Corporal Punishment: The Consequences Of Spanking

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When used infrequently and with reasoning, corporal punishment reduces defiance and lowers rates of antisocial behavior as compared to alternative disciplinary tactics (Larzelere and Kuhn, 27). Corporal punishment is defined as a form of physical punishment involving the use of hand or another object to hit the bottom of a child to correct misbehavior. Spanking has been the main source of child discipline, dating back to ancient Babylon, Greece, and Rome. More recently, Scientists have discovered a link between physical punishment and psychological problems. Much research, conducted in the 90’s, concludes that corporal punishment has a direct link to short and long-term psychological and social issues. Larzelere and Kuhn conducted the first …show more content…

Spanking immediately reduces defiance when used as opposed to time-out or removal from the situation. It is imperative that a parent is calm and collected when enforcing correct behavior and utilizing corporal punishment as a disciplinary means rather than resorting to yelling at a child which is the leading cause of psychological and social issues (Bartowski, 266-67). “Many scholars have linked frequent yelling to higher recorded rates of antisocial behavior, lower levels of self-esteem, and psychopathology in children” (Bartowski, 266) as opposed to spanking. The phrase “Just wait until your father gets home” strikes fear into the hearts of all children, as it should. Dr. James Dobson, a family psychologist, and Christian author reiterates this by stating that when disciplining “whatever the approach, the child should find it unpleasant and adversive” (Dobson, 232). Many Christian authoritarians position on child-rearing reflect the bible verse that states “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes” (The open bible edition,

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