‘Sensitive Parenting Is the Most Important Factor in a Child’s Psychological Development.’ Discuss.

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TMA03 ‘Sensitive parenting is the most important factor in a child’s psychological development.’ Discuss. In order to explore the influence of sensitive parenting on a child’s psychological development, it is first necessary to define what researchers mean by the term ‘sensitive parenting.’ Oates et al defined sensitive parenting as “nurturant, attentive, non-restrictive parental care” (Oates et al, OU, 2005 pg 30). Winnicott (1964) stated that sensitivity refers to the ability to understand that the best approach is not to try to ‘alleviate all distress, discomfort and frustration at the earliest possible opportunity,’ (as cited in Oates et al., 2005, p. 25) but to allow and be aware of the infants needs to develop, through supported waiting and reinforcement, the tolerance and confidence that forms part of a healthy attachment and results in normal behaviour. This balance could be found in what he termed the ‘good enough’ mother, in which the focus is on the right amount of delay in response to a infants needs, which can only be achieved via sensitivity and understanding of an infant’s needs. Another key figure in the field of child development, Mary Ainsworth, (1969) proposed a series of sensitivity scales that pointed to the quality of the care being provided as being the key factor, and broke the term sensitivity down further. Diane Baumrind’s (1966) work is also useful in defining sensitivity, in that it moves the focus away from the potentially unclear notion of sensitive parenting, to that of the defined values of her authoritative parenting style, which again looked to the balance set out in Winnicotts work, and here pointed to the importance of taking a moderate approach that emphasised ‘setting high standards, being nurturing and responsive, and showing respect for children as independent, rational beings.’ (As cited by Gwen Dewar, 2013) Here again,

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