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Essay / A Critical Look at Spanking and Corporal Punishment
Table of ContentsNot SpankingTo Spank My PositionConclusionReferencesSpanking and corporal punishment have been a hotly debated topic for many years. And like any socio-behavioral trend, it will necessarily have different implications and implementations depending on variables such as culture, time, quantity, gender and definition of spanking used, etc. For this essay, the term spanking will be used as a catch-all term that includes hitting a child's butt with an open hand, hitting with a belt, paddling with an object, and slapping with an open hand on the face and any other physical form of hitting a child. This article will primarily focus on spanking in the United States and studies related to its effects on children. Many studies have yielded conflicting results and opposing viewpoints, which has fueled the flames of this controversial issue. Some parents swear by it, others swear they never will. Which side are you on? In this article, you will gain insight into both sides of this sensitive topic and hopefully find a justifiable position for your argument for or against disciplining children through corporal punishment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayDon't SpankNew research examines the negative effects, both short- and long-term, of spanking on children. Spanking might have been acceptable once upon a time, but according to Parents.com, a new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics says that putting your hands on your child as a form of discipline is not only completely counterproductive, but can potentially be damaging. It depends who you ask. Finding supporters of spanking is not as difficult as you might think. Of the 1,000 readers surveyed on parents.com, 81% said they spanked their child at least once, and 22% do it once a week or more. This figure is consistent with a 2007 study published in the journal Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, which found that nearly 80 percent of children are spanked at least once by fifth grade. BF Skinner, in his book (Beyond Liberty and Dignity): wrote: “A person who has been punished is not simply less likely to behave in a given way; at best, he learns to avoid punishment. And “punished behavior is likely to re-emerge once punitive measures have been withdrawn.” To SpankBut wait: Aren't there exceptions to these general conclusions? Aren't there times when a gentle slap on the butt can do a misbehaving child some good – or at least not cause significant harm? The author of the biblical book of Hebrews writes: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. But later, it gives fruits of peace and justice to those who were formed by it.” In an article in TIME magazine, Dr. Jared Pingleton, clinical psychologist and minister and director of Focus on the Family counseling, says parents have been given the incredible privilege and responsibility of shaping the behavior of their children. children in a positive direction. He believes that spankings administered correctly are the most effective deterrent to unwanted behavior in young preschool children who are unable to reason or understand restrictions. He further states that as children grow older, spanking should become less frequent as other types ofconsequences are used. Psychologist Robert E. Larzelere of Oklahoma State University has argued that the research is flawed and that the evidence against spanking is "flawed." In the few studies that have compared spanking to other forms of punishment, such as restricted privileges, no footing, and timeouts, all of the punitive measures examined resulted in similarly negative outcomes in children. , said Larzelere. He recommended that parents use spanking as a backup when gentler forms of punishment don't work. Larzelère also stated that "premature bans on spanking can undermine loving parental authority." In a lecture given at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco, by Dr. Diana Baumrind of the University of California, she claimed that social scientists had overstepped the evidence in asserting that spanking caused lasting harm to a child. Dr. Baumrind is a psychologist known for her studies of authoritarian, authoritarian, and permissive child-rearing styles. In her speech, she said: “The scientific arguments against the use of normative corporal punishment are a leaking dam, not a solid building. She argued that it had not been conclusively proven that casual hitting, when carried out in the context of a child's good education, could cause any harm. Dr. Baumrind described the results of his personal research with more than 100 families, indicating that mild to moderate spanking had no harmful effects on the child. My position Utilitarian moral theory claims that, whatever the ethnic or religious references, for an act (or a rule or a practice) to be considered moral, its execution must promote the greatest happiness of the greatest number who are involved in it. affected. I believe that from a moral perspective, even if we find evidence that a certain practice has personal or social benefits, we can still choose to abandon that practice because it violates basic human rights. For example: a slave may be economically feasible for his owner, and a slave owner may treat the slave kindly and protect him from some of the perceived harms and hardships associated with freedom; however, these facts do not undermine the moral arguments against slavery. And it is this type of moral awakening on which our current anti-spanking consciousness evolves. I have found that many proponents of spanking usually argue from the argument of tradition ("that's how I was raised") or the biblical perspective ("spare the rod, spoil the child"), which I believe is shaky ground from which to mount a serious moral argument. The biblical discussion of physical punishment of children as a means of caring for them is brief and open to multiple interpretations. In fact, the biblical discussion of how to care for slaves is even briefer. Conclusion In summary, I think the spanking debate has been resolved. This practice is a relic of the past and is best left there. Certainly, I have been conditioned to correct through physical violence and I can attest to the cliché that “old habits die hard.” The fact remains that when parents finally give up spanking, they will not be giving up a good practice but a violent habit that is for the most part ineffective, risky and immoral. The American Academy of Pediatrics' new policy statement correlates with 2016 research from the University of Texas, published in the Journal of Family Psychology, after compiling.