Table of ContentsIs Spanking Acceptable?Part OnePart TwoIs Spanking Acceptable?Part One There are a multitude of documented negative effects on spanking, but many parents don't seem to hear the message and realize the serious damage they inflict. Numerous studies have shown that corporal punishment, of which spanking is one of the main forms, "can lead to increased aggression, antisocial behavior, physical injury and mental health problems in children" ( Smith). This punishment may cause children to be more aggressive in the future: children who received spanking or other physical punishment are "more likely to agree to hitting as a way to resolve conflicts with peers and siblings and sisters” (Smith). Along the same lines, children who are physically punished are more likely to become adults who physically punish their own children because, as the post says, "many adults were spanked as children and feel that they are doing very well. » Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Hitting your children can cause them to engage in antisocial behavior and develop mental health problems in the future. According to one study, “among adults, 2 to 7 percent of cases of mental disorders, including major depression, anxiety disorders, and paranoia, are attributable to corporal punishment that occurred during childhood” (Live Science). Children who were spanked also had poorer relationships with their parents and "had lower levels of moral internalization, meaning they were less able to determine that something was morally wrong in and of itself rather than knowing it was wrong because they would be hit.” otherwise” (Haelle). Corporal punishment may have a momentary effect in deterring “problem behavior” caused by fear, but it does not work in the long term. Children don't actually learn what is wrong or right, they just learn what to do to avoid being hit. Spanking is not the way to go if you are trying to discipline your children and teach them which behaviors to imitate and which to avoid. harsh and potentially abusive methods have been removed” (Gershoff). The results revealed that yes, spanking and more severe types of physical abuse have outcomes on children that are “similar in magnitude and identical in direction” (Gershoff). Spanking and more serious types of physical abuse involve intentional parental actions to harm a child, usually in response to the child's misbehavior. Spanking continues to be prevalent because parents do not view it as a form of physical abuse, but the results of this and other studies prove the harmful consequences of spanking, among other forms of abuse. Part Two If spanking doesn't work, what does? This is the question that concerns many parents and the reason why many still resort to spanking as a way to deter problem behavior in a child. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), effective discipline requires three main elements: 1) a positive, supportive, loving relationship between parent(s) and child, 2) the use of discipline strategies positive reinforcement to increase desired behaviors, and 3) remove reinforcement or apply punishment to reduce or eliminate behaviors