Qualitative investigation on parental styles, emotional self-regulation and discipline in Spanish and Venezuelan families

Abstract

Emotional self-regulation is a capacity that a person develops from childhood. As such, parental styles and the discipline applied by parents have an effect on it, but this effect is a function of how each person means the discipline he/she has received.

Therefore, the objective of the research was to understand the influence of parental styles on emotional self-regulation and the cultural differences that exist between Venezuela and Spain. Therefore, a qualitative methodology was used, represented through semi-structured interviews with parents and children of the same family system (both from Spain and Venezuela). From these, and based on the constructionist paradigm, the constant comparative method was used to analyze the data.

Observing the results, the importance of positive parental discipline, based on child autonomy, responsibility, trust and balance between the freedoms granted and the limits imposed, can be extracted. However, physical punishment has also been observed in the face of a lack of emotional self-regulation, following the child's misbehavior. Likewise, this negative disciplinary reaction was usually accompanied by a feeling of regret. There were no notable differences according to culture, and the role of the mother was found to be dominant in both countries.

The participants' narratives reflect the importance that the style exercised by the parents has had on them, and how certain restrictions or limits have affected them.