Summary: The Negative Consequences Of Spanking

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Numerous studies have shown the negative consequences associated with physically disciplining a child. Gershoff (2016) defines corporal punishment as “noninjurious, open-handed hitting with the intention of modifying child behavior”, yet there is a fine line between physical punishment and physical abuse. Many studies conducted have proven that physical punishment towards children has negatively impacted their behavioral, emotional, cognitive and development progress later in their lifetimes. According to Gershoff (2013), half of the children in a 33-country survey by UNICEF reported having been physically punished by their parents. The prevalence of spanking in the United States is even greater, with two thirds of young children being spanked by their parents (65% of 19- to 35-month-olds), and most teenagers (85%) reporting that they were slapped or spanked by their mothers at some point in their lives. Spanking is used as a method to ward off undesirable behavior of a child. By …show more content…

Despite most people refusing to address the problem, spanking is hitting and hitting is violence. The link between spanking and abuse differs by the degree of the act itself, including duration of the punishment, amount of force used on the child, and types of objects used during the punishment. When corporal punishment is done in anger, it often causes the reason for the punishment to be unjustified. In a recent study of parents and the effects of spanking on their children, 69% said that there was a need for physical punishment but only 41% believed that it was effective in achieving a desired outcome. Spanking alone does not teach children why their behavior is wrong, instead it teaches them to behave when the threat of a physical punishment is present (Maguire‐Jack

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