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Dashiell Robert “Dash” Parr is a 10-year-old boy from The Incredibles (2004) and The Incredibles II (2018).

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He is the son of superheroes Bob Parr a.k.a. Mr. Incredible, and Helen Parr a.k.a. Elastigirl. Being the son of two “supers”, he and his siblings possess powers of their own. Dash specifically has the ability to move at superhuman speed.

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One of Dash’s most defining characteristics is that he is a troublemaker. As seen in this clip, he plays pranks on his teacher, and stunts like these get him sent to the principal’s office with some level of regularity.

A reason for this behavior is mentioned in his conversation with his mother Helen: his parents do not permit him to use his powers openly because of an existing stigma against people with superpowers. So instead, he plays tricks on his teacher to have an outlet for his energy and super-speed and as a way to confront his mom with his desires to be able to use them in sports. However, Dash is actually not an out-of-control problem child.

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At the end of the first movie, Dash’s parents finally let him join a sporting competition. Here he exhibits restraint in using his powers, and listens to his family’s instructions such that he does not reveal his and his family’s abilities and identities. Dash may have a knack for making trouble, but he also has the capability to control himself and listen to authority.

Dash is a very energetic child who likes to play tricks with his superhuman speed, though he can ultimately exert some level of self-control. So far, we have identified his troublemaking nature to be caused by the conflict between his desire to use his powers and the restriction imposed on his power usage. The root cause of why he cannot use his super-speed is because of societal norms, but the more immediate cause is because of his parents’ rules and expectations of him.

We will now take a look at Bob and Helen Parr’s parenting styles to give us more insight into Dash’s character.

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Mom and Dad Don't Have the Same Parenting Styles!

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Mom and Dad Don't Have the Same Parenting Styles!

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This clip shows a disconnect between the parenting styles of Bob and Helen Parr. Helen displays an authoritative parenting style with how she brings up the issue of Dash getting in trouble at school. She asserts that Dash’s behavior was misconduct on his part, and she does so in a tone that suggests that she wants to discuss his lashing out at school so that they can address it constructively.

This reading of her lines is consistent with what she says to Dash in the previous clip of her picking up Dash after school ("We need to find a better outlet. A more constructive outlet.").

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The Incredibles dinner scene (1080p Full HD)

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Her approach to discipline seeks to foster development in how Dash thinks of his powers, unlike the authoritarian approach to discipline which would instead resort to harsh punishment. The mother’s parenting style is also consistent among the other children. Helen is highly warm and responsive to them, as evidenced by the previous scene where she asks her children about their day.

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In contrast to Helen’s authoritative style, Bob seems to have a more permissive parenting style. When he hears about Dash’s exploits, his demeanor is encouraging which makes him seem more like an enabling friend than an authoritative parent. His instinct is to praise and support Dash for his stunt, instead of reprimanding him for his inappropriate use of his super-speed. Though, it is unclear if Bob acts in this way regularly or because of the fact that he and Helen disagree on the topic of presenting their powers.

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The dinner scene may also suggest that Bob is an uninvolved parent. He is initially unresponsive to Dash and the family until he is called to attention by Helen, and later in the clip he doesn’t even seem to notice the commotion happening at the dinner table until Helen calls him again.

However, it is important to note the context; prior to this scene, Bob was shown to be having a bad day from work. Perhaps his uninvolved demeanor in this dinner scene was a function of mood on that day, and not necessarily a reflection of him as a parent.

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Despite the previous scene showing that Bob could be an uninvolved parent, this montage shows Bob proactively interacting with his children. This more solidly shows that he is likely a permissive parent. He gives Violet and Jack-Jack his affection and he plays with Dash, which shows the warm and nurturing demeanor characteristic of authoritative and permissive parenting styles. The film doesn’t show Bob enforcing rules or disciplining his children, given that he interacts with them by engaging in their own individual interests. This indulgence lends more credence to the hypothesis that Bob’s parenting style is more permissive in contrast to Helen’s authoritative style.

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The Incredibles - Life's Incredible Again

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Parenting Styles and Implications on Dash's Development

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Parenting Styles and Implications on Dash's Development

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Fresh from the 3rd Psychosocial Stage of Development according to Erikson, Dash has the characteristics of a child high in initiative and low in guilt. We see this in Dash’s cheerful, confident, self-reliant and achievement oriented (Santrock, 2018) demeanor. He takes pride in his abilities. In the words of Helen, Dash is, “a highly competitive boy and a bit of a show-off.” He is adaptable and always willing to try new things. We can attribute this to Helen’s authoritative parenting style that allows him to explore but also sets boundaries when appropriate.

Further supporting the claim that he is high in initiative are his actions in action scenes in the movie. In this clip, we see him make a smart play for the remote after understanding the situation

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He can also make decisions quickly, as shown in this scene. Since his parents were likely to show him empathy and respected his insights when he was younger, he has little to no self-doubt and can make good decisions (Crawford, 2009).

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However, Dash has poor impulse control, and he fails to recognize the negative effect of some of his actions. When he was let off the hook for putting thumbtacks on his teacher’s seat, he looked smug instead of guilty or remorseful for doing the wrong thing.

In this other clip, he immediately wanted to launch the rocket of his dad’s car, with no consideration for his father’s warnings or the consequences of his reckless behavior. This was likely due to Bob’s permissive parenting style, which lets him get away with bad behavior and overrides the boundaries that Helen sets.

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Incredibles 2 the Incredibile / that's my car

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The outcome of the third stage affects the way he navigates the Industry versus Inferiority stage, which is the stage he should be in given his age. His well-developed initiative makes him feel confident in his abilities, so he seeks out opportunities to show off and develop his abilities by participating in sports. However, he is not afforded this opportunity because of his parents’ restrictions on his activities and power usage. Perhaps his troublemaking attitude is a form of rebellion over the stifling of his initiative and industriousness.

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Comparing Dash’s personality with existing research, his issue with the restrictions on his superpowers is somewhat reminiscent of the experiences of gifted children. Braaten (n.d.) cites that gifted children may have trouble in school; for example, a gifted child with advanced verbal maturity can be seen as disruptive by teachers when the child dominates class discussions. A gifted child can be seen as lazy by teachers when they do not do schoolwork; these teachers do not know that the child considers schoolwork as mere “mindless busywork”. What these examples have in common with Dash is the issue of a child exhibiting behavioral problems because their environment is not receptive to their innate abilities.

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The relationship between Dash’s personality and the parenting styles he was exposed to seems to be partly consistent with findings reported in the Cherry (2020) article. Dash’s troublemaking nature lands him in trouble with authorities in school, which is a pattern of behavior that typically results from permissive parenting (Power, 2013, as cited in Cherry, 2020). And as discussed previously, Bob is an example of a permissive parent.

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However, this trait is less consistent with what is expected from a child raised with an authoritative parenting style like Helen’s. While Dash does exhibit some level of self-control at the end of the movie, which is associated with authoritative parenting (Cherry, 2020), the incongruence between his troublemaking nature with the theoretical personality of a child raised authoritatively still needs an explanation.

This explanation can be found in research findings that state that parenting styles may have weak correlation with children’s behavior (Huh et al., 2006, as cited in Cherry, 2020). Behavior is affected by other factors as well like temperament, and in Dash’s case, having superpowers that he wants to use but can’t (except in secret or in life-threatening situations). Specifically looking at Dash’s other attributes shows how parenting may have contributed to his character now.

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His mother’s authoritative parenting style greatly contributed to Dash’s emotional development. Helen is unmistakably emotion-coaching. We see this at 1:08 when she guided her daughter Violet through the emotions of shame and remorse, after Violet failed to step up and protect her family with her powers. Helen immediately recognized Violet’s emotional turmoil, comforted her, and made it a learning opportunity saying, “You have more power than you realize.”

Although we haven’t witnessed Helen coaching Dash through his emotions, it is most likely that she does this for all of her children. Dash himself expresses emotions openly and controls or conceals them if the situation requires. In the same clip, he felt frustrated that Violet was put in charge while the adults were away, but he reined in his reaction as he understood it was a dire situation.

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The most valuable possession (The Incredibles)

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Dash also exhibits the characteristics of a securely attached child. He is an optimistic child with plenty of confidence. In his conversation with his mother after being sent home from the principal’s office, he says “I’ll only be the best by a little bit!” We can see that he has a positive image of himself, especially when it comes to his athletic ability which is his main interest in the film.

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This scene shows the youngest, Jack-Jack as securely attached. He became angry and upset when taken from his mother and became soothed at their reunion at 1:33. Though it isn’t certain, the fact that Jack-Jack seems to be securely attached could point to Dash being the same aside from Dash’s personality traits that were enumerated prior.

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Dash exhibits characteristics that point to him being raised with both authoritative and permissive parenting styles. We see this in Dash’s confident, self-assured view of himself that was developed by his mother’s supportive disciplining of him. We also see his father’s permissive parenting reflected in Dash’s lack of self-control and tendency to rush into situations without considering the consequences it might bring.

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Aside from these, the quality of Dash’s upbringing can be seen in his levels of initiative (high) and guilt (low), and his positive self-image and ability to trust that are characteristics of secure attachment. Dash has characteristics that reflect both parenting styles that he was able to receive and be influenced by, with additional evidence provided by an analysis of his siblings when necessary.

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Braaten, E. (n.d.). What does it mean to be “gifted?” - clay center for young ... The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.mghclaycenter.org/parenting-concerns/what-does-it-mean-to-be-gifted/

Cherry, K. (2020, April 14). How different styles of Parenting Impact Children. Verywell Mind. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/parenting-styles-2795072#the-impact-of-parenting-styles.

Crawford, C. (2009, September 1). Children’s Intuition: A Special Key to Success in Life. Natural Awakenings. Retrieved 11 October 2021 from https://www.naturalawakenings.com/2009/09/01/272830/children-s-intuition-a-special-key-to-success-in-life.

​​​​Santrock, J. W. (2018). Life-span development. New York: McGraw-Hill.