Can parenting style predict great leadership? Not necessarily. But in a CNN article, digital correspondent and editor-at-large Kelly Wallace outlined what parenting can potentially tell us about leadership.
During recent town halls, Republican candidates have had the chance to showcase their families and talk about their family life. Televised and carefully composed talks with the families of Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) certainly won't reveal how successful they will be in the election, but a closer look at different parenting styles could be predictors of a prosperous president.
Psychologist Joe Taravella, PhD, claims there are four parenting styles: authoritative, uninvolved/neglectful, permissive and authoritarian. "Most studies find authoritative to be by far the best for the children," said psychoanalyst Gail Saltz, MD, according to the report.
The authoritarian style, in which parents have high expectations of their children but show understanding and utilize communication, may likely be the best style for America's future president. "[I]f the candidate who ends up winning in November falls in the 'authoritative' parenting category, we're all likely to be better off," according to the report.
What about the style in which each candidate was parented? The presidential candidates' relationship with their own parents can also be telling. "If you have the experience of some person in your life growing up who was able to think about you, then you are more likely to develop this ability for emotional regulation, which is the thing you really want in our president," said pediatrician and author Claudia Gold, MD, according to the report.
Having a presidential father likely influenced George W. Bush's mentality while in the White House. After President Barack Obama's parents divorced, his father moved to Kenya, which probably helped shape his global understanding of the world.
Regardless, family relationships and parenting style aren't everything. In his writing, Bill Clinton has discussed his alcoholic and abusive stepfather, whom some have attributed to his high level of sympathy. "There have been great leaders who were not great parents as well as great parents who were less-than-stellar leaders," said Dr. Saltz, according to the report.