1. SPANKING: DETRIMENTAL OR HELPFUL 1
Spanking: Detrimental or Helpful in Childrearing?
Connie Butts
ENG 325 Intermediate Composition
Instructor: Elizabeth Parks
October 31, 2014

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Spanking: Detrimental or Helpful in Childrearing?
Spanking children has been a controversial topic for many years. Some parents resort to
corporal punishment regularly and feel it is not only within their rights as parents but also a
responsibility they hold to society to see that their children obey laws and rules. Other parents
believe a child should never be spanked because they feel it is a display of violence. Therefore,
they never resort to spanking regardless of the conduct their children display out of fear that
corporal punishment will lead to emotional issues and aggressive behaviors later in life. Then
there are parents that feel spanking should be a last resort only after all efforts to control
undesirable behavior has failed. Many studies have been held on the topic of spanking that
yielded different results depending on the severity and frequency of the occurrences of spanking
(Lansford, 2012). Speaking as a well-adjusted person who was spanked as a child, and a mother
of three grown well-adjusted sons who were spanked when necessary, spanking when used along
with reasoning, love, and consistency is a tool that effectively corrects conduct that can lead to a
lifetime of regret if left unpunished.
Those who are opposed to spanking often say it leads to child abuse and causes children
to display externalizing behavioral problems. One study actually correlates children being
spanked “often” to the display of externalizing behaviors and acting aggressively toward others
(Paris, 2000). The same study shows these were children with behavioral disorders such as
attention deficit disorder or oppositional defiant disorder. Such children should be disciplined
differently because they are emotionally and psychologically different than emotionally healthy
children. A child that suffers from these disorders and are spanked will generally be spanked
more often due to acting out because of the disorder thus putting them at risk for child abuse.
Such children would experience excessive corporal punishment and thus be at risk for adult

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social and psychological problems including adult aggression, depression, and delinquency
(Walsh, 2002). Regardless of the type of discipline used, it is universally accepted that it should
remain persistent and consistent in order to be effective (Paris, 2000).
Society today has failed its young people. According to Psychologist Aric Sigman, “a
growing lack of adult authority has bred a spoilt generation of children who believe grown-ups
must earn their respect” (Macrae, 2009). Such allowances have led to “rising violence at home,
in school and in the street” according to Sigman, and made children “unprepared for the realities
of adult life.” The rise of delinquency seems to be directly tied to family factors that include
“lack of parental supervision, lack of parental discipline, and parental absence” (Loeber, 1986).
Professor Cary Cooper attributes a great deal of the problem to parent absenteeism due to long
working hours (Macrae, 2009). Regardless of the reasons, the children and society is suffering as
a whole.
When considering the ills that are presented in society’s youth, one must reconsider the
taking back of authority by adults in order to stabilize the lives of their children. According to
Dr. Sigman, “Authority is a basic health requirement in children’s lives.” An analysis of middle
school students who displayed disruptive behavior and lack of respect for authority also found
the root cause to be found in the home, citing probable factors that contributed to problems
experienced in the classroom as “family environment and attitude, no accountability for certain
actions, and adult’s lack of respect for others” (Berman, 2000). Therefore, a demonstration of
proper authority must be provided if the youths of today are to grow up mentally healthy.
Unfortunately, this requires discipline and sometimes corporal punishment is needed.

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Corrective discipline should be administered when the parent, or authority figure, is calm
and reasonable (Paris, 2000). It is also important the child understands what they are being
punished for and why it was wrong, so the spanking can be a learning experience. Otherwise, the
person administering the punishment is not teaching the child to be obedient, they are only
demonstrating they have the ability and desire to punish the child. To use spanking in this
manner teaches a child they can strike other children, or adults in order to get them to do what
they want, thus exhibiting externalizing behavior (Lansford, 2012). Using spanking in this way
also supports Straus’ theory that “physical punishment trains children to deal with conflicts with
physical violence” (Larzelere, 1986). The excessive use of spanking has been linked to
depression, physical aggression, and psychological problems in adults, thus fueling the no-
spanking mentality that is prevalent in society (Paris, 2000).
This is a problem that is prevalent among mother’s who display over reactive discipline.
Those who are over reactive when disciplining their children have a tendency to notice only
negative behaviors and react in excess when administering correction for bad actions (Lorber,
2003). Over reactive discipline has been noted to lead to externalizing behaviors, especially in
those who are genetically predisposed to those behaviors even if no abuse has taken place
(Lansford, 2012). This could lead to problems, especially in boys because they receive spankings
more frequently than girls during early childhood. This could be attributed to their heightened
activity levels as well as the tendency to argue or show aggression rather than comply with
restrictions (Day, 1998).
This gives good reason for parents to employ authoritative parenting skills starting early
in life. This type of parenting skills, “allows for give and take, provides reasons, and is open to
negotiation” (Grolnick, 2012). Although this type of parenting actively deals with misbehavior, it

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does so in a manner that gives the child choices and thus contributes to autonomy rather than
being controlling and demanding. The choices a child may be given could possibly include the
type of punishment they would receive (Time-out or spanking) after their parents had reasoned
with them about their conduct and the manner in which it must be changed. As the child grows
the need for spanking will decrease as their reasoning skills increase (Day, 1998).
The use of spanking has been noted to be an effective tool to “reduce noncompliance and
fighting when it was used to back up milder discipline tactics” (Larzelere, 2000). Using spanking
as a last resort measure will make it much less likely that it would escalate into abusive
discipline in which a child would be hit with objects, punched, or thrown down (Brown
university, 1996). After all, the role of discipline is to teach, train, and correct rather than to
injure.
The use of spanking is much more common when children are young. The highest
percentages of occurrence are noted in children between 2 to 8 year olds. It was reported that
72% of parents polled used spanking as a form of punishment for 2-4 year olds, 71% for 5-8 year
olds, and decreased as the children became older (Walsh, 2002). Researchers who found
detrimental outcomes in regard to spanking found they were in direct correlation to spankings
being used too frequently. They found that other alternative disciplinary tactics caused similar
outcomes when they were used too frequently as well. When punishments of any type are used
too often they become counterproductive and lose their effectiveness and become an expected
occurrence in the mind of a child (Larzelere, 2000). This being the case, it is good to have
established rules with regard to spanking.

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According to the Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, spanking should only be used on defiant
children for which other forms of correction like time-outs have failed. They should not be given
to children younger than 18 months of age and should not be administered when you are angry or
frustrated. When spanking is used correctly it can be an effective method that does not yield
negative consequences and modifies the unacceptable behavior that children display (Saadeh,
2002). Therefore, it can be used safely and effectively in order to correct behaviors that are
unacceptable.
It is the earnest desire of most parents to raise loving, well-adjusted children. However,
there are times they must curtail unacceptable behavior in order to do so. Through discipline and
correction this desire can be realized. However, when administering corrective discipline like
spanking they must keep in mind the detrimental effects that could come from abusing it or using
it in an unloving way. After all, the goal is to instill beneficial conduct in a child and curtail
unacceptable conduct. It is necessary for parents to be mindful to avoid spanking a defiant child
when angry or frustrated because it can become uncontrolled and abusive. Spanking should not
be used as a first recourse in correcting bad behavior so it will keep its effectiveness. Staying
aware of these possible pitfalls will help parents keep perspective when they must spank a
defiant or rebellious child. In this way they can teach and train their children in a beneficial way
that leads to a well-adjusted adult that respects authority and hopefully spare them the pain
incurred by the judicial system’s correction later in life.

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Reference
...abusive discipline. (1996). Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter, 12(1), 7.
Berman, N., Hornbaker, G., Ulm, A. (2000). CA study of student’s disruptive behaviors and a
lack for authority and peers with middle school students. Eric.ed.gov. May, 2000.
Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED444734
Day, R. D., Peterson, G. W., & McCracken, C. (1998). Predicting spanking of younger and older
children by mothers and fathers. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60(1), 79-94.
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Grolnick, W. S. (2012). The relations among parental power assertion, control, and structure.
Human Development, 55(2), 57-64. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000338533
Lansford, J. E., Wager, L. B., Bates, J. E., Pettit, G. S., & Dodge, K. A. (2012). Forms of
spanking and children's externalizing behaviors. Family Relations, 61(2), 224-236.
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Larzelere, R. E. (1986). Moderate spanking: Model or deterrent of children's aggression in the
family? Journal of Family Violence, 1(1), 27-36.
Larzelere, R. E. (2000). Child outcomes of nonabusive and customary physical punishment by
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http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/cjrr7&div=6&id=&page=
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