Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
Parental behavior refers to the actions, attitudes, and interactions of parents towards their children. It encompasses various aspects such as parenting styles, discipline strategies, emotional support, and communication patterns.
The overall approach that parents use to raise their children, which can be authoritative (firm but supportive), authoritarian (strict and controlling), permissive (laid-back with few rules), or neglectful (uninvolved).
Parent-child Attachment: The emotional bond between parents and their children that influences how securely or insecurely attached a child feels towards their caregiver.