The Impact of Parenting Styles and Family Factors on Children's

Creativity: A Critical Review

Youle Quan

Noic Academy, 50 Featherstone Ave, Markham, ON L3S 2H4, Canada

Keywords: Creativity, Parents, Self-Esteem, over-Protection, Authoritative.

Abstract: This paper explores how children’s creativity is connected to parenting styles and family factors. Based on a

large body of literature, this study analyze how different parenting styles and communication elements exert

negative and positive impact on children’s creative development, respectively. Creativity is negatively

associated with authoritarian and permissive parenting, as well as over-protection and parental rejection. In

contrast, children possessing greater creative skills usually have parents who encouraging autonomy,

providing support, and employ authoritative parenting style. Additionally, they exhibit personal security and

confidence and are adept in balancing emotional support and respect for independence. Other family factors

also play significant roles. Higher family SES and parental engagement in arts foster creativity, whereas

excessive exposure to electronic media can hinder it. Children’s resilience and self-esteem mediate the impact

from parents. Self-esteem acts as a bridge between parenting styles and creative outcomes and self-esteem

mainly impacts through children’s subjective social-economic status. The paper aims to provide a

comprehensive understanding of the familial influences on creativity, offering insights for both academic

research and practical applications. The study offers recommendations for nurturers, parents and educators to

promote creativity in children, stressing the importance of emotional security, autonomy, and a supportive

environment.

1 INTRODUCTION

The current era has unprecedentedly celebrated

creativity as a vital skill for problem-solving,

innovation, and personal growth. Shaped by a

complex interplay of intrinsic and extrinsic factors,

creativity is influenced by various determinants such

as cognitive abilities, personality traits, socio-cultural

contexts, and access to resources. While these factors

synergistically affect an individual’s creative

potential, the role of the family, arguably the earliest

and most intimate social environment, remains

underexplored. Existing research often focuses on

isolated variables (e.g., parenting approaches) or

narrow outcomes like academic performance, leaving

gaps in understanding how family systems

holistically foster or hinder creative development. By

critically reviewing different perspectives, this essay

aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the

familial influences on creativity, with a focus on

parenting styles and other family dynamics. First, key

terminologies (e.g. creativity and parenting styles)

and essay’s research objective will be defined. Next,

the paper will demonstrate how authoritarian,

authoritative, and permissive parenting styles

differentially nurture or constrain creative thinking.

Finally, it will examine structural factors such as

family socioeconomic status, sibling relationships,

and mediating variables like resilience and self-

esteem, offering insights into how families

collectively sculpt children’s creative trajectories.

2 DEFINITION OF THE

RESEARCH SUBJECT

2.1 Creativity

Creativity is the ability of individuals or groups to

generate new and valuable ideas, or to think

independently of tasks. Creativity is not only limited

to the field of artistic creation, but also widely used in

technology, business and daily life. The core of

creativity lies in creation. Through the individual's

unique way of thinking, the combination of

conditions and knowledge will come up with unique

solutions. It can be either a concrete product or an

Quan, Y.

The Impact of Parenting Styles and Family Factors on Children’s Creativity: A Critical Review.

DOI: 10.5220/0014150700004942

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Applied Psychology and Marketing Management (APMM 2025), pages 677-681

ISBN: 978-989-758-791-7

677

abstract theory or concept. Creativity is inseparable

from the individual's imagination, flexibility and

divergent thinking of the brain, willing to actively

think about problems from multiple angles, and able

to break the conventional thinking mode. Intrinsic

motivation, such as a passion for something, can

greatly contribute to creativity. And an open, positive

environment can help creativity flourish. And parents

play an important role in the environment. Parents are

the ones who educate children from an early age, and

there is a significant relationship between different

parenting styles and children's creativity.

2.2 Parenting Style

Among family studies, there is a significant amount

of literature is pertaining to the concept and

categorization of parenting styles. This essay adapts

Baumrind's parenting style framework, based on the

level of responsiveness and demandingness, broadly

categorizing all parents into four kinds: authoritative,

authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful (Baumrind,

1991). Authoritative parents are high on both

responsiveness and demandingness. They combine

clear expectations with reasoning and negotiation in

enforcement. Instead of requiring absolute obedience,

they provide emotional support and acknowledge the

children's uniqueness and interests. Therefore, it is

often linked to positive developmental outcomes. In

contrast, authoritarian parenting is high on

demandingness and low on responsiveness, marked

by strict control and low warmth. They maintain high

authority and reject challenges, strictly restricting

children’s behaviors. On the opposite side,

permissive parents are low on demandingness but

high on responsiveness, meaning they tend to

prioritize their children’s needs and place no or little

control over children. Neglectful parents, however,

are low in both demandingness and responsiveness.

They show indifferent and unengaged attitudes in

raising and nurturing the children.

2.3 Other Factors Related to Creativity

While the theory of parenting styles mainly captures

various interaction models between parents and their

children, the objective quantification and

measurements of these elements are sometimes

unattainable; they only represent parenting as a one-

way traffic, overlooking other family contexts and

children’s mediating processes. Therefore, in this

research, specific factors, such as rejection and

emotional warmth, are used to indicate the specific

degrees of parenting styles. Meanwhile, other family

factors, such as family size and socio-economic status,

are being discussed in how they have impact creative

development. More importantly, the effects of

parenting styles and family contexts on creativity is

mediated by children, with self-esteem identified as

the most potential factor.

3 THE IMPACT OF PARENTING

STYLES ON CREATIVITY

Certain parenting styles are believed to negatively

correlate with children’s creativity. Authoritarian

parenting has been widely linked to lower creativity

levels, as it emphasizes strict rules, obedience, and

limited autonomy, which can stifle independent

thinking and problem-solving skills. Fearon et al.

examined Jamaican families, where authoritarian

parenting is prevalent, and found a significant

negative correlation between this parenting style and

children’s creative performance (Fearon et al., 2013).

The study suggested that children raised in highly

structured and rigid environments often lack the

opportunity to engage in exploratory and divergent

thinking, which are essential for creativity. Similarly,

Wang conducted a large-scale study involving over

1,200 university students and discovered that parental

rejection and overprotection were negatively

associated with general creativity (Wang, 2023).

However, interestingly, these negative parenting

behaviors were positively correlated with malevolent

creativity, which involves using creativity for

antisocial or harmful purposes. This finding indicates

that while authoritarian and overly controlling

parenting may suppress constructive creative

expression, they may inadvertently foster alternative,

less socially desirable forms of creativity as a coping

mechanism.

Further supporting these conclusions, Dong et al.

conducted a study involving 329 Chinese parent-child

pairs and found that negative parenting styles

adversely affect both subjective and objective

creativity (Dong et al., 2022). Their research

highlighted that child raised in controlling, highly

critical, or emotionally distant environments

demonstrated lower creative capacities in both self-

reported and performance-based assessments. This

suggests that a lack of emotional warmth and

autonomy support may hinder the development of

intrinsic motivation, which is crucial for creative

expression. Collectively, these studies underscore the

detrimental effects of authoritarian and unsupportive

parenting on creativity, reinforcing the idea that

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parenting practices that discourage independent

thought and emotional security may inhibit a child's

ability to generate original ideas and solutions. These

findings have significant implications for both

parenting strategies and educational policies,

emphasizing the necessity of fostering a supportive

and autonomy-encouraging environment to nurture

creativity in children.

Neglectful parenting has repeatedly been found to

be the most harmful type for students to develop

creativity. neglectful parenting was negatively

associated with creative thinking and positively

associated with conservative thinking (Fan & Zhang,

2014). Neglectful Parenting is a type of parenting that

is negative, disengaged and lacking in emotional

support and supervision. It also equally falls under

one of Baumrind's four main parenting styles, often

referred to as uninvolved parenting. neglectful

parenting often neglectful of emotional support,

estranged from their parents and lacking warmth or a

sense of belonging (Lim & Smith, 2008). Parents

often pay little attention to their children's

development. They often neglect their children's

basic needs, are indifferent to their children's

emotional needs, and offer little love, encouragement,

or recognition.

Conversely, certain parental traits and behaviors

positively correlate with children’s creativity.

Miller and Gerald identified that parents of

creative children often possess a strong sense of

personal security and competence, which enables

them to cultivate an environment that prioritizes both

respect and independence (Miller & Gerard, 1979).

This sense of security allows parents to provide their

children with the necessary space to explore ideas

freely while also instilling confidence in their creative

pursuits. By fostering an open and flexible home

environment, these parents facilitate opportunities for

children to engage in self-directed learning,

experimentation, and independent problem-solving.

Such an approach contrasts with parenting styles that

emphasize conformity, which can restrict a child’s

ability to think divergently and explore innovative

solutions.

Building on these perspectives, Robinson and

Mehrinejad et al. demonstrated that authoritative

parenting, which balances high expectations with

emotional warmth and support, is particularly

conducive to the development of creativity (Robinson

et al., 2013; Mehrinejad et al., 2015). This parenting

style is characterized by clear guidance, consistent

encouragement, and the establishment of a structured

yet nurturing atmosphere that allows children to

develop critical thinking and creative confidence.

Unlike authoritarian parenting, which imposes rigid

control, or permissive parenting, which lacks

structure, authoritative parenting ensures that

children benefit from both discipline and emotional

reinforcement. The combination of these factors helps

children develop resilience, intrinsic motivation, and

the willingness to take intellectual risks—key

attributes necessary for creative expression.

Collectively, these findings suggest that parenting

approaches that emphasize both structure and

emotional support play a crucial role in fostering

creativity, underscoring the importance of providing

children with a balanced and enriching

developmental environment.

4 OTHER FAMILY FACTORS

AND MEDIATING VARIABLES

Mediating factors like resilience and self-esteem

further shape the relationship between parenting and

creativity.

Wang identified resilience as a crucial mediating

factor in the development of creativity, enabling

children to navigate challenges, overcome adversity,

and sustain creative expression despite external

pressures (Wang, 2023). Resilience allows children to

persist in the face of failure, adapt to changing

circumstances, and continue generating innovative

ideas even when confronted with setbacks. This

psychological strength is particularly important in

environments where rigid expectations or limited

parental support may otherwise suppress creative

potential. Children with higher resilience are more

likely to take intellectual risks, engage in problem-

solving, and explore novel ideas without fear of

criticism or failure, making it a key determinant of

creative success.

In addition to resilience, Dong et al. emphasized

the role of self-esteem, particularly as shaped by

subjective socioeconomic status (SSS) (Dong, 2022).

Their findings suggest that children who perceive

themselves as having a higher social standing tend to

develop greater self-esteem, which in turn fosters

creativity, even when direct parental encouragement

is lacking. This highlights how psychological and

environmental factors interact in shaping creative

potential. Together, resilience and self-esteem serve

as essential mediators, demonstrating that beyond

immediate parental influence, a child's ability to adapt,

persevere, and maintain confidence plays a critical

role in their creative development. The relation was

also examined by other researchers (Barbot, 2020).

The Impact of Parenting Styles and Family Factors on Children’s Creativity: A Critical Review

679

Self-esteem plays a vital psychological role in

unlocking a child's creative potential. self-esteem is

defined as a person's opinion of themselves. The

findings suggest that while authoritative and

permissive parenting can better foster creativity in

children compared to authoritarian and neglectful

parenting, these parenting styles alone may not be

sufficient for creativity to flourish. David Kelley, the

founder of IDEO, emphasized that the barrier to

creativity for many individuals is not a lack of

creative potential but a lack of creative confidence,

which closely aligns with the concept of self-esteem.

Self-esteem refers to an individual’s self-worth or

valuation of themselves.

Social comparison, the second factor, involves

individuals evaluating themselves relative to others.

Children, particularly in their formative years, tend to

compare themselves with family members and peers.

Consequently, positive reinforcement and emotional

validation from parents are crucial in fostering high

self-esteem. This validation enables children to feel

secure and capable of engaging in creative activities

without fear of judgment or failure. High self-esteem

contributes to creativity by promoting characteristics

such as self-confidence, openness to new experiences,

and a willingness to take risks.

5 DISCUSSION AND

SUGGESTIONS

According to the above research performance,

children's creativity is closely related to the parenting

style of parents and family factors. Overall,

authoritative parenting and a supportive home

environment are particularly important. Parents who

find a balance between emotional support and high

expectations for their children can create a good

environment for creativity. On the contrary, excessive

dictatorship, pressure and criticism will have a

serious negative impact on children's creativity and

even affect children's character. Studies have also

found that other factors can affect children's creativity,

such as family socioeconomic status, resilience and

self-esteem. By understanding these relationships,

parents and educators can create an environment

conducive to children's creative development.

To foster creativity, parents should strive to

balance the demands they make on their children with

the emotional support they give them. Encourage

children to have their own thinking and take the

initiative to think about problems. Schools and

parents can provide special experiences to develop

children's thinking ability and integrate some creative

activities into children's daily learning and life. For

example, let the children participate in creative

activities, let the children feel different things and

learn diversified knowledge. Provide parents with an

effective educational experience. Arts events can also

be held to reduce the impact of socioeconomic status.

The author think future research should explore

the long-term effects of parenting styles in different

cultural backgrounds and ages on creativity. The

influence of values in different cultural contexts on

parenting and creativity can be investigated. Integrate

modern technology into the home to gain insight into

the multi-faceted nature and development of

creativity.

6 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, creativity emerges as a

multidimensional phenomenon intricately shaped by

the interplay of parenting practices, family

ecosystems, and individual psychological mediators.

Authoritarian or hyper-controlling parenting patterns

may constrain creative development, whereas

emotionally attuned, autonomy-supportive

approaches serve as catalysts for imaginative growth.

Furthermore, contextual elements such as

socioeconomic conditions, personal resilience, and

core self-perceptions critically moderate these

dynamics. This knowledge equips caregivers and

institutions with actionable insights to design

psychologically enriched environments that

systematically cultivate creative capacities—a vital

investment in preparing future generations to

navigate global complexities with innovation and

adaptability. As technological and cultural landscapes

undergo unprecedented transformation, prioritizing

creative development through evidence-based

familial strategies becomes not merely advantageous

but imperative for societal progress and human

flourishing.

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