents-differ

http://www.ourkidsmagazine.com/tigers-and-dolphins-and-helicopters/

 

 

Do Men Really Prefer Blondes?

This mini-myth featured on Myth Busters has been in question for awhile, making its debut mainly during Marilyn Monroe’s era. Is cliche blonde really more appealing to men than other hair colors? The Myth Busters created an experiment to test this by setting up a speed-dating process. In each of 3 trials, 9 men were given 3 minutes to talk to each of 9 women. To prevent bias because of personality, the women switched off between a blonde wig, brunette wig, and a red wig to wear during each trial.

The strengths of the experiment were the different colored wigs, using professional hair stylists to make the wigs look realistic, doing more than one trial, having random men meet the women, not allowing the men to know the purpose of the speed-dating, and the process of rating the women based on attractiveness and likableness. The different colored wigs served to prevent the women’s personality from being a potential bias to the ratings the men gave the women. Professionals ensured the wigs looked realistic, so the men would not suspect the purpose of the experiment. Multiple trials using different men each time tested men with different interests and personalities. The participants knew they were being recorded, but they were not informed about the purpose, allowing for non-biased results.

Although this study was well-thought and planned for, it did have it’s weaknesses. There were only 9 women, and hair paired with attractive faces can have an impact. I think there should have been more women. Also, the men were allowed 3 minutes with each girl. If the experiment was meant to test physical attraction, I do not think their should have been any time allotted during the speed-date. Just a look at the women so the men could rate them on their appearance, and then an option to get to know them further based on their looks. If the men were meant to get to know the women, more than 3 minutes should be given.

And the final result was men generally do not prefer blondes over other hair colors.

Oct. 23, 1883

133 years ago, on October 23rd, 1883 marks the opening of the first state mental hospital in Salem, Oregon called the Oregon State Insane Asylum, or more currently known as the Oregon State Hospital. 320 patients were transferred/admitted to the hospital on opening day, including 102 female patients. Most of the patients were transfers from Portland’s Hawthorne Asylum, also a mental hospital, but not the state hospital.

The idea of the asylum was first proposed in 1862 by Addison Gibbs (Governor of Oregon) to provide care for “insane and idiotic persons”. The way of dealing with “insane and idiotic persons” at the time, for example, was a system in which the government paid Oregon citizens to “keep” mentally ill people and provide minimal care for them. Each county in Oregon was held responsible to deal with mentally ill people in whichever way they chose, Oregon archives just showed this particular case.

It took 20 years after Gibb’s suggestion to begin collecting government funds for the institution. The hospital was set to be built close to the state prison, which was probably not a coincidence. The hospital still remains in the same location today, and the road leading up to the building used to be known as “Asylum Avenue”. Dr. Horace Carpenter, a physician, was chosen as the hospital’s superintendent, or someone to oversee the hospital’s operations.

Obviously, the late 1800’s psychologists and doctors were not necessarily rich in information and proven facts regarding patients admitted into asylums and how to deal/care for them. The hospital still continues to be functional today, and even had recent reconstruction to expand the buildings in 2009-2011. The hospital’s technology, methods, and research has improved and plans to continue to expand to help the people of Oregon who need it.

Sources:

• http://www.cwu.edu/~warren/date.php
• http://www.salemhistory.net/places/state_hospital.htm
• http://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php?title=Oregon_State_Hospital
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_State_Hospital
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oregon_State_Hospital_Receiving_Ward_Building–west_facade_2.jpg

ABOUT ME

My name is Tiffany Litton, a current freshman and student athlete at Austin College. I plan to major in English with a minor in exercise sports science, eventually leading up to earning a masters degree in education. Eventually, I hope to become an English teacher and basketball coach at the high school or college level. I am a native Texan, born and raised in Austin.

This blog and it’s postings relate to my psychology class here at AC. Thinking about psychology in general, what comes to mind right away is the brain, it’s thoughts, how it works, memories, actions, etc. which is what also interested me to take this course. Additionally I am interested to learn about myself and others at a deeper level. From the course syllabus the three topics that are most intrigue me are Concussions, Personality Assessment, and Treating Mental Illness. Concussions interest me because athletes are often put in situations that concussions likely occur in. In the past I have learned about concussion prevention, how bad a concussion is, etc. but I have never known what actually goes on mentally when a concussion occurs. Personality assessment is interesting because I have always been into personality quizzes, personality types, and other peoples personalities and compatibility with my own. Lastly, mental illness in general has been an interest of mine for a long time, ever since I began volunteering at an Alzheimer’s home during my high school career.

The three topics that seem the least interesting to me are Scientific Method, Research Methods, and Neurons. I am not a “sci-ency” person, if you will, so these terms just bring confusion and blank thoughts to my head. Assuming I will have to take science classes later on, and the fact that this information is obviously important to the class material, I am confident I will benefit from and enjoy learning these topics once we actually get into them.

By the end of the class I hope to answer the question: What are possible advancements for psychology in the future? What more research is there to be done?