The Pros And Cons Of Spanking Children

Spanking is subjective in the least. Most parents suggest that using spankings as a form of discipline is essential to the development of a compliant child. For most Americans, this truth is one of the core foundations of the American model home. “70% of mothers indicated they had spanked their child at least once by the time he or she was 2-years-old” (Lee, Altschul and Gershoff, 2015.) There are numerous amounts of evidence that point to the certainty that spanking is linked to child aggression. In,

It was stated in this article that Baumrind did a study to show the link between reliance on physical punishment that is associated with harm of a child. It showed that parents that spank their child occasionally did not have children that were angry as a result of the punishment. Parents did not have to worry about simply hitting their child out of anger, or the possibility of their child becoming some random serial killer because they were spanked as a child. Kids knew how to respond to the punishment they received back in the 90’s. Parents were not taking it too far and the few parents that were taken to jail and received the maximum amount of punishment the law would allow.

Spanking kids leads to depression (“9 things to do Instead of Spanking”,2016). Multiple studies show that teens are more likely to aggression, depression, and drug use when they are hit as kids. They don’t know any better than being hit. They also will think it is okay to hit others. Spanking makes kids feel insecure and leads to self-esteem problems.

In the last two decades new analysis of research shows that physical punishment has long-term effect on children. The research concluding that physical punishment (spanking) actually has havoc on the child’s long term memory according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Neuroimaging evidence shows that physical punishment may alter parts of the brain involved in performance on IQ tests and up the likelihood of substance abuse. Also early data shows that spanking could affect areas of the brain involved in emotion and stress

Everyday parents are faced with the challenges of disciplining their children. We all wish there was an instruction booklet that we could magical pull out and get them back on the right path, but no such thing exists. Often times, your child pushes you to the edge of your personal limitations. At this moment it is often we correct our child’s behavior by spanking. Spanking is considered a form of discipline that is acceptable by most and an unacceptable to a smaller crowd. Spanking can lead to psychological problems in early adolescent, which long term can lead to emotional and anger retention.

In addition to these three principal reasons which show the inappropriateness of spanking, there are also other concerns. One main worry about spanking is that it is a lower level form of child abuse. It is against the law for a person to hit another person. Children are also people and should not be discriminated against simply because they are smaller.

The experts that are against spanking say that it is a violent act and teaches children that hitting is okay. Pro spanking advocate, Dr. James Dobson, reprinted a very informative article by Dr. Den Trumbull M.D. and Dr. S. DuBose Ravenel M.D. entitled To Spank or Not to Spank: A look at an age-old question that baffles many physicians. It states, "There is no evidence in the medical literature that a mild spank to the buttocks of a disobedient child by a loving parent teaches the child aggressive behavior" (Dobson, 2004, p. 127). Dr. Dobson also cited the doctors whose article said that it is impractical to suppose that a child wouldn't show violent behavior if parents used other forms of discipline rather than spanking. Most toddlers, who have yet to be spanked because of their age, commonly strike out against others in aggravation. This is true of any toddler, seen out in public, who throws a temper tantrum over not getting his way. Countless parents, frustrated themselves, simply remove the child from making an undesirable scene. The only thing to do for a child of that age is to remove temptation and distract the child with a toy or juice cup. As the toddler grows, distraction is more difficult and the disciplining methods increase intensity. Some experts against spanking also argue that

The more a child is spanked between the ages of 3 to 5 the more likely they will become aggressive (Online Psychology). Spanking can cause mental health problems and can have anti-social behavioral issues. Children that get spanked tend to defy their parents and have cognitive difficulties. When parents spank they think it is to help their child now what is right and wrong, but spanking has accidental detrimental outcomes. You don’t have to hurt a child to punish them, in 2014 about 80% of people spanked their kids. If the parent was spanked as a child the parent is more likely to support spanking

     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.

There are different outlooks on spanking. Sheree L. Toth, author of the CNN article “When does spanking become abuse?”(CNN) discusses her negative point of view on corporal punishment. In her article, she discusses how corporal punishment can have long-lasting effects on the mental state of the child and shift parental relationships with their children, all caused by the use physical discipline. “Corporal punishment is of limited effectiveness and has potentially deleterious side effects,” Toth states. She recognizes the effects that corporal punishment may have on individuals, and she disagrees with the uses of it. Toth also understands what the outcomes

The only article available for review (from my student access account) at this time was very outdated and does not even fully support spanking. For future direction, there should be a move to begin to look and see if there are any sort of benefits of spanking. These could be anything, including respect or self-discipline later in life. Studies regarding the “pro-spanking” side of this controversy, however, will likely be difficult to conduct and time-consuming. The reason is because to effectively study either side of this controversy, a longitudinal study is required. To see if there are any benefits of spanking, studies may need to last as long as twenty or thirty years to assess benefits that carry out into adulthood and parenting. Studies lasting this long become difficult for participants to follow up with. However, it is important that more research be done to see if there are any benefits related to spanking children. If more research can be done, people may become less ignorant to either side of this topic and the controversy may have potential of being put to

Spanking has been a controversial topic among many parents. Some believe it is just a form of discipline and is okay, while others believe that this is abuse or violence and it will harm the child in the long run.

Many studies on cases of adults who have tendency to perpetuate abuses, either as a victim or as an abuser, are traced in the pattern of violence experienced at home, and many are reportedly experience being physically violated by spanking during their childhood. Despite the information and advocacy available in almost all media these days, there are still parents who thought that spanking their children to emphasize discipline is still beneficial. The benefits cited by those supporting spanking as acceptable method of discipline varied across culture and race. Generally, there are three views or positions about spanking as a form of discipline (Benject C. & Kazdin A, 2003) : Pro-corporal punishment, anti-corporal punishment, and conditional corporal punishment.

Spanking has become an arguably debatable form of discipline. According to a study at the University of Texas, the more children are spanked, the more likely they are to defy their parents (“Spanking: Pros and Cons”). There is a connection between spanking during the childhood and mental health diagnoses later in life. There are other options of discipling your child than spanking them, especially because all children can take spanking differently. Parents should not spank their child because it showers that being “stronger” is right, demonstrates that older people have a right to hit younger people, and gives the examples that violence solves all problems.

The term corporal punishment means the intentional infliction of pain on the body for purposes of punishment. "Spanking can be defined as the use of physical force aimed at causing children to experience pain but not injury, for the purposes of correction and control of youthful behavior"(http://www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=32539). Spanking is a controversial topic and should not be taken lightly.