IJSR International Journal of Scientific Research 2277 - 8179 Indian Society for Health and Advanced Research ijsr-8-7-20035 Original Research Paper Motivational Enhancement Parenting: A Neurobiological Model of Parenting Sumit Rana Dr. July 2019 8 7 01 02 ABSTRACT

Parenting is a very emotional, important and difficult process in humans. Parenting models have not yet struck an ideal balance between various dimensions of parenting viz. warmth vs rejection, structure vs chaos, and autonomy support vs coercion. Despite multiple attempts, the path to the ultimate aim of developing self–control in the child is yet to be discovered. The recent developments in the area of neurobiology of emotional control and decision making processes including underlying motivation may hold the key to this puzzle which couldn’t be solved by various psychological theories. Keeping this in mind, the research in the field of neurobiology of emotional control, motivation and decision making is reviewed. The review reveals three basic neurobehavioral systems. Approach system centered on nucleus accumbans, Avoidance system centered on amygdala and Regulatory System centered on Prefrontal Cortex. Review also shows that Regulatory System is the substrate for self–control. Approach and avoidance system are found to influence each other, as well as the regulatory system. Keeping in mind the findings of the review, a parenting model, Motivational Enhancement Parenting (MEP), is being proposed with the basic aim of strengthening the Regulatory System, in absolute as well as relative terms. The principles of MEP strikes an ideal balance between various parenting dimensions and will pave the way for the development of self–control in the child as well as the parents.