Daisy Aldava

Professor Philippsen

EAR 20 40576/ 40579

21 January, 2022

Issues Paper: Spanking

Spanking, is it really necessary or is it a parent's excuse to blow off some steam on their

children? Spanking is an extremely controversial topic in that no one really knows where the line

between disciplinary action and mere abuse is drawn. Though spanking has been seen as

favorable with parents, developmentalists strongly advise parents to try alternative disciplinary

actions. Spanking has given parents an immediate and “effective” response to change the

behavior of their children within a short span of time. Those opposed to spanking argue that

though it may provide an immediate response to aiding in behavior change, it is detrimental to

the psychological development of children.

One of the main reasons as to why spanking is opposed by many is the lack of distinction

between spanking and abuse. A study done by the University of Texas showed that spanking

does in fact cause “similar emotional and developmental harm as abuse”. (Campbell 1)

Moreover, Anderson and her colleges at Harvard Graduate University of Education also

concluded similar results that linked spanking to “severe maltreatment”. Spanking is usually

done as a way to enforce rules that have been broken, and maintain the order, however power

can quickly get to parent’s heads and result in permanent emotional and physical damage. In

some instances, parent’s have answered their children “because I said so” when questioned about

a decision. This one example goes to show that parents too can easily become illogical when
dealing with verbal disagreements, so who is to say that they can’t become illogical when

disagreements become physical?

The result of spanking, whether or not it has been taken far enough to consider abuse or

not, has been linked to an increase in aggression. The American Academy of Pediatrics has

reported that aggression has been noticed starting as early as preschool. Moreover, children who

were spanked, noticeably were at “higher risk for committing juvenile crime, assaulting other

kids, being depressed as an adult and hitting their dating or marital partner.” (Ogilvie 2) As a

result of spanking, children struggled with developing effective social skills, struggled with their

mental health, and exhibited cognitive difficulties. (Campbell 1) These problems, however, we

not only see outside of the house, but within family members as well. Children who were

spanked had a hard time developing intimate relationships with their parents, or had parent- child

relationships that were nonexistent. If spanking becomes a habitual response to reinforce

minimal offenses, then children begin to adopt this response. Soon, the child normalizes this

response, internalizes it, and later reflects it. The reflection to this response can vary from

impulsivity- to hitting a parent in an act of self defense- to becoming a consistent domestic

offender.

So how can spanking be done effectively? A study by Robert Larzelene, a professor of

research in Human Development at Oklahoma State University concluded that lower defiance

and aggression rates are linked to spanking, when executed correctly. Larzelere stressed the need

for parents to respond with other less severe punishments, prior to resorting to spanking. His

overarching message was to emphasize that parents should “do everything as kindly and gently

as they can first”. (Larzelere 1) In the situation where all other responses fail and spanking is

desperately needed, that it should be followed with reasoning and affirmative love. This study
overall highlights parent’s need to first take a less violent response and practice active

communication with their children. Lazelere’s study was found to be most effective with 2-6

year olds. This is because of the fact that any child under 2 is simply not equipped with the skills

necessary to communicate. If parents practice active communication prior to becoming physical,

child development would not be tampered.

If developmentalists think spanking is bad, then why do ⅘ of adults agree that it is

effective? Spanking is seen as beneficial because it provides parents with an immediate

behavioral change from their children. The focus of spanking is to prevent a child from repeating

the same action again, acting as a reinforcer to stop bad behavior. How exactly does spanking

become effective? Parents cannot merely hit their child and expect them to not repeat their

actions, no. Parents must quickly follow with a clear reasoning as to why they laid their hands on

their child. In doing so, parents lay out clear expectations for their expected behavior changes. If

spanking becomes a parent's first response to correcting behavior, its effectiveness decreases.

The “shock factor” as Campbell described it was to provide a long lasting effect to the message

being portrayed. Spanking is not designed to be done often. Spanking should only be done when

all other responses have failed to produce a response from the child.

The darker, more twisted reasoning to spanking is that it gives the parents a reason to be

feared. Since children are physically inferior to their parents, it is easy for parents to install fear

of physical hurt to their children. Through the use of fear, parents can easily set up expectations

and limitations for their children, but is this truly healthy? The Health Research Fund concluded

that one of the pros to spanking was that it established fear, which in return demanded respect.

With respect being in the mix, children were less likely to misbehave. However, “73% of

mothers reported that their child repeated the same bad behavior even after being spanked for it”.
(Ogilvie 2) In other words, spanking does not fix the issue. Spanking simply shocks children into

remembering that the issue was offensive enough to be hurt physically.

Another important variable to note is age. “It (referring to spanking) should never be used

for infants, and rarely for older kids with better communication abilities.” (Campbell 2) As

children get older, mature, and communicate more effectively, hitting should ultimately come to

an infinite end. Hitting older children invalidates them and their transition into adulthood and the

real world. It is not reasonable to condition a child to expect to get physically hurt as a

consequence, nor is it seen in the real world. On the other hand, it wouldn't be reasonable to hit

infants because they have not developed the communication skills needed to make spanking

effective. “...It is meant to send a strong message, not to be used on a daily basis”. (Campbell 2)

As previously mentioned, a consistent use of spanking only makes it less effective and results in

negative responses from children.

In conclusion, though there are both pros and cons, it is important to consider the

limitations and steps that lead up to spanking. Regardless of whether you are for or against it, it

should not be the first response to negative behaviors. Spanking has been seen to be beneficial in

that it punishes bad behavior with a physical reinforcer.

Work cited:

Campbell, Leah. “Spanking: Pros and Cons.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 6 July
2016, https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/spanking-pros-and-cons#The-
pros-of-spanking-.

“Pro / Con: Spanking.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2011,
https://www.latimes.com/health/la-xpm-2011-dec-26-la-he-spanking-pro-con-
20111226-story.html.

“Pros and Cons of Spanking Children.” HRF, 6 Apr. 2015,

https://healthresearchfunding.org/pros-cons-spanking-children/.
“The Effect of Spanking on the Brain.” Harvard Graduate School of Education,
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/21/04/effect-spanking-brain.

Interactive, Harris. “Four in Five Americans Believe Parents Spanking Their

Children Is Sometimes Appropriate.” Four in Five Americans Believe Parents
Spanking Their Children Is Sometimes Appropriate, 29 June 2018,
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/four-in-five-americans-believe-
parents-spanking-their-children-is-sometimes-appropriate-225314281.html.

Cuartas, Jorge, et al. “Corporal Punishment and Elevated Neural Response to

Threat in Children.” Society for Research in Child Development, John Wiley &
Sons, Ltd, 9 Apr. 2021,
https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cdev.13565.

“Where We Stand: Spanking.” HealthyChildren.org,

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/
communication-discipline/Pages/Where-We-Stand-Spanking.aspx.