Category: Spanking

The valence effect of spanking is a controversial subject as the views of some parents and scholars collide. Most of the parents raised in homes that permitted spanking believe that spanking elicits a positive behavior change in children, which stems from their conventional wisdom. As a result, they embrace and continue with the trend. However, scholars perceive otherwise (Gershoff et al.). This paper seeks to critique the prediction by Gershoff et al., which states that the hypothesized causal pathway (spanking is harmful to children) is plausible and coherent with existing facts about spanking and its harmful effects (627).

Authors Reasons for the Assumption

To better understand the root of the hypothesis, it is essential to first understand the meaning of technical terms presented, plausibility and coherence. The term plausibility, as used in this context, refers to reasonability. Spanking is only considered reasonable if it is helpful to the child; that is, it elicits a positive behavior change. On the other hand, coherence refers to consistency, which is whether the cause-and-effect of spanking evaluated in research shows a character with that of conventional wisdom.

Gershoff et al. begin by acknowledging that spanking indeed results in the change of behavior in a child. However, less is known about the nature of the change, whether positive or negative. As a result, the authors predict that spanking has a resultant harmful effect on the child, on which they support their hypothesis with several reasons. Overall, these reasons presented were obtained from the analysis of several scholarly articles; hence, guaranteeing their credibility. The first reason for the assumption was that their hypothesis should not be dismissed simply because it is incoherent with conventional wisdom.

Parents have their definition and specific belief of effective parenting, which is guided by their cultural histories of physical punishment (Gershoff 628). Their past and culture emphasize the importance of spanking that arguably yields positive changes. Nevertheless, Gershoff et al. evidences the gaps and elicits doubts in their conviction by referring to a study by Hill, which delineates the thin line between research and conventional wisdom (628).

Gershoff et al. further narrow down to defend their hypothesis by presenting previous research that had been conducted and proven their hypothesis. The results of these studies found out that spanking, as a form of physical punishment, is associated with more problematic behavior in children (628). Moreover, these studies consisted of decades of correlational research, therefore, suggesting that the harmful nature of spanking is concrete and has not changed and will not change over time.

Finally, Gershoff et al. support their hypothesis by comparing spanking to other forms of beating (628). There is no lesser pain when comparing different forms of beating, and society should be consistent with their viewpoints (628).

They mirror this statement by illustrating the similarity in the outcomes of spanking with other socially perceived extreme and emotionally adverse forms of hitting, such as bullying and violence between romantic partners in adults. Partner battery and bullying are treated by society as critical cases, and they mainly occur among teenagers and adults. Therefore, by equalizing them to spanking a child, Gershoff et al. manage to outline the grievous nature of the act.

Conclusion

Gershoff et al. have successfully managed to support their hypothesis, which is that spanking, as a form of physical punishment, is associated with detrimental outcomes in children. To illustrate the magnitude of its adverse effects, spanking has been considered to be similar to other forms of physical abuse, such as bullying and violence among romantic partners in adults. Therefore, the parents must stop refuting the detrimental effects of spanking only because it collides with their shared knowledge.

Work Cited

Gershoff, Elizabeth, et al. The Strength of the Causal Evidence against Physical Punishment of Children and Its Implications for Parents, Psychologists, and Policymakers.American Psychologist, vol. 73, no. 5, 2018, pp. 626-637. Web.

Spanking can be described as a form of discipline that is normally enforced on a child for wrongdoing, in an attempt to correct bad behaviors. This is not something that was introduced recently but has always been there since the days of our forefathers. Some argue that it is a cruel form of making a child develop discipline while others argue that it is an effective way that has proven to work. There have been some efforts by a couple of parents to make spanking of children illegal, but this probably only works at the school level.

At home, it is a different case. A child will be spanked if he or she is unruly and quite disrespectful. The thing is that some parents do not really know the borderline between spanking and child abuse. Child abuse in this context is clearly defined as the crime of harming a child in a physical way, probably by beating them up severely or inflicting so much pain in the child that they are unable to do their chores in a normal way. This is illegal and can lead to outright prosecution or even the loss of one’s child to social services.

However, in some cultures, there is no limit as to the extent of disciplining one’s child as long as they do not die. This has caused a lot of trauma in children who grow up in such homes and it eventually wrecks the children who fall victim of this kind of abuse. These children end up even becoming violent in life. They can also become abusers not only of their own kids but the public at large too.

Some end up kidnapping people and torturing them in a bid to relieve off the trauma or stress that they underwent. But they never realize that this never solves anything. If children are not punished, there is high likelihood that they will end up becoming delinquent and ill-mannered. This does not in any way emphasize the level of punishment that should be imposed on a child. It is believed that God expects mankind to be wise enough to know how to handle the young ones in all aspects of life.

Failure to discipline a child ends up making them lazy and unproductive. Some forms of punishments are not really effective. Sending a child to their room in a bid to punish them really does not serve the point because all you do is isolate them and thus no lesson is learnt.

What is normally recommended by child activists is that if you feel that there is a need to discipline the child, do so in a humane manner and make sure that the child knows why he/she is being punished and what they should have done in order to avoid the punishment. Most children never know when they are wrong until they are corrected.

Spanking of children is a good form of disciplining them as long as it is done in a loving way, and the child should not be left to nurse any wounds. This will ensure that they grow up differentiating good behaviors from bad ones and they will not fear the parent. Instead, they will learn that punishment is delivered as way of making better persons out of them.

Rhetoric and Fallacies Used with Respect to the Claim

• It is stated that spanking is a necessary means to enforce discipline on a child, to make them obey parents and punish them for their misbehavior, for it is better to spank than to leave bad behavior go unpunished (Preston par. 3).
• It is also claimed that “to be feared (in the sense of reverence) is to be respected,” and that spanking teaches children to obey the authorities regardless of what they think (Williams par. 1).
• Some proponents of spanking say that it establishes responsibility and shows parents’ love for children (Ingram par. 1, 5, 18-21).
• Fallacies:
  • Claiming that spanking is necessary, which means there is not a single other option available;
  • Being convinced that fear is identical with respect, and that fear is good;
  • Believing that blind obedience is the best way for a person to behave;
  • Asserting that punishment is a proof of love.

Scientific Research on the Claim

• There is ample research on the issue of spanking children.
• The research is concerned with: the statistics of spanking children (Lee, Altschul and Gershoff 158); its effects on child’s behavior, development, and long-term outcomes such as increased child aggression (Lee, Altschul and Gershoff 161-164); and relationship between spanking and child abuse (Straus, Douglas, and Medeiros 5-8).
• The results of the research can be found both in scientific articles (Lee, Altschul, and Gershoff) and books (Straus, Douglas, and Medeiros; Marshall).

Scientific Findings of the Claim

• Scientific sources state that spanking is often utilized by parents, especially by mothers, and that its application in many cases begins when the child is still young (Lee, Altschul and Gershoff 158, 161).
• According to Straus, Douglas, and Medeiros, more than 90% of the research on the topic shows that children who are spanked have much more difficulties throughout their whole life (xxiv).
• It is found out that spanking is likely to result in children’s aggression and anti-social attitudes and is not very effective for children to become accustomed and resistant to it (Lee, Altschul and Gershoff 158).
• Marshall claims that, even though spanking might appear to work in the short term, it actually leads to many complications in the long term, causes severe psychological problems hurting both the victim and the witness (2-4).

The Best Ways to Assess the Probabilities of the Claim

• It is difficult and utterly unethical to carry out an experiment to test the claim, for we can’t make unwilling parents physically punish their children, it is hard to control the process, and the experiment may lead to serious negative consequences for the children.
• Due to the fact that it is important to find out not only immediate changes in behavior but also the long-term effects, any research on the topic should be longitudinal in order to gather credible results.
• Therefore, the best way to test our claim is to gather statistical data concerned with spanking children and to compare the behaviors, psychological, and social health of those who have been spanked with the respective characteristics of those who have not been spanked.
• Background research on psychology might prove useful to supply possible explanations for the statistics.

Conclusions about the Claim

• The deemed positive outcomes of spanking, such as the respect of children for their parents and utter obedience, are not certain to occur, and they’re positive itself is doubtful.
• Spanking is probable to fail to prevent misbehavior, and possibly even increase their level of aggression.
• Spanking is likely to result in severe psychological problems both in the victim and in witnessing children.
• Therefore, spanking is not the best alternative for punishing children.

Works Cited

Ingram, Chip. The Biblical Approach to Spanking. n.d. Web.

Lee, Shawna J., Inna Altschul and Elizabeth T. Gershoff. “Spanking, Corporal Punishment and Negative Long-Term Outcomes: A Meta-Analytic Review of Longitudinal Studies”. Children and Youth Services Review. 52 (2015): 158-166. Print.

Marshall, Michael J. Why Spanking Doesn’t Work: Stopping This Bad Habit and Getting the Upper Hand on Effective Discipline. Springville, UT: Cedar Fort, 2002. Print.

Preston, Paul J. In Defense of Spanking: Why Spanking is Needed. n.d. Web.

Straus, Murray A., Emily M. Douglas, and Rose Anne Medeiros. The Primordial Violence: Spanking Children, Psychological Development, Violence, and Crime. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. Print.

Williams, L. Nicole. 8 Reasons to Spank Your Kids. 2011. Web.

Spanking in parenting is a widely discussed topic that garners a lot of controversies. Some parents are convinced that this is an effective method of punishment and allows you to make children more docile and obedient. However, this is not the case, and spanking is a practice that harms the children, their relationship with their parents and has much more negative consequences for the future.

The majority of specialists advise against using physical punishment. Many parents admit to spanking their children occasionally, particularly when they are under severe stress. Parents should be aware of and carefully examine the potential consequences of physical punishment, such as spanking. The biggest professional group of doctors in the United States strongly condemns spanking by parents, guardians, and other adults. They found that physical punishment does not help in the long term and may potentially create unintended harm based on several research and cumulative evidence (Abbasi, 2019). Furthermore, they advise against using verbal punishment that generates shame or embarrassment. Physical punishment may create a vicious cycle in which youngsters grow more defiant when they are subjected to it. This has the opposite impact of what parents want and leads to a worsening in children’s conduct. Spanking raises levels of hostility and rule violation (Abbasi, 2019). Another argument against the employment of such approaches in education is that it has an effect on the development of children’s brains. Those who were punished with physical punishment as youngsters had lower prefrontal gray matter volume and IQs even as adults.

I oppose spanking children or any other form of physical punishment and any child abuse or any child abuse. Raising children is an individual process, but there are far more effective and harmless practices that will help the child and parent build a healthy relationship and do no harm in the future. Promoting positive and friendly attitudes between parents and children, giving children opportunities to display excellent conduct, positive reinforcement, and time-outs are far more successful and enjoyable strategies for managing children’s behavior.

Reference

Abbasi, J. (2019). American academy of pediatrics says no more spanking or harsh verbal discipline. Jama, 321(5), 437-439. Web.

Outline

Introduction – spanking and its controversies, effect of regular spanking- Psychological problems of spanking – depression and suicidal thoughts etc.

Attitude of spanked adults- Role of adults in spanking.

Role of religion in spanking -Treatment of youngsters by adults and teachers, Conclusion- excessive spanking will result a negative impact among the children.

The Controversies of Spanking

All will agree with the fact that children are the wealth of existing as well as the future society. But when the discussion is focused on the method of child treatment and their molding for the future, it becomes a little bit controversy, especially when talking about spanking as one among the methods intended to guide children into goodness and morality. It has been agreed upon that one should never wish to lead his child into the ways of falsehood or as the follower of all the wickedness. Spanking is the method of punishing by striking on the buttocks, slapping a child’s hand or pinching the child on extremities. Many studies prove that spanking has both advantages and disadvantages and the researchers are parted with regard to spanking. Some of them have opined that spanking or physical punishment is unwanted and there should be attempts to improve the mental health of children. The paper aims to find out whether spanking is effective in the character formation of the children or will it turn them against their caregivers and ruin them when they reach in adolescence. Whether it may cause mental depression, psychological problems, or lead them to be addicts of alcohol and drugs, when they reach adolescence, also have been discussed. There are many factors that support and reject spanking, including religion and the society. As it involves various controversies, one has to approach the topic carefully. When one looks deep into this problem, what one feels is that spanking is not at all a good process, not only with the physical punishment involved in it , but also as an action that affects the student’s mental health.

To guide their children, some of the parents have the habit of punishing their children for silly reasons, without being aware that continuous spanking will take the children away from the caregiver and will cause for keeping some kind of grudge in their mind. This grudge may later lead them to be the possessor of a vicious character, who either spoils themselves by excessive drinking, taking drugs etc., or ruin the life of someone sticking on with them. There is possibility for them to be led to crimes, or self torture as the side-effect of the over imposition. It is because of these reasons most of the countries either ban or restrict spanking or smacking. “British legislation is against such forms of child punishment and although mild smacking is allowed under a “reasonable chastisement” defense against common assault, many people are seeking a complete ban.” (Slade and Tapping)One cannot assert that mild spanking or smacking will cause any kind of psychological problems, but it should be allowed for a reasonable reason and the surveys conducted among doctors and parents support this view point. They are of the opinion that if the child is not punished for his mistakes, it will lead him to repeat the same mistakes. Some parents spank their children only when it is necessary to do it, but from the part of the child he will remember only the spanking than hundred hugs of his parent, especially if they are given in anger or unjustly. Children feel that parents solve their problem by beating them. Above all, when a person is punished physically, naturally he will have the tendency to react against it, even if it is a child. But the reaction of the child will be different from the elders, who may keep it in his mind and misinterpret that it is because of the dislike of his parents they beat him. So it is seen that if a child is spanked, there is the moral liability for the parent or the teacher to make him understand the reason for spanking and the child should sense his mistakes. If it is not so, the child may take it negatively and cause him to engage later in crimes as a protestation against the caregivers. Regarding the teachers, as they are one of the most influential factors of a student, they have the moral obligation to make their children aware against spanking. If it is to be taught, teachers should be capable of controlling their excessive spanking and smacking. If there is such kind of atmosphere, there will be a close attachment between teachers and students.

Excessive spanking may cause some psychological problems in children, especially, if it is in anger. “Existing research does indicate that children who routinely experience harsh physical punishment (including spanking) are at greater risk for depression as well as a host of other psychological adjustment problems.” (Turner and Muller)But one cannot say that spanking will lead a child to life-long problems or depression, as it is recommended that a mild spanking is good for the child to imbibe that ability to survive and react positively to his surroundings. Various studies conducted show the regional difference in spanking or treating children. “It is clear that African American parents are more likely than European Americans to spank their children.” (Mizell, Pryor and Elizabeth, 1) This spanking very often causes some behavioral changes in the African American children and they become problematic. When considering the racial comparisons, the European American children who are spanked exhibit more behavioral problems than the African American. Nowadays, one of the most important problems faced by the American children is depression and different studies point out that the depression rate among the American children is going up. Some of the reasons identified for depression are frequent sadness, feelings of hopelessness, decreased interest in activities, persistent boredom, social isolation, low self-esteem, poor concentration, major changes in eating and sleeping habits, and suicidal ideation. If a child is continuously spanked, it causes for sadness and the feeling of hopelessness in him and is tended to keep himself away from his friends and others, showing the symptoms of depression.

Though there are various implications with regard to spanking, one can infer that spanking depends on the environment in which a child lives on. The environment may exert its influence in molding the child’s character and behavior, to an extent disregarding all the other facts. When analyzing the psychological perspective of spanking, it is understood that higher level of spanking affects the children in their mental health and may lead to depression. Different studies have been conducted to evaluate the influence of spanking on one’s life, specifically to analyze the behavior of adults who spank their children and to find out the fact that whether they were spanked when they were children. Surveys and researches on this topic show that there is the tendency of spanking found in such parents who regard it as a good method to guide their children. In the case of spanking, both men and women are equal. Even the pediatricians spank their children so as to confirm their good moral behavior. One of the studies conducted in U.S. shows, “In the United States, 74% of parents of children 17 years of age or younger use spanking as a discipline technique.” (Kazdin and Benjet). “94% of parents of 3 and 4 year-olds use corporal punishment.” (Kazdin and Benjet). It clearly shows the anxiety of parents in making their children the better citizens.

Corporal punishment of children helps the academics, researchers and health care professionals for serious debates and discussions. According to the researchers, religion plays a significant role in this controversy. Conservative and Protestantism reveal their supportive nature towards corporal punishment. Protestants strongly argue in favor of corporal punishments on the basis of the religious doctrine Bible. Bible gives a clear and authoritative guidance for human affaires and behavioral patterns, and including a structure of family relationships. One can find that a lot of reasons constitute their belief. Protestant people use the Biblical doctrines as an index of their child treatment. They believe these treatments are more secular, moral and credible for others. The following statement rightly comments about the Protestant belief towards corporal punishment. It says:” this leads conservative Protestants to consult scripture for practical input on child rearing and to treat biblical insight as the yardstick by which the credibility of other, more secular, information can be evaluated.” (Religious Beliefs, Sociopolitical Ideology, and Attitudes Toward Corporal Punishment, 5). According to Protestants physical discipline may be useful or less harmful for children. More than this the Bible itself includes a lot of references that expose the virtue of child discipline especially in Old Testament. According to the Bible, human nature is basically sinful. Therefore, man has a natural tendency to show selfishness and they try to decline the authority through rebellion. So the evangelical says that it is the religious duty of a parent to prevent these destructive tendencies among their young ones.

The advocates of spanking argue some traditional views. According to them spanking is the reasonable action of responsible parents towards their disobedient or unruly children. It is an effective preparation for the children for facing trials and tribulations of life. Some of them described spanking as appositive sign of child caring. Even it has enough religious and traditional justifications spanking affects the children negatively. When the spankers are non purposive or aimless and depicts spanking as only an act of emotional outburst it will have some drawbacks. In his comments Joel Best explains the real purpose of spanking. It says:”Defining spanking as a tool or methods suggests that spankers are purposive rather than aimless and depicts spanking as a logical activity rather than an emotional outburst.” (Joel, 139). Corporal punishments including spanking has been accepted method of childcare among fundamentalist groups, but a large number of Christians are raising objections, they argue that spanking is an unruly practice that should be prohibited. A large number of modern researchers and academics recommended that substitute methods be used and that spanking be avoided.

When reaching the conclusion, one can infer that spanking is quite common in most of the countries and the excessive spanking affects the child in various ways. Parents spank their children of and on. It may or may not be of serious reasons. But most of the parents spank their children to guide them to morality or for being naughty. Whether spanking is intended for goodness or not, one can see that the children very often take in the negative sense and may cause for sprouting grudge, though not in a greater quantity. Majority of the studies conducted on spanking reveal that higher levels of spanking take children away from their caregivers and there is possibility for them to turn against these caregivers. It very often leads them to be the possessors of bad habits like alcohol consumption, drug abuse, etc. as a protestation to the spanking from the parents. Some of the studies point to the reality that children who are treated in a very strict family background often misuse the freedom they enjoy when they grown up. Spanking is seen in the educated as well as the illiterate who are motivated or intended for the well being of their children. Both the educated and illiterate is of the misconception that spanking will provide a good foundation for the student in his studies as well as his behavior. Higher level of spanking causes psychological depression among the students, who lose their interest in everything, feels sadness and sometimes show suicidal tendency. There is possibility for them to show aversion to everything throughout their life. The adults who have been spanked have the tendency of spanking their children and they regard it as a necessary method of corporal punishment. Not only the parents but teachers also adopt spanking as a tool for guiding their students. Religion also supports spanking or corporal punishment. Protestant people have used the Bible for teaching their children of morality and the ways of the God. Religion suggests strict rules for how to teach children. Most of the religions share the same view and monasteries follow very strict rules in teaching religion or morality. To conclude, one can see that though there are different qualities involved in spanking, as it is involved with the moral teachings to guide the children, the excessive spanking will result a negative impact among the children and it will not provide the desired effect, instead it may turn the child to protestation and depression or to criminal deeds which may ruin his own and others’ life and career.

Works Cited

1. Joel. Troubling Children: Studies of Children and Social Problems. Aldine Transaction. 1994.
2. Kazdin, Alan E., and Benjet, Corina. Spanking Children: Evidence and Issues. Current Directions in Psychological Science.
3. Mizell, C Andre Christie., Pryor, Erin M., and Elizabeth R. Crossman Child Depressive Symptoms, Spanking, and Emotional Support: Differences Between African American and European American Youth. Family Relations. 2008.
4. Religious Beliefs, Sociopolitical Ideology, and Attitudes Toward Corporal Punishment. Journal of Family Issues. 2009.
5. Slade, A M., and Tapping, C, R. Paediatricians’ Views on Smacking Children as a Form of Discipline.
6. Turner and Muller. Straus. 1994.

The valence effect of spanking is a controversial subject as the views of some parents and scholars collide. Most of the parents raised in homes that permitted spanking believe that spanking elicits a positive behavior change in children, which stems from their conventional wisdom. As a result, they embrace and continue with the trend. However, scholars perceive otherwise (Gershoff et al.). This paper seeks to critique the prediction by Gershoff et al., which states that “the hypothesized causal pathway (spanking is harmful to children) is plausible and coherent with existing facts about spanking and its harmful effects” (627).

Authors’ Reasons for the Assumption

To better understand the root of the hypothesis, it is essential to first understand the meaning of technical terms presented, plausibility and coherence. The term “plausibility,” as used in this context, refers to reasonability. Spanking is only considered reasonable if it is helpful to the child; that is, it elicits a positive behavior change. On the other hand, “coherence” refers to consistency, which is whether the cause-and-effect of spanking evaluated in research shows a character with that of conventional wisdom.

Gershoff et al. begin by acknowledging that spanking indeed results in the change of behavior in a child. However, less is known about the nature of the change, whether positive or negative. As a result, the authors predict that spanking has a resultant harmful effect on the child, on which they support their hypothesis with several reasons. Overall, these reasons presented were obtained from the analysis of several scholarly articles; hence, guaranteeing their credibility. The first reason for the assumption was that their hypothesis should not be dismissed simply because it is incoherent with conventional wisdom.

Parents have their definition and specific belief of effective parenting, which is guided by their cultural histories of physical punishment (Gershoff 628). Their past and culture emphasize the importance of spanking that arguably yields positive changes. Nevertheless, Gershoff et al. evidences the gaps and elicits doubts in their conviction by referring to a study by Hill, which delineates the thin line between research and conventional wisdom (628).

Gershoff et al. further narrow down to defend their hypothesis by presenting previous research that had been conducted and proven their hypothesis. The results of these studies found out that spanking, as a form of physical punishment, is associated with more problematic behavior in children (628). Moreover, these studies consisted of decades of correlational research, therefore, suggesting that the harmful nature of spanking is concrete and has not changed and will not change over time.

Finally, Gershoff et al. support their hypothesis by comparing spanking to other forms of beating (628). There is no lesser pain when comparing different forms of beating, and society should be consistent with their viewpoints (628).

They mirror this statement by illustrating the similarity in the outcomes of spanking with other socially perceived “extreme and emotionally adverse” forms of hitting, such as bullying and violence between romantic partners in adults. Partner battery and bullying are treated by society as critical cases, and they mainly occur among teenagers and adults. Therefore, by equalizing them to spanking a child, Gershoff et al. manage to outline the grievous nature of the act.

Conclusion

Gershoff et al. have successfully managed to support their hypothesis, which is that spanking, as a form of physical punishment, is associated with detrimental outcomes in children. To illustrate the magnitude of its adverse effects, spanking has been considered to be similar to other forms of physical abuse, such as bullying and violence among romantic partners in adults. Therefore, the parents must stop refuting the detrimental effects of spanking only because it collides with their shared knowledge.

Work Cited

Gershoff, Elizabeth, et al. “The Strength of the Causal Evidence against Physical Punishment of Children and Its Implications for Parents, Psychologists, and Policymakers.”American Psychologist, vol. 73, no. 5, 2018, pp. 626-637. Web.