Is spanking an effective means of discipline?
Spanking children can be a complicated issue in a multi-cultural setting like ASB. The norms for disciplining children vary between cultures and the laws we might follow differ from country to country. As educators, we come into contact with the varying effects of behaviors students learn or experience outside of school. As the counselor, it’s my role to share best practices and current research on parenting issues to encourage greater wellbeing for families and children.
At ASB we do not condone hitting. In the US it is illegal to use corporal punishment in schools and we teach children that hitting is never an effective solution to a problem and that there are alternative ways to manage conflict. However, in the US, unlike 41 other countries, corporal punishment remains legal in the home. So is it different when a parent hits a child to obtain cooperation or correct behavior? Does it work?
Spanking or hitting children does lead to immediate compliant behavior thus many parents find that it works, for the short term. Some parents grew up with the belt, spankings or other types of corporal punishment. They might believe it worked for them or they simply don’t know alternatives.
Corporal punishment remains a widely used discipline technique in countries around the world, despite the growing number of countries that have passed laws against it, and it remains an area of great controversy in the fields of social science and psychology. Some experts support the use of physical punishment as long as it is not delivered in anger. Most experts agree that when the parent hits out of anger, it quickly crosses the line to child abuse.
According to some researchers, the findings on the effects of corporal punishment achieve a degree of consistency that is rare in social science (Smith, 2006). For example, one scientist reviewed 88 research studies and 62 years of data to examine the connections between use of corporal punishment and outcomes for children (Gershoff, 2002).
While immediate compliance was the only desirable outcome found from hitting or spanking, the research consistently documents the following negative outcomes associated with parental hitting or spanking:
1. Childhood Aggression. Hitting models hitting. It teaches that it is all right for people to hit people, and particularly for big people to hit little people or stronger people to hit weaker people. Thus a child whose behavior is controlled by spanking is very likely to carry this mode of interaction into relationships with siblings and peers.
2. Faulty Moral Compass. A child who is hit becomes more dependent on external reinforcement for right and wrong behavior, as opposed to developing “moral internalization,” the ability to make decisions based on internal sense. Thus while they may behave in the presence of the parent, they will be more likely to misbehave when no one is watching. Thus in the long run, hitting does not improve behavior. Even if the moral lesson is taught alongside the punishment, the child will often be more focused on the perceived injustice of the punishment and miss the lesson.
3. Increased Anti-Social Behavior. The lack of moral compass often is compounded by an increase in delinquent and anti-social behavior. Hitting promotes anger in children and they will often act it out through delinquent behavior. They may skip school, sabotage homework, steal, lie or cheat to express their frustration and sense of injustice.
4. Weakened Parent-Child Relationship. Hitting devalues both the child and the parent and can damage a secure relationship. A secure attachment to caretakers is vital for a child’s sense of wellbeing and their feelings of safety within and outside the home, and is a vital ingredient in the development of conscience. Without this they tend to feel badly about themselves and often feel unloved by the parent.
5. Decreased Self-Esteem. The research showed a much higher incidence of depression in children who received punitive parenting. Children who are hit have lower self-esteem and a higher incident of anxiety and other emotional problems. They sometimes become more compliant while losing their spark and internalizing their problems. Girls tend to react this way more often than boys.
6. Lower Intellectual Achievement. Students who are hit showed lower cognitive achievement, a result that could come from several factors. If they have less relationship attachment, lower self esteem, or higher anxiety, students have lower motivation to learn. It also may be that parents who physically punish tend to use less cognitive methods of discipline, such as reasoning and explanation, processes that enhance intellectual growth.
7. Greater Risk of Physical Abuse. The studies consistently showed that parents who use physical punishment often cross the line into abusive behavior. When the discipline is not working, the parent becomes angry and feels the need to increase the punishment. It is a slippery slope and has been shown to be similar to an addiction pattern in that parents will continually increase their level of physical punishment despite their feeling that it is not working and that perhaps something is wrong with their approach.
8. Adult Anti-Social Problems – Children who were physically punished show higher rates of emotional problems in adulthood and higher incidence of criminal activity as adults. They also are much more likely to hit their spouses and their own children. Despite a childhood that may have included much love and caring from their parents, often the memories and effects of punishment override the positive effects of nurturing.
Some people may remain skeptical about the research because causality is difficult to prove in social research, but with the lack of evidence for more positive outcomes and the potential for so much negative, why would we take a chance with our children? Some parents may say “I was spanked and I am fine,” but the definition of “fine” is ambiguous. You may be one of the fortunate, whose parents never delivered spankings in anger, or who simply overcame the negative consequences.
The good news is that generational patterns can be changed and parents can learn alternative discipline methods that are proven effective. Learning new behaviors takes commitment and effort. Using authoritative parenting skills, such as setting limits, setting up logical consequences, reasoning and explanation, takes more effort than the use of authoritarian, or power assertive, parenting, which relies on negative consequences like hitting, threats or withdrawal of privileges. However, there is a large reservoir of research that demonstrates the greater effectiveness of an authoritative parenting style versus an authoritarian style. You can learn more about effective styles of parenting through signing up for an Active Parenting course offered by here at ASB. Email me for more information or to sign up for an upcoming course.
For online information on positive parenting skills, you can access many free articles at www.loveandlogic.com or www.askdrsears.com. For those who remain committed to spanking as a discipline tool, Dr. Sears also offers suggestions for how to spank with least harm.
For additional support, contact myself or another counselor.
Cindy Cleary
Elementary School Counselor
American School of Bombay
References and other articles
Gershoff, E.T. (2002) “Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors and experiences: A meta-analytic and theoretical review” Psychological Bulletin, 128(4):539–579.
Smith, Ann B. (2006) “The State of Research on the Effects of Physical Punishment” Social Policy Journal Of New Zealand, 27:114-127.
Hey Sigmund web article - "Spanking - What's All the Fuss? New Research Explains"
At ASB we do not condone hitting. In the US it is illegal to use corporal punishment in schools and we teach children that hitting is never an effective solution to a problem and that there are alternative ways to manage conflict. However, in the US, unlike 41 other countries, corporal punishment remains legal in the home. So is it different when a parent hits a child to obtain cooperation or correct behavior? Does it work?
Spanking or hitting children does lead to immediate compliant behavior thus many parents find that it works, for the short term. Some parents grew up with the belt, spankings or other types of corporal punishment. They might believe it worked for them or they simply don’t know alternatives.
Corporal punishment remains a widely used discipline technique in countries around the world, despite the growing number of countries that have passed laws against it, and it remains an area of great controversy in the fields of social science and psychology. Some experts support the use of physical punishment as long as it is not delivered in anger. Most experts agree that when the parent hits out of anger, it quickly crosses the line to child abuse.
According to some researchers, the findings on the effects of corporal punishment achieve a degree of consistency that is rare in social science (Smith, 2006). For example, one scientist reviewed 88 research studies and 62 years of data to examine the connections between use of corporal punishment and outcomes for children (Gershoff, 2002).
While immediate compliance was the only desirable outcome found from hitting or spanking, the research consistently documents the following negative outcomes associated with parental hitting or spanking:
1. Childhood Aggression. Hitting models hitting. It teaches that it is all right for people to hit people, and particularly for big people to hit little people or stronger people to hit weaker people. Thus a child whose behavior is controlled by spanking is very likely to carry this mode of interaction into relationships with siblings and peers.
2. Faulty Moral Compass. A child who is hit becomes more dependent on external reinforcement for right and wrong behavior, as opposed to developing “moral internalization,” the ability to make decisions based on internal sense. Thus while they may behave in the presence of the parent, they will be more likely to misbehave when no one is watching. Thus in the long run, hitting does not improve behavior. Even if the moral lesson is taught alongside the punishment, the child will often be more focused on the perceived injustice of the punishment and miss the lesson.
3. Increased Anti-Social Behavior. The lack of moral compass often is compounded by an increase in delinquent and anti-social behavior. Hitting promotes anger in children and they will often act it out through delinquent behavior. They may skip school, sabotage homework, steal, lie or cheat to express their frustration and sense of injustice.
4. Weakened Parent-Child Relationship. Hitting devalues both the child and the parent and can damage a secure relationship. A secure attachment to caretakers is vital for a child’s sense of wellbeing and their feelings of safety within and outside the home, and is a vital ingredient in the development of conscience. Without this they tend to feel badly about themselves and often feel unloved by the parent.
5. Decreased Self-Esteem. The research showed a much higher incidence of depression in children who received punitive parenting. Children who are hit have lower self-esteem and a higher incident of anxiety and other emotional problems. They sometimes become more compliant while losing their spark and internalizing their problems. Girls tend to react this way more often than boys.
6. Lower Intellectual Achievement. Students who are hit showed lower cognitive achievement, a result that could come from several factors. If they have less relationship attachment, lower self esteem, or higher anxiety, students have lower motivation to learn. It also may be that parents who physically punish tend to use less cognitive methods of discipline, such as reasoning and explanation, processes that enhance intellectual growth.
7. Greater Risk of Physical Abuse. The studies consistently showed that parents who use physical punishment often cross the line into abusive behavior. When the discipline is not working, the parent becomes angry and feels the need to increase the punishment. It is a slippery slope and has been shown to be similar to an addiction pattern in that parents will continually increase their level of physical punishment despite their feeling that it is not working and that perhaps something is wrong with their approach.
8. Adult Anti-Social Problems – Children who were physically punished show higher rates of emotional problems in adulthood and higher incidence of criminal activity as adults. They also are much more likely to hit their spouses and their own children. Despite a childhood that may have included much love and caring from their parents, often the memories and effects of punishment override the positive effects of nurturing.
Some people may remain skeptical about the research because causality is difficult to prove in social research, but with the lack of evidence for more positive outcomes and the potential for so much negative, why would we take a chance with our children? Some parents may say “I was spanked and I am fine,” but the definition of “fine” is ambiguous. You may be one of the fortunate, whose parents never delivered spankings in anger, or who simply overcame the negative consequences.
The good news is that generational patterns can be changed and parents can learn alternative discipline methods that are proven effective. Learning new behaviors takes commitment and effort. Using authoritative parenting skills, such as setting limits, setting up logical consequences, reasoning and explanation, takes more effort than the use of authoritarian, or power assertive, parenting, which relies on negative consequences like hitting, threats or withdrawal of privileges. However, there is a large reservoir of research that demonstrates the greater effectiveness of an authoritative parenting style versus an authoritarian style. You can learn more about effective styles of parenting through signing up for an Active Parenting course offered by here at ASB. Email me for more information or to sign up for an upcoming course.
For online information on positive parenting skills, you can access many free articles at www.loveandlogic.com or www.askdrsears.com. For those who remain committed to spanking as a discipline tool, Dr. Sears also offers suggestions for how to spank with least harm.
For additional support, contact myself or another counselor.
Cindy Cleary
Elementary School Counselor
American School of Bombay
References and other articles
Gershoff, E.T. (2002) “Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors and experiences: A meta-analytic and theoretical review” Psychological Bulletin, 128(4):539–579.
Smith, Ann B. (2006) “The State of Research on the Effects of Physical Punishment” Social Policy Journal Of New Zealand, 27:114-127.
Hey Sigmund web article - "Spanking - What's All the Fuss? New Research Explains"