The Negative Effects of Spanking a Child.
By: Shelby Brown
Spanking can lead to abuse, no matter what the object.
Everyone knows that throughout history, the views on corporal punishment have changed from the way society sees spanking now. In the past, spanking was a natural instinct. No one ever thought about the long-term effects. Kids were spanked in many different ways, such as the use of paddles or belts. It is interesting to think of how different the topic of spanking is today, compared to how it was in the past. Philip Davis wrote an article that reflects on the difference. In recent history, “whipping” a child was not even as issue until the 1830’s. It was such a common form of punishment. Herbert Folk wrote a book called Corporal Punishment: A Social Interpretation of its Theory and Practice in the Schools of the United States, that states “It may be asserted at the outset that, in control of both the child and the adult, corporal punishment is far less frequent and less severe now than at any time in our history” (Folk 123). Now, critics and media are having trouble identifying what is right. As well, according to Dawn Ramsburg, “Spanking is one of the most controversial discipline methods” (Ramsburg1). Phillip Davis wrote an article called “The Changing Meanings of Spanking” that makes a very good point. In this article, he states that this is such a controversial issue because not only do parents get criticized for spanking their kids; others get criticized for not spanking their kids. He says that the parents who do not spank are said to have “undercontrol” or have no control of their children (Davis 137).
According to “Spanking Children: Evidence and Issues.” in general, 74% of parents in the United States use spanking as a form of discipline for their children (Benjet and Kazdin 100). I, as well as many other people in the U.S think corporal punishment of children should be banned altogether. In Herbert Folk’s book, he talks about rapid social change in the society. Folk states that, “corporal punishment is rooted in fixed order in society, based on the principle of authoritarianism” (Folk 108). He makes very good points about authority in his writing. He says corporal punishment is used to control the younger generation by using authorian methods. Corporal punishment is a way to show a child that what he is doing is wrong; however, parents like to abuse their authority. Spanking a child is a way the parents can show the child that they do indeed have authority over them, but actually it could have a different effect. It could make the child scared of their parents in a way that can affect their family life tremendously.
Ramsburg gives a good idea of why spanking is not the best choice for parenting techniques. If parents spank their kids before the age of 1, they are most likely going to keep spanking them until they are four years old. If the child has not yet learned their lesson, there is no reason to continue to spank. Ramsburg makes a good point when he says, “Spanking communicates that hitting is an acceptable way to solve problems” (Ramsburg 1). These gestures could also be passed down to the next generation also. Kazdin and Benjet state in this article that people who are against spanking are afraid that “violence begets violence” in the sense that it will continue throughout other generations”(100). This is very true because it is highly likely that what you learn from your family life as a child will stay with you the rest of your life. As well, it is likely that children will misinterpret the spanking and have thoughts such as “I’m a bad person,” rather than, “I did a bad thing” (Ramsburg 2). He states that, “what once was primarily a childbearing issue has become a child protection issue as well” (Davis 135).
There was an article, written by John Cloud, that stresses whether children’s IQ’s are affected by the force of capital punishment, such a spanking. There is a sociologist by the name of Murray Straus who has done some research and believes a lot in this theory. Straus states that “being spanked or hit is associated with fright and stress; kids who experience that kind of trauma have a harder time focusing and learning” (Cloud 1). It is a great possibility that spanking can have a long-term affect on a child. Cloud states, “Sometimes spanking seems like the only way to get through to an unruly toddler. But the price for fixing his poor short-term conduct might be an even more troublesome outcome in the future” (Cloud 3).
It is seen as immoral to inflict any sort of pain on a child, no matter the circumstances. The adults that share this point of view think that this solution can be resolved with the use of positive reinforcement. Referring back to “Spanking Children: Evidence and Issues.”, Benjet and Kazdin write about the study done by Elizabeth Gershoff in 2002. She studied 88 cases of spanking on children, and discovered some negative effects. Gershoff found that “spanking was associated with decreased internalization of morals, diminished quality of parent child relations, poorer child and adult mental health, increased delinquency, and antisocial behavior for children, and increased criminal and antisocial behavior for adults (101).” She also discovered “children who were spanked were more angry, aggressive and stressed than children who were not disciplined this way (Benjet and Kazdin 102).” However, spanking is such a controversial issue because there is a limited definition of spanking concerning the words “mild” or “occasional.
So, as you have it, not only is spanking have bad consequences, it can affect the future, our future. Where does society draw the line? How do parents know when to stop? I don’t think parents realize the long-term effects of what they are doing. We teach children not to hit, but parents are aloud to use their authority and spank children? These are some many reasons why I believe, and support says that spanking is not the right punishment for a child. To show you this, we did a skit on some things that are believed to make spanking a bad choice.
According to “Spanking Children: Evidence and Issues.” in general, 74% of parents in the United States use spanking as a form of discipline for their children (Benjet and Kazdin 100). I, as well as many other people in the U.S think corporal punishment of children should be banned altogether. In Herbert Folk’s book, he talks about rapid social change in the society. Folk states that, “corporal punishment is rooted in fixed order in society, based on the principle of authoritarianism” (Folk 108). He makes very good points about authority in his writing. He says corporal punishment is used to control the younger generation by using authorian methods. Corporal punishment is a way to show a child that what he is doing is wrong; however, parents like to abuse their authority. Spanking a child is a way the parents can show the child that they do indeed have authority over them, but actually it could have a different effect. It could make the child scared of their parents in a way that can affect their family life tremendously.
Ramsburg gives a good idea of why spanking is not the best choice for parenting techniques. If parents spank their kids before the age of 1, they are most likely going to keep spanking them until they are four years old. If the child has not yet learned their lesson, there is no reason to continue to spank. Ramsburg makes a good point when he says, “Spanking communicates that hitting is an acceptable way to solve problems” (Ramsburg 1). These gestures could also be passed down to the next generation also. Kazdin and Benjet state in this article that people who are against spanking are afraid that “violence begets violence” in the sense that it will continue throughout other generations”(100). This is very true because it is highly likely that what you learn from your family life as a child will stay with you the rest of your life. As well, it is likely that children will misinterpret the spanking and have thoughts such as “I’m a bad person,” rather than, “I did a bad thing” (Ramsburg 2). He states that, “what once was primarily a childbearing issue has become a child protection issue as well” (Davis 135).
There was an article, written by John Cloud, that stresses whether children’s IQ’s are affected by the force of capital punishment, such a spanking. There is a sociologist by the name of Murray Straus who has done some research and believes a lot in this theory. Straus states that “being spanked or hit is associated with fright and stress; kids who experience that kind of trauma have a harder time focusing and learning” (Cloud 1). It is a great possibility that spanking can have a long-term affect on a child. Cloud states, “Sometimes spanking seems like the only way to get through to an unruly toddler. But the price for fixing his poor short-term conduct might be an even more troublesome outcome in the future” (Cloud 3).
It is seen as immoral to inflict any sort of pain on a child, no matter the circumstances. The adults that share this point of view think that this solution can be resolved with the use of positive reinforcement. Referring back to “Spanking Children: Evidence and Issues.”, Benjet and Kazdin write about the study done by Elizabeth Gershoff in 2002. She studied 88 cases of spanking on children, and discovered some negative effects. Gershoff found that “spanking was associated with decreased internalization of morals, diminished quality of parent child relations, poorer child and adult mental health, increased delinquency, and antisocial behavior for children, and increased criminal and antisocial behavior for adults (101).” She also discovered “children who were spanked were more angry, aggressive and stressed than children who were not disciplined this way (Benjet and Kazdin 102).” However, spanking is such a controversial issue because there is a limited definition of spanking concerning the words “mild” or “occasional.
So, as you have it, not only is spanking have bad consequences, it can affect the future, our future. Where does society draw the line? How do parents know when to stop? I don’t think parents realize the long-term effects of what they are doing. We teach children not to hit, but parents are aloud to use their authority and spank children? These are some many reasons why I believe, and support says that spanking is not the right punishment for a child. To show you this, we did a skit on some things that are believed to make spanking a bad choice.
Alfredo: “Hi, I’m Alfredo Avalos.”
Shelby: "And I'm Shelby Brown."
Shelby: “And we are the Muncie News 21.”
Alfredo: “We are here to give you all the weather, news updates, and information you could possibly want to know around the world!”
Shelby: “That is right! And today, we have some very intriguing stories. First, lets talk about some breaking news that’s been going on at the Ball State Campus. Last night around 10:30 a.m there was an armed robbery. No one was hurt, but a purse was taken. Police are on a lookout for the suspect. But in the meantime, while walking through campus, walk in pairs. Please.”
Alfredo: “On another note, there are some kids rioting outside of the Johnson Complex at Ball State. They are petitioning a ban on spanking! Let’s go to the reporter with more on the story.”
Nancy: “Thank you guys. As you guys can see, there are people out here trying to make a statement. This is what they’re up to. What does your sign say?”
Rioter 1: “No Spanking! There are other ways that you can punish children.”
Nancy: “There you have it folks. What’s is your sign telling the world?"
Rioter 2: “Spanking can lead to abuse! The parents can actually end up hurting a child.”
Rioter 3: “Don’t hit a child! Are you crazy? As a child we were taught no hitting. So why enforce it?”
Rioter 4: “Ban Spanking! It’s banned in 19 other countries, why not us?”
Nancy: As you can see, it’s pretty cold out here, so we’re going to call it a night. This has been Nancy Duran, and the riot on spanking keeps going on.
Shelby: “And we are the Muncie News 21.”
Alfredo: “We are here to give you all the weather, news updates, and information you could possibly want to know around the world!”
Shelby: “That is right! And today, we have some very intriguing stories. First, lets talk about some breaking news that’s been going on at the Ball State Campus. Last night around 10:30 a.m there was an armed robbery. No one was hurt, but a purse was taken. Police are on a lookout for the suspect. But in the meantime, while walking through campus, walk in pairs. Please.”
Alfredo: “On another note, there are some kids rioting outside of the Johnson Complex at Ball State. They are petitioning a ban on spanking! Let’s go to the reporter with more on the story.”
Nancy: “Thank you guys. As you guys can see, there are people out here trying to make a statement. This is what they’re up to. What does your sign say?”
Rioter 1: “No Spanking! There are other ways that you can punish children.”
Nancy: “There you have it folks. What’s is your sign telling the world?"
Rioter 2: “Spanking can lead to abuse! The parents can actually end up hurting a child.”
Rioter 3: “Don’t hit a child! Are you crazy? As a child we were taught no hitting. So why enforce it?”
Rioter 4: “Ban Spanking! It’s banned in 19 other countries, why not us?”
Nancy: As you can see, it’s pretty cold out here, so we’re going to call it a night. This has been Nancy Duran, and the riot on spanking keeps going on.
