Autocratic Style

The autocratic parenting style, also known as the authoritarian style, has an evident rigid structure — “limits without freedom”. The “I know best” or “my way or the highway” mentality of autocratic parents is used to teach their teens what to think, rather than how to think, through the use of lectures and interrogations. These parents use excessive control and fear of consequences to micro-manage their teen’s life. The main control strategies used are punishments and rewards. Controlling teens in such a way displays disrespect and has many consequences.

The autocratic (authoritarian) parenting style may cause the following consequences for teens:

• Rebellion or passive compliance/ indifference, as teens are not allowed to express opinions and feelings
• Difficulty finding out who they are, what they can do, and who they can become
• Becoming secretive and lying to parents to avoid consequences
• Vulnerability to becoming abusive or victims of abuse
• Resistant to helping others unless there are external rewards
• Difficulty in establishing own limits as an adult and learning from own mistakes

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