Jael Vargas Rubilar

Argentine Culture and Parenting Styles

The importance of parenting styles on development and welfare of children is widely known and also how parenting practices are linked to the social meanings of each culture or social group. We present various perspectives about parenting styles and their relation to different contexts, cultures and social classes in Argentina. We also analyze the characteristics of particular parenting styles of both middle class and disadvantaged backgrounds. Next we analyze whether more efficient parenting styles may vary from one culture to another, under the hypothesis that parenting styles that ensure children’s socioemotional adjustment, remain invariant in different socioeconomic contexts and cultures. Variation occurs in the characteristics or the degree of acceptance and control and in the ways in which parenting behaviors are perceived by children. Finally, we emphasize the importance of interventions aimed at optimizing parenting, so that parents can correct irrational beliefs about behaviors, customs and styles of parenting, which hamper the development of the resilience of children, parents and family.

Percepción de la creatividad en niños, padres y pares: efectos en la producción creativa

Objective. The present study aimed at assessing the perception of creativity in children, parents and peers, as well as the effect of these perceptions on the child’s creative output in paper-and-pencil activities. Method. The study involved 359 students aged 9-13 years from different schools and colleges of the province of Entre Ríos, Argentina. To know the creative production, children completed the Figural Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT; Torrance, Ball y Safter, 1992), Form B. To study the valuation of peers, parents and the own child on creativity, the Sociogram “Creative peer” for all children, the Creative Personality Scale (CPS; 2004, in its hetero-evaluation version for parents or guardians) and the Self-evaluation version for children aged 1113 years were administered. Results. The results showed that both parental perception (F (2, 356) = 6.55, p = 0.002) and peers’ evaluation (F (2, 356) = 4.90, p = 0.008) on creativity improve the child’s creative production in paper-and-pencil activities. No significant differences were found in the creative production according to the child’s self-perception of his/her creativity. Conclusion. Data demonstrate the fundamental importance of contextual factors, mainly the perception of parents and peers in the process of the formation of the self, in terms of competencies and skills that are necessary to carry out a creative task.