Taking an honest assessment of someone's parenting style isn’t always an easy task. That’s why it’s important to first separate the behavior from the person.
Calling a person a “bad parent” isn’t something to jump to based on a difference in beliefs or parenting style.
Losing your temper every once in a while is not the same as telling your child, "I'm right, you're wrong, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Although people might disagree on what is "good" or "bad" parenting, most parents have both positive and negative parenting traits.
According to Sharron Frederick, LCSW, a psychotherapist at Clarity Health Solutions, kids who have little or no discipline are left to fend for themselves, which can result in injuries and also creates a child who does not understand boundaries.
"Children look to parents to define what boundaries are and the consequences that can occur if the child crosses the boundaries," she told Healthline.
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Unlike parents who enforce little to no discipline, Frederick thinks parents who practice strict or rigid discipline (aka act like autocrats) do not allow their child to explore their world, which often leads to a child who becomes fearful and anxious or rebellious.
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“Ignoring a child is telling them that your love is conditional,” Frederick said, adding that withdrawing affection because a child does not do what they are told causes similar harm.
“These types of behaviors can cause a child to have low self-esteem and low confidence, which can result in a child not expressing their wants and needs,” she said.
As time goes by, according to Frederick, this can lead to co-dependency, in which the child will adapt to how they feel a person wants them to act. "Many times, this can lead to relationships that are abusive," she explained.
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Frederick also said that children who experience overly rigid or strict discipline can have issues with control of others, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other anxious behaviors, together with the mindset that the world is dangerous.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there's the rebellious child who fights with their parents, breaks the rules, and engages in negative behaviors.
A 2014 study found that harsh parenting, which includes verbal or physical threats, frequent yelling, and hitting, along with immediate negative consequences for a specific behavior, can lead to children having emotional and behavioral issues, such as aggressiveness and following directions at school.