Permissive Parenting Style
Loving and Lenient.
Permissive parents are warm and affectionate, but offer little structure or discipline. Often trying to be a friend rather than a parent, they avoid setting clear limits and rarely follow through with consequences. Their leniency may feel loving, but it leaves children without the guidance and boundaries they need to feel secure. Rules, if present at all, are inconsistently applied and easily negotiated by the child.
SVATANTRA PERSONALITY TYPE
The Result of Permissive Parenting Style
The essence the adult formed through permissive parenting is called Svastha-Darśin, meaning one with an unrestrained ego.
SANSKRIT MEANING
- Svatantra (स्वतन्त्र) = independent, free, unbound, self-governing
- Ahaṅkārin (अहंकारिन्) = one who possesses ego or is governed by a strong sense of “I”, often asserting their desires as supreme.
- Svatantra-Ahaṅkārin (स्वतन्त्र-अहंकारिन्) is formed by uniting these two Sanskrit roots to signify “one whose ego resists restraint”—a person shaped by overindulgence and a lack of limits, prone to defiance, entitlement, and difficulty accepting guidance.
VEDIC PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVE
From a Vedic Psychology perspective, permissive parenting gives rise to rajasic and tamasic samskaras—impressions of emotional confusion, craving, and ungrounded freedom. These shape an ahankara that oscillates between neediness and avoidance. Healing comes through cultivating Sattva: building inner structure, emotional clarity, and dharmic boundaries that support true freedom and growth.
Svatantra Personality Type
Entitled. Emotional. Impulsive. Defiant. Independent.
Personality Traits
- Poor boundaries
They often struggle to say no or to protect their time, space, and energy, since boundaries were not consistently modeled or enforced in childhood. - Emotional volatility
Without structure or containment, they may feel emotions intensely and express them impulsively, becoming easily overwhelmed or reactive. - Difficulty with self-discipline
They may avoid routine, resist constraints, or procrastinate—having internalized a pattern of indulgence rather than responsibility. - Dependency or entitlement
They may expect others to meet their needs or accommodate them, or they may rely heavily on external structure due to a lack of internalized order. - Fear of rejection when asserting themselves
Without healthy conflict modeling, they may avoid expressing disagreement or setting limits, fearing they will be disliked or abandoned. - Low frustration tolerance
They often struggle to tolerate discomfort, challenge, or delayed gratification, leading to impulsivity or giving up too easily.
A Vedic Psychology Portrait
Decoding the Inner Self Through Ayurvedic Face & Body Reading
For centuries, Ayurvedic physicians have practiced mukha-vijnana—the sacred art of reading the face and body to discern the inner landscape of a person’s mind, constitution, and character. Rooted in the understanding that the body reflects the soul’s impressions and experiences, this subtle science interprets posture, gaze, and expression as windows into samskaras and developmental influences.
In this portrait, we observe the Svatantra—an adult personality type formed through permissive parenting, embodying emotional impulsivity, bold self-expression, and a defiant ego that resists structure or restraint.
As the image suggests this person exhibits:
- Slouched or ungrounded posture: The lack of physical containment reflects an absence of internal structure—common in those raised without firm limits or consistent expectations.
- Wide-eyed or emotionally exposed expression: Indicates openness and vulnerability, but also a tendency to become overwhelmed without emotional boundaries.
- Pleading or approval-seeking gaze: Suggests a habit of looking outward for validation, a hallmark of someone who was rarely challenged or guided inwardly.
- Idle or distracted hands: The absence of focused activity reflects difficulty channeling energy and attention—typical of those unaccustomed to limits or follow-through.
- Colorful but unbalanced clothing or surroundings: Expressive yet mismatched attire suggests emotional creativity without the structure to ground it, often resulting from lack of modeled coherence or discipline.
Together, these features portray bold self-display, emotional intensity, and a striking disregard for harmony—an embodiment of permissive parenting’s fruits.
How Were You Parented?
Take the Parenting Style quiz to uncover the dominant style of your parent. Trace the roots from your childhood upbringing to the patterns you carry into adulthood.
DEEPEN YOUR STUDIES
Click on the title to learn more.
- Toxic Parents Book Club
- The Toxic Father e-course
- My Mother, Myself e-course
- Love & Attachment Styles e-course
