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The case against spanking
The spanking debate essay
The case against spanking
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The use of spanking is one of the most controversial parenting practices and also one of the oldest, spanning throughout many generations. Spanking is a discipline method in which a supervising adult deliberately inflicts pain upon a child in response to a child’s unacceptable behaviour. Although spanking exists in nearly every country and family, its expression is heterogeneous. First of all the act of administering a spanking varies between families and cultures. As Gershoff (2002) pointed out, some parents plan when a spanking would be the most effective discipline whereas some parents spank impulsively (Holden, 2002). Parents also differ in their moods when delivering this controversial punishment, some parents are livid and others try and be loving and reason with the child. Another source of variation is the fact that spanking is often paired with other parenting behaviours such as, scolding, yelling, or perhaps raging and subsequently reasoning. A third source of variation concerns parental characteristics. Darling and Steinberg (1993) distinguished between the content of parental acts and the style in which it was administered (Holden, 2002). With all this variation researchers cannot definitively isolate the singular effects of spanking. Holden (2002) reviewed Gershoff’s (2002) meta-analyses of eighty-eight (88) studies and noted that there were both positive and negative outcomes associated with the punishment of spanking. According to Gershoff’s (2002) analysis, the one positive outcome was immediate compliance by the child (Holden, 2002). This result was found to be consistent in five (5) studies. Immediate compliance was defined as the child complying to the parents directive within five (5) seconds. In stark contrast, there were four (4) negative outcomes. The analysis showed a negative effect on the quality of the parent child relationship, the child’s mental health, the child’s perception of being a victim of physical child abuse, and also impacted aggression in adulthood (Holden, 2002). Spanking should always be of reasonable force, never leave bruises or marks, and only ever be on the buttocks. Spanking advocates argue that the buttocks are the safest place to administer corporal punishment since it produces a sharp stinging pain but injury is unlikely.
Swat! The entire store tries not to stare at the overwhelmed mother spanking her three-year-old whaling son. As if the screaming tantrum wasn't enough of a side show at the supermarket. This method, or technique perhaps, has been around for decades, even centuries. Generations have sat on grandpa’s lap and listened to the stories of picking their own switch or getting the belt after pulling off a devilish trick. So why then has it become a major controversy in the past few decades? The newest claim is that spanking and other forms of physical punishment can lead to increased aggression, antisocial behavior, physical injury and mental health problems for children. Brendan L. Smith uses many case studies and psychologists findings in his article “The Case Against Spanking” to suggest that parents refrain from physically punishing their children due to lasting harmful effects.
There are detrimental risks and disadvantages to using spanking children as a form of punishment. Children will never actually learn the reasoning for why they are being spanked. This will not produce benefits for the child later in life; it will actually hurt them because they aren’t learning important lessons as a child. A giant risk a parent takes when choosing to spank their child is that it may lead to increased aggression by age 5. Also the more a parent spanks, the less effective it becomes. Spanking has no benefits and is harmful to children.
People say spanking can be harmful to a child’s health. They have placed laws in Washington State in regards to spanking and other corporal punishments. But why, why all the fuss, spanking couldn’t be that bad could it? There must be studies to prove that spanking can cause bad child behavior otherwise why would there be laws on this madder? What are the opinions of the experts, and their methods of disciplining children?
Gene therapy gives people who suffer from genetic diseases a chance to lead a normal life. Dangerous diseases, such as AIDS, SCID, Thalassemia and ADA can be cured successfully. In September 5, 2006, two people with advanced melanoma received Gene therapy and they got recovery soon. This is a breakthrough in cancer gene therapy. Gene therapy uses patients own cells to cure diseases, and, therefore, no rejection to their bodies. Furthermore, patients could get permanent cure from gene therapy without recurrence.
Critics of spanking need to understand that spanking and abuse are not the same. Spanking is a quick squat on the buttock that causes temporary pain. Child abuse is physical injury such as beating, kicking, or punching a child with cruel intent. Psychiatrist William Glasser makes a distinction between the two. Glasser explains, “Discipline is directed at the objectionable behavior, and the child will accept its consequences without resentment.” By contrast, he defined punishment as, “A response that is directed at the individual” (qtd. in Dobson 96). Spanking allows room for forgiveness and reconciliation. Abuse comes from a place of hostility. It is harsh and leaves little room for forgiveness or reconciliation. Yes, spanking may cause brief discomfort, but it is not the same as beating, punching, or kicking a child.
To commence, parents should avoid spanking their children because of the physiological consequences. Sufficient evidence exists in proving that spanking slows the cognitive development of children (Straus, 2011). Spanked children tend to do far worse on achievement tests than those whose parents used other forms of punishment (Straus, 2011). Because of the retardation in the cognitive development, spanked children must spend their entire lives catching up to their counterparts who did not receive such harsh punishment and cannot enjoy a quality childhood. Hitting children can cause back problems (Hunt, 2011). Shock waves travel up the spine and cause nerve damage (Hunt, 2011). If a parent disciplined his/her child out of love, it would not be with an expensive medical bill later on in life.
Many authorities and psychologists believe that spanking breaks a child's spirit and only leads to violence. They think that it causes the child to become depressed, angry or hostile and they have conducted many studies to prove these things. This type of harsh punishment occurs often, but it is called child abuse. There is a great difference between abusing a child and properly disciplining a child. "One is an act of love; the other is an act of hostility, and they are as different as night and day" (Dobson 35).
Spanking increases aggression in children. “‘Spanking models aggression as a way of solving problems, that you can hit people and get what you want’”(“Study Links
The importance of genes, are how it is used in the construction of an off springs appearance. Genes are a set of instruction that the body follows when it forms the identity in an offspring. They are constructed from long strands of DNA, and control everything from eye colour, hair colour, to the way the body functions and behaves.
Child Outcomes of Nonabusive and Customary Physical Punishment by Parents, (Robert E. Larzelere), focused majorly on the causal effect of punishment on children and aimed to determine if the short-term outcomes of spanking were beneficial. In this report, the emphasis was placed on non-abusive physical punishment, primarily spanking, without completely focusing on the severity of its use or its comparison to other types of physical discipline. A great amount of research was obviously put into the article from various sources such as Psych Lit. The accuracy of this report was evident as it methodically and logically eliminated measures dominated by severity or abusiveness (eliminating 37 more studies) and measures focused on nonspanking tactics. Finally, the average age of the child when spanked had to be younger than 13 years (eliminating 42 otherwise eligible studies). Overall, the 38 q...
Humanism in the Renaissance period was an era of rebirth, a time of new thinking, and a breath of fresh air from medieval scholasticism. Spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th century, humanism was a new philosophical and ethical stance that usually favored secular thinking over an established doctrine or faith. Humanistic beliefs centered on rationalism and empiricism and were instilled in contemporary studies to challenge education in the medieval ages. Forefathers of humanism such as Petrarch believed in achieving a humanistic education through careful study and imitation of the great classical authors. Later humanists, such as Juan Ginés Sepulveda, were forced to deal with other issues such as assessing what made someone
Genes are made of DNA – the code of life (Gene Therapy- The Great Debate!). The changes in genes may cause serious problems, which we called genetic disorder. In theory, the only method to cure genetic disorders is gene therapy, which basically means the replacement of genes in order to correct the loss or change in people’s DNA. Although gene therapy gives patients with genetic disorders a permanent cure, it is controversial because it has safety and efficacy problems, and raises ethical issues.
It not only changed the traditional nature of arts, but it also stimulated individuals to think; this thinking process led to the creation of countless possibilities in the spheres of art, architecture, engineering, sculpture, anatomy. Humanism spread to Northern Europe after its consequences on Italy, and subsequently led to the Christian reformation. It was during the “humanist era that the freedom of individual expression and opposition to authority was first brought to the surface and became an integral part of the western intellectual tradition” (“Renaissance Humanism”). Humanism provided the general emancipation of the individual for over three hundred years; it gave man a reason to think and
M. H. Abram's A Glossary of Literary Terms defines Renaissance Humanism, stating that some of the key concepts of the philosophy centered around "the dignity and central position of human beings in the universe" as reasoning creatures, as well as downplaying the "'animal' passions" of the individual. The mode of the thought also "stressed the need for a rounded development of and individual's diverse powers... as opposed to merely technical or specialized training." Finally, all of this was synthesized into and perhaps defined by their tendency to minimize the prevalent Christian ideal of innate corruption and withdrawal from the present, flawed world in anticipation of heaven. (p. 83)
Humanist’s presented a new outlook on the basic nature of human beings. The idea that God made every man unique was a key element in this new philosophy and changed the perspective of people around Europe. According to Giovanni Pico Della Mirandloa’s Oration on the Dignity of Man, “ At last the best of artisans ordained that that creature to whom He had been able to give nothing proper to himself … of whatever had been peculiar to each of the different kinds of being” ( doc.1). The perception that God created man to be a unique creature with qualities exclusive to themselves allowed anyone to achieve great goals. Humans began to believe that they were the pinnacle beings of their civilization which ultimately allowed them to strive in human ingenuity and human effort rather than divine grace. Humans were regarded optimistically in terms of what they could do, not just in the arts and sciences, but also morally. In addition, the thought that every man had the ability to think an...