There are always two sides to every story and this is still very much the case in the debate on spanking children. Spanking is one of the most controversial and most debated topics of this century. Moreover, there seems to never be a middle road and debaters always feel very strongly one way or another. This topic in general quite often falls prey to the excluded extreme fallacy that one is either fully for spanking or fully against it; either way to the fullest extent. Some believe spanking is a necessary tool in instilling respect and appropriate behavior, while others argue that does more damage to a child than it does reparation. But what side of the controversy is the stronger argument? Those that are on the pro-spanking side of the discussion
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It should be noted that there is limited research containing actual researched or scientific fact, proving spanking is the better choice when giving a child a consequence. On the other side of the debate, lie those that are collectively against the theory that spanking is beneficial for a child. Although it is difficult to research and observe the effects of spanking a child; as most parents tend to refrain from striking their children in front of observers and most all labs prohibit physically harming participants; there is significant amounts of research fighting against spanking (Gershoff, 2013). Elizabeth Gershoff touches on the subject of why she believes spanking is ineffective as a form of punishment; and essentially those reasons are that it does not fit the requirements of what punishment should be and it does not tell a child WHY their behavior was unacceptable (2013). The requirements of what constitutes an acceptable means of appropriate consequence is that it must be immediate, consistent and positively change the behavior; …show more content…
Having a background in applied behavior analysis (aba) and being a behavior modification specialist, this is an easy decision to make; especially after reading the literature on it. The piece of evidence that was the most convincing was the hypocritical factor associated with spanking. The most common misbehavior of children that is punishable by spanking is, ironically, aggression (Gershoff, 2013). This sets an awful example for the child as it is truly hypocritical. The expectation is that a child should not hit or act out aggressively; but when that happens, the decision to reprimand comes in the form of hitting. This type of parenting can easily be summed up as “do as I say, not as I do”, which can pinball a tremendous amount of misperception (Gershoff, 2013). Another quip of research that makes the anti-spanking side of the argument stronger, is that it has been proven that spanking actually increase future aggressions; in addition to an increase for the potential of mental problems (Gershoff, 2013). Gershoff also questions if spanking a child is not a matter of human rights. If it is not acceptable to strike another adult when angry, why is it considered acceptable by some to do the same to a child? Furthermore, using aggression to prove a point is teaching children that it is acceptable to use physical violence to get what they
It should be noted that there is limited research containing actual researched or scientific fact, proving spanking is the better choice when giving a child a consequence. On the other side of the debate, lie those that are collectively against the theory that spanking is beneficial for a child. Although it is difficult to research and observe the effects of spanking a child; as most parents tend to refrain from striking their children in front of observers and most all labs prohibit physically harming participants; there is significant amounts of research fighting against spanking (Gershoff, 2013). Elizabeth Gershoff touches on the subject of why she believes spanking is ineffective as a form of punishment; and essentially those reasons are that it does not fit the requirements of what punishment should be and it does not tell a child WHY their behavior was unacceptable (2013). The requirements of what constitutes an acceptable means of appropriate consequence is that it must be immediate, consistent and positively change the behavior; …show more content…
Having a background in applied behavior analysis (aba) and being a behavior modification specialist, this is an easy decision to make; especially after reading the literature on it. The piece of evidence that was the most convincing was the hypocritical factor associated with spanking. The most common misbehavior of children that is punishable by spanking is, ironically, aggression (Gershoff, 2013). This sets an awful example for the child as it is truly hypocritical. The expectation is that a child should not hit or act out aggressively; but when that happens, the decision to reprimand comes in the form of hitting. This type of parenting can easily be summed up as “do as I say, not as I do”, which can pinball a tremendous amount of misperception (Gershoff, 2013). Another quip of research that makes the anti-spanking side of the argument stronger, is that it has been proven that spanking actually increase future aggressions; in addition to an increase for the potential of mental problems (Gershoff, 2013). Gershoff also questions if spanking a child is not a matter of human rights. If it is not acceptable to strike another adult when angry, why is it considered acceptable by some to do the same to a child? Furthermore, using aggression to prove a point is teaching children that it is acceptable to use physical violence to get what they