Summary discussion - Essay Example

Summary discussion Some of the discussion topics in the reading are parenting styles, cognitive development, and moral development, and the developedfacts raises questions on possible relationship among the three topics. Of particular interest is the relationship that the following question suggests.Can parental style affect cognitive and moral development of a child?The discussion explains types of parental styles and the degree of freedom that each style offers to children. Permissive style identifies a parent as a friend who offers guidelines and grants freedom and autonomy.

Even though authoritative and authoritarian styles are compromising, they ensure guidelines and power over a child. The identified role of a child in early childhood development, based on Jean Piaget’s theory, suggest a level of freedom for an effective role of the child and this implies better child development potential under permissive or authoritative style because of the available level of freedom. Discussion on Kohlberg’s theory of moral development also identifies personal traits into different levels of moral development that are based on self-discipline and self sacrifice potentials.

Such traits however depend on a person’s social environment, as offered by parental style.Existing literature supports the derived implications from the discussion to the effect that parental styles have significant effects on children’s cognitive development and moral development. Damon and Lener (2012) explain that the role of parents in a child’s life defines the child’s social and cognitive development through level of attention and instructions that a parent offers. Harmening, on the other hand, explains the role of parenting on moral development and associates lack of directions with selfishness towards lack of empathy.

Authoritarian style also undermines moral development but in the opposite direction and this means that the more moderate authoritative style may be effective in cultivating moral growth among children (2010).A relationship therefore exist between parenting style and both cognitive development and moral development.ReferencesDamon, D. and Lener, R. (2012). Child and adolescent development: An advanced Course. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Harmening, W. The criminal triad: Psychosocial development of the criminal personality type.

Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas Publisher.