From the earliest practice, in Ancient Greece, physical discipline or spanking has been endorsed as the superior method for disciplining children. From then on spanking came to be a very common method of discipline all over the world. Even to this day spanking is a very common practice. In fact two thirds of Americans approve of spanking to this day. Although, spanking or physical discipline in America has declined progressively over the years because parents are now more aware of the negative effects spanking has on children. A childs’ behavior is altered negatively rather than positively when they are disciplined physically through spanking.
Honestly, spanking is the quickest and fastest way to challenge a misbehaved child’s behavior. It may even allow guardian to stop that specific problem in a child’s behavior before it gets out of hand. According to psychologist Dr. James Dobson “… when the child fully understand what he is being asked to do or not to do but refuses to yield to adult leadership an appropriate spanking is the shortest and most affective route to an adjustment….”. Spanking is most affective when a child fully comprehends why their poor behavioral decisions are inadequate compared to what is expected of them. Although, spanking may be a quick solution it is only a temporary solution. Spanking may stop a child from misbehaving on a certain occasion, but a child will return to its misbehaving manners because they were focusing in on their hurtful punishment rather than learning from their poor decision. Author of many child discipline books, Carl Pickhardt, states “…. spanking is a temporary solution that does more harm than good. It "works" because it's external control over a child, but it doesn't promote i...
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Smith, Anne B. "The State of Research on the Effects of Physical Punishment." Ministry of Social Development. Ministry of Social Development, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .
Smith, Brendan L. "The Case Against Spanking." American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association, Apr. 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .
The issue of spanking is whether it is justifiable or an act of child abuse. Some child specialists, such as Christine Walsh and Michael Boyle, argue that if a parent must administer a spanking, it should not be through anger and only as a last option when other forms of discipline have been deemed unsuccessful. They say that for a spanking to be instructive it must be...
Swat! The entire store tries not to stare at the overwhelmed mother spanking her three-year-old whaling son. As if the screaming tantrum wasn't enough of a side show at the supermarket. This method, or technique perhaps, has been around for decades, even centuries. Generations have sat on grandpa’s lap and listened to the stories of picking their own switch or getting the belt after pulling off a devilish trick. So why then has it become a major controversy in the past few decades? The newest claim is that spanking and other forms of physical punishment can lead to increased aggression, antisocial behavior, physical injury and mental health problems for children. Brendan L. Smith uses many case studies and psychologists findings in his article “The Case Against Spanking” to suggest that parents refrain from physically punishing their children due to lasting harmful effects.
Harvard Medical School . "The Spanking Debate." Harvard Mental Health Letter (2002): 1-3. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 April 2011.
Spanking a child is a controversial issue. On one side of the debate are people who believe spanking is a necessary component of parenting. On the contrary are people who think spanking a child is destructive. Somewhere in the middle are people who believe spanking is legitimate only when used correctly. Part of the reason for the debate is that some parents and experts define spanking differently. To some, spanking means slapping a child on the rear-end, while others believe it is a form of corporal punishment that does not cause injury. By showing how each perspective of spanking supports their claim and defining spanking, one will be able to form an opinion.
The use of spanking is one of the most controversial parenting practices and also one of the oldest, spanning throughout many generations. Spanking is a discipline method in which a supervising adult deliberately inflicts pain upon a child in response to a child’s unacceptable behaviour. Although spanking exists in nearly every country and family, its expression is heterogeneous. First of all the act of administering a spanking varies between families and cultures. As Gershoff (2002) pointed out, some parents plan when a spanking would be the most effective discipline whereas some parents spank impulsively (Holden, 2002). Parents also differ in their moods when delivering this controversial punishment, some parents are livid and others try and be loving and reason with the child. Another source of variation is the fact that spanking is often paired with other parenting behaviours such as, scolding, yelling, or perhaps raging and subsequently reasoning. A third source of variation concerns parental characteristics. Darling and Steinberg (1993) distinguished between the content of parental acts and the style in which it was administered (Holden, 2002). With all this variation researchers cannot definitively isolate the singular effects of spanking.
Finally, we need to know more about the personal resources of parents that can lessen the incidence of spanking. It is found that spanking sharply decreases as the parent ages. Despite ideological motivations, parents can and should be trained to understand alternative strategies of discipline (Day 93).
Spanking is commonly associated with parents attempting to correct behavior in a child; ultimately often out of frustration and/or anger with the child’s behavior. In the heat of the moment, most parents do not associate the long term psychosocial or behavioral effects the act of spanking can have on a child. The dangers of these effects derived from how children think and behave show us that spanking is not an effective form of discipline.
[2] DILLER, LAWRENCE. "The Truth About Spanking." National Review 60.7 (2008): 42-44. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
The use of this form of punishment of spanking has been used for the longest time. Many parents have this form of punishment towards their children to help control their child in some cases. Like in the article “Spanking” by John A Addleman he adds to this argument of how there are many parents who strongly follow this form of punishment for their children. He added that there are parents who also believe that this form of corporal punishment is not abuse “ data regarding attitudes about spanking, have found that most parents believe that corporal punishment is a non abusive manner is an acceptable form of discipline” (Addleman 1). Many may ask what kind of corporal punishment exactly is acceptable to use towards your child. The form of punishment
Spanking. It is a hotly debated topic, and everyone who has an opinion seems to have a strong one. It is either child abuse or it is a fundamental form of discipline. It is traumatizing or it is character-building. It is repugnant or it is commendable. Many have difficulty removing their emotions from such a controversial topic. I, myself, struggle to consider objectively a situation I’ve always deemed moral and paramount to a child’s development, but with the cruciality of raising the next generation, objectivity is imperative. Because children are wayward and often misunderstand instructions, parents must decide early on how they will discipline their child. This raises the controversial question: Should parents use corporal punishment
Spanking, a fictitious form of child abuse, is an appropriate action toward unruly children. It is a popular practice used to instill discipline and values in children, and is more effective than talking to or yelling at the child or placing the child in “time out” sessions. In the long run, spanking causes no damage to the child’s mental or physical health. Instead, it creates a basis for good behavior.
...ginning of humanity. It worked then, and it works now. Critics have decided to re-define spanking as abuse. They would like for everyone to believe the propaganda. The truth is, however that spanking has its benefits. A little pain has positive long term results. Parents can expect a well mannered respectful adult to be the result. Parents should decide if they want to spank their children; not society. One parent’s choice of discipline has no value over another’s. The key thing to remember when it comes to discipline is to discipline out of love for the child. Never spank a child while angry. Explain to the child why the spanking has to be given. Afterwards, show some affection. This way the child will feel loved and understand reconciliation (Dobson). The child will have no feelings of resentment. When parents follow these steps, discipline will never be abuse.
There has been a misconception about how to properly discipline children due to secular views and flawed studies. Many of these so called “studies” have made “many experts believe that corporal punishment will likely lead to increased resistance or aggressive behavior from the child” ("Corporal Punishment." World Book Advanced). One study in particular “suggests that children who experienced harsh spanking (with objects or at a frequency of once a week or more with a hand) had significantly higher levels of mother-reported externalizing behavior at ages 6, 7, and 8 than did children who experienced no spanking or mild spanking at those ages, even controlling for prior externalizing behavior and other possible confounds.” ( Lansford ). However, aggressive behavior should be expected if a parent beats their child out of their own anger instead of a desire to better their child for the future. There are several other “studies” that claim to prove spanking increases negative behavior but they just lump them all together and say that all spanking in every form, regardless of it severity, is the same and creates worse children. “Any form of punishment, physical or otherwise, can have negative consequences if it is abused.”. (Green) If parents don’t discipline their children physically, they will ve...
Smith, B. L. (2012). The case against spanking. American Psychological Association, 43(4), 60. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/04/spanking.aspx
Smith, Anne B. "The State of Research on the Effects of Physical Punishment." Ministry of Social Development. Ministry of Social Development, 27 Mar. 2006. Web. 11 May 2014. .