SPANKING

Spanking is an effective discipline technique with children

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Spanking is an effective discipline technique with children

Introduction

Spanking children is of great interest to professional and lay audiences. Parents and teachers who have responsibility for the care of children, not to mention all those adults who once were children themselves, are likely to have a well formulated stance on whether children should be hit in the course of discipline, the extent to which children ought to be hit, and the circumstances in which such hitting is appropriate. The use of spanking as a discipline technique is quite prevalent. For example, in the United States, 74% of parents of children 17 years of age or younger use spanking as a discipline technique (Gallup Organization, 1995).

This figure increases to 94% of parents of 3- and 4-year-olds who use any type of corporal punishment (Straus & Stewart, 1999). The public's attitudes about spanking, however, suggest growing ambivalence. In a recent survey, 61% of parents of young children and 62% of the adult population viewed spanking as an acceptable form of regular discipline (Yankelvich, 2000). This represents a decrease from the late 1960s when 94% held this view (Straus & Mather, 1996). The prevalent use and changing attitudes towards spanking underscore the importance and interest in the topic.

Interest in the issue of spanking children and corporal punishment is much deeper than mere opinions about practices that might be useful or acceptable. The practice of hitting children as part of discipline is deeply embedded in religious beliefs, cultural views, government, law, and social policy. In relation to religious beliefs, consider one example. Many individuals who might not otherwise quote scripture can readily cite “spare the rod and spoil the child” as a biblical rationale or justification for using corporal punishment.

This commonly misquoted phrase is used to give authority to the practice of hitting children and indeed the wisdom of doing so. In relation to government and law, parental hitting of children is legal in all states of the United States if that hitting does not cause physical harm. Several other countries have banned corporal punishment as a means of child discipline at home and at school. The latest count includes Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Norway, and Sweden (Bitensky and EPOCH). Banning corporal punishment has significant legal and policy implications insofar as the state may have legal authority to enforce and punish those who engage in spanking.

Controversial and polarized views of spanking

Corporal punishment of children can take many ...