The effects of parenting styles on children's self-esteem were examined by dividing the empirical literature into three age groups: the preschool child; the elementary child; and the adolescent. Major literature reviews by W. C. Becker, B. Martin, and E. E. Maccoby and J. A. Martin are discussed and inconsistencies among the reviews are examined. Methodological issues involved in doing research on parent-child variables and self-esteem are considered, including problems associated with subjects as informants, observational data, situations and themes, the issue of control, and research on self-esteem. Results of the literature review are presented which showed that: (1) in preschoolers, authoritative parenting was associated with girls' self-esteem, but fathers' authoritative parenting was associated with low self-esteem in preschool boys; (2) at the elementary age, both mothers' and fathers' permissiveness and mothers' authoritativeness were associated with boys' self-esteem; and (3) for adolescents, lack of rigid control, high support, and limit-setting accompanied by communication were positively associated with self-esteem. It is suggested that these tentative guidelines must be tempered by the fact that each child is different. Individual differences were not taken into account in the research, making it even more important for the parents to be aware of their child's individual needs and their responses to disciplinary styles. (Author/ABL)