What is a permissive family?: characteristics and consequences

Each of thetypes and styles of parenting are determined by factors such as the society where the family operates, the beliefs and traditions it has, as well as the experience that the parents have and the way in which they were raised as well.

Therefore, the parenting style adopted bypermissive familiesis rooted in those decisions that parents make in line with what they consider necessary and favorable for the life of their children.

In this sense, in the following article we detail both the positive and negative aspects of this style of familygroup, as well as its effects and a series of recommendations so you can identify whether or not it is the type of family you want to build.

What is a permissive family?

Permissive families are characterized by parents who make the decision to exercise little controlover the attitudes, characters, responsibilities and other behavioral aspects of their children, considered as a style or type of family where thelimits of thoughts and actionsare the elements that prevail.

Note: All this occurs, mainly due to thedesire of parents to meet all the needsof their children, without having adequate control over the requirements that may negatively affect the psychological and behavioral development of the child or adolescent.

Characteristics of a permissive family

The style or type of permissive parentinghas certain favorable and not so favorable elements, which determine the growth and social development of individuals. Here are some characteristics of permissive families:

1. There is emotional support and support

Permissive parentinghas the quality of providing a consolidated environment to the child, where he receives the full support of his parents in front of his decisions with few limits and rules, in addition he can count on the necessary affection to properly develop his emotions.

2. High self-esteem is encouraged

The children of permissive parents are usually children who are part of systems where few things are denied to them, this in turn fosters the self-esteem of the young person since they acquire security and confidence in the face of situations that may arise.

3. Love and affection is manifested

Permissive families have the characteristic of being one of the types of parenting where love prevails above all things. The affection between parents and children is reciprocal, natural and abundant thanks to the particularity that parents have of wanting to give all the best to their children, be it material or emotional.

4. Overprotection is excessive

Overprotection is due to the constant need to take care of children from negative experiences, therefore, parents focus on meeting all their needs and whims, making children grow up without the ability to develop and learn from their own adversities. .

Important: Some parents tend to develop a Psychological State known as Hypervigilance in front of their children, thus becoming people with high degrees of protection against situations of minor risk.

5. There is very little demand for responsibilities

This usually occurs in children who are not interested in receiving school education and particularly refuse to do housework, this being a consequence of the lack of rules and the little intention of parents to promote the value of responsibility.

6. Parents are submissive to their children

Note: The child or adolescent begins to adopt bad behaviors in the face of the position of little authority of the permissive parents, taking into account that the behavior of the little ones can be negatively affected if the father does not change said position.

Consequences of raising in a permissive family

The permissive behaviors of the parents have a series of effects that become evident as the child gets older, this is because they are already capable of reasoning and acting consciously in the face of the stimuli they are used to receiving.

1. Selfish, destructive and aggressive behavior

The bad behaviors that the child adopts are manifested mainly at times when they do not get what they want , this makes them aggressive, manipulative and destructive as a sign of displeasure in the face of said situation.

Note: In addition, Selfishness increases when the little one is not taught the value of sharing.

2. Intolerance of negative emotions

There are two variants of the intolerance of negative emotions , the first is where the parents do not allow the child to know, develop and feel these emotions due to the fear that the young people will face these feelings.

While the second is when children do not knowHow to Handleanger , anger, sadness, among other emotions that adverse situations usually bring with them, which can in certain cases make them emotionally illiterate .

3. Inability to set limits and follow rules

The permissive family is usually incapable of knowing how to manage limits and stimulate them, so young people are raised in an environment where they do not learn to respect the rules, this can mean that when they have to face society, they do not know conform to the rules and regulations of coexistence.

5. Tendency to develop low self-esteem

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Important: Young people immersed in this family style can demonstrate aggressive actions, do not control their impulses and if this is not corrected, there is a certain possibility that when they reach an older age they will acquire bad habits and vices.

6. Conflicts in interpersonal relationships

The multiple societies have stigmas, rules, norms and their own characteristics that are learned by each one of the individuals to learn to relate to each other, the young people who are formed in permissive parenting, usually hardly adapt to the valuesshared by society, such as respect, solidarity and understanding.

Note: This effect in turn has the consequence that the person does not know how to determine their Social identity , this can also lead to other problems at a psychological and behavioral level.

Recommendations for a permissive family

If, when reading this article, you found yourself immersed in a permissive family or you are a parent who is raising your children according to this type of parenting, we advise you to take into consideration the following recommendations so that you avoid adverse situations within your home:

1. Set limits and discipline

If parenting is excessively permissive, it runs the risk of leading to a dysfunctional family thanks to the little sense of respect and the lack of valuesthat have not been instilled by the parents, for this it is important that youbegin to stipulate rules, establish limits, encourage discipline and responsibility in your children.

2. Communicate assertively

Communication is a key point to improve the bad behaviors that permissive parenting entails, we recommend that you start Establishing conversations with your children where they can express their emotions and dislikes in order to be able to resolve conflicts appropriately.

3. Create proper habits and patterns

Education models help encourage the creation of habits, however it is important that reinforcement begins at home.

For this reason, you can increase the child’s responsibilities , such as: taking out the garbage or taking care of a pet, as well as encouraging them to practice activities that demand discipline, respect, and commitment.

4. Listen actively

It is necessary for the young person to learn to express himself, but it is even more important that parents know how to listen to them , creating meetings where they are allowed to express themselves, together with gratitude for having made their points of view known, is essential to improve behaviors and bad attitudes. .

5. Maintain uniformity in behaviors

Discipline, communication, education, respect, responsibility and other values areelements that must be actively promoted, in addition to maintaining the key positions and decisions that will make the little ones begin to improve their behavior and develop as good people. within society.

Key Findings

• The Permissive Family deals with those parenting methods where overprotection and little sense of responsibility prevail in children.
• The most common positive characteristics are: mutual affection, good self-esteem and the support of parents towards their children.
• Negative Aspects include: little parental authority, lack of responsibility, respect and personal values.
• It has as a consequence, the low self-esteem of the children and not knowing how to handle negative emotions.
• We suggest that you start setting limits and rules, creating habits, as well as improving communication at home.