Unruly urchins be warned - although in recent decades the practice of corporal punishment has gained intense scrutiny and more than a few opponents, there are still those experts who not only permit, but even admonish the use of spanking as a healthy, loving diciplinary option. Information compiled from the studies of Dr. Den A Trumbull, M.D., Dr. James Dobson, and other experts in fields of psychology and counseling suggests that many negative ideas about corporal punishment are indeed only misconceptions.
Myth 1: Studies Agree That Spanking Should not be Used
Researchers John Lyons, Rachel Anderson, and David Larson of the National Institute of Healthcare Research compiled reviews about current corporal punishment articles, noting that more than 80% of said articles were not backed by empirical evidence. Instead, these articles were opinion pieces, reviews, or commentaries, and not authoritative at all.
Furthermore, those articles which did site empirical studies also included statistics of overt child abuse, thus heavily influencing the damaging effects of "spanking". Lyons, Anderson, and Larson found that the best studies often proclaimed spanking beneficial, rather than detrimental, although evidence could be found for both sides.
Myth 2: Physical Punishment Teaches Children That Hitting is Morally Okay
Dr. Trumbull states in his article, "Spare the Rod?" that the possibility that spanking will teach a child to hit is based on the way the spanking is administered, not on whether or not it is used. In their toddler years (before it is advisable to use spanking as discipline), children have a tendency to strike at others when they become frustrated or do not receive what they want. They will be encouraged to continue this behavior if they see adults issuing punishment out of anger and frustration, no matter what the punishment may be.
If, however, parents maintain a calm, reasonable, and loving attitude when they administer punishment, they teach children not to react out of frustration, but instead to be just and let the punishment fit the crime. This attitude, even when administering corporal punishment, draws a clear line between agressive hitting and disciplinary hitting which children readily understand.
Myth 3: Physical Punishment is Harmful to the Child
Any form of punishment can be damaging to a child if given in anger, for excessive amounts of time, or too frequently. Screaming at children, leaving them in time-outs or isolation for long periods of time, and even excessive permissiveness (allowing a child to do whatever he or she wants) are often humiliating and damaging methods of discipline which affect the behavior of children for years to come.
Spanking is no different – administered excessively, out of frustration, or as an answer for every type of misdemeanor, it can do lasting damage to a child. However, in the proper setting, controlled and lovingly administered spanking can have beneficial effects. According to a 2010 study by professor of psychology Marjorie Gunnoe, teenagers who were physically disciplined as children "performed better than those who weren’t in a whole series of categories, including school grades, an optimistic outlook on life, the willingness to perform volunteer work, and the ambition to attend college."
Myth 4: Spanking Creates an Angry Child
Anger and resentment are natural responses to punishment of any kind; however, the strength and voracity of the emotional response of the child often depends on whether the parent administers punishment out of retribution or out of calm resolve. Spanking can actually stop the uncontrollable tirade of a rebellious child and encourage emotional healing to occur faster than it would have had the child been left unchecked. In several books on child discipline, family counselor Dr. James Dobson says that failure to spank children actually causes them to be more violent in many cases because the child will learn too late about the negative consequences of not adhering to rules and authority.
Allowing children to hug and apologize for wrongs after they have been spanked permits them to see that they are still loved despite being disciplined and that the parent is always there as a source of comfort as well as strength.
Myth 5: Spanking is Ineffective
As stated under Myth 1, appropriate and loving spanking is rarely studied (instead being grouped with any and all abusive hitting as well). However, in clinical field trials where spanking was studied, it has been shown to significantly decrease noncompliance in children, allowing other punishments to be more effective and reducing rebelliousness.
Dr. Den A. Trumbull states that the most well-behaved and well-adjusted children are those who receive a good balance of different kinds of discipline, both negative (time-outs, removal of toys) and positive (rewards for good behavior, praise). Spanking has its place among the tools that parents can and should use in a loving home in order to raise children in a way that will allow them to face the world as strong individuals.
Note: For advice on how to ensure appropriate administration of spanking, see article "Corporal Punishment Guidelines: How to Spank Lovingly and Effectively."
Work Cited:
Trumbull, Den A., M.D and S. Dubose Ravenel, M.D. " Spare the Rod? " Riverside Community College.
Jessica Heimsoth - null
