Corporal Punishment Corporal punishment is a widely used disciplinary technique in the United States and around the world.

Every day new voices are added to the call to bring an end to corporal punishment on the grounds that it is ineffective and harmful to children, and an ever-growing body of research supports this claim. Though anti-spanking sentiment is more prevalent in academia, there is also growing body of literature that suggests that the effects of spanking are not consistently negative across social and ethnic divides. Therefore, spanking should not be banned in the United States because a ban would result in the criminalization of many effective, loving, and well-meaning parents on the basis that it promotes negative outcomes and unintended adverse side effects in children, when in fact, research suggests that spanking, in the proper context, may produce positive results on par with other disciplinary techniques. Corporal punishment, specifically spanking, for the use of this paper will be defined as hitting a child on the bottom with an open hand, as it is defined in my references, but will be extended to reflect a cohesive, loving, and supportive family environment. This distinction is important and necessary because it will serve to highlight a hole in much of the current research on corporal punishment.

A common misconception about spanking is that it always produces negative outcomes. Spanking is not inherently negative, and outcomes depend largely on the other disciplinary and parental techniques employed by parents in conjunction with corporal punishment . In the research presented by Gordon-Simmons, Simmons, and Su, no-nonsense parents who spanked their children in a supportive and loving environment with clear expectations and standards did not produce the same outcomes as lax parents who utilized corporal punishment in a responsive but undemanding environment. The warmth displayed in both family dynamics seemed to curb the feelings of rejection, but the lax parenting style, with its lack of clearly defined standards and expectations, was more likely to produce feelings of unjust treatment . In conclusion, Gordon-Simmons, Simmons, and Su state, The consequences of this disciplinary strategy seem to vary depending on the constellation of parenting behaviors within which it is embedded (1273). In their research Gordon-Simmons, Simmons and Su identified and studied eight different parenting styles, namely: authoritative parenting, no-nonsense parenting,

authoritarian parenting, vigilant parenting, permissive parenting, reactive parenting, neglectful parenting, and abusive parenting. The study found authoritative parenting produced the best outcomes while abusive and neglectful parenting frequently produced the worst . The parenting styles varied in the outcomes they favored. Demanding styles produced the best results for conduct problems while responsive styles produced the fewest reported depressive symptoms. Their study concluded that no-nonsense parenting which included corporal punishment, albeit in a warm and supportive environment, produced results most closely comparative to authoritative parenting. Context and intention are important factors to consider when attempting to determine the appropriateness of spanking. As stated before, a warm and supportive environment and an abusive environment are different in terms of the outcomes acquired through the use of corporal punishment. These factors have been largely neglected, if not ignored by the majority of academic research. This disregard has caused the stigmatization of the parenting practices in African-American, Christian-right, and Asian-American communities, and seems to suggest a spank-first mentality among parents who endorse spanking. According to Mah and Johnson, Chinese-immigrant mothers are just as accepting of techniques emphasized in BPT (i.e., praise, token economy, time-out, and response cost) as EuroCanadians; but Chinese-immigrant mothers also are more accepting of

punishment techniques that are typically discouraged or not included in BPT programs (493). This highlights what Gordon-Simmons, Simmons, and Su called, The constellation of parental behaviors in which (corporal punishment) is embedded (1273). Spanking is not the whole of the constellation, and all parts must be considered when determining outcome . A study by Horn, Cheng, and Joseph on the beliefs and practices of African-Americans different socioeconomic statuses further validates this point by stating, There was greater endorsement of disciplinary methods such as teaching and removing than of spanking (1240). Banning corporal punishment would result in the criminalization of many effective, loving, and well-meaning parents in spite of the obvious void in current research, and the latent potential of emerging research to add to the discussion.

It would also remove a disciplinary technique of the parents who comply without replacement . One of the main predictors of endorsement and utilization is having been spanked as a child .

Parents who spank are more likely to spank. Parents are also more likely to spank if it is a culturally accepted social norm. It is unlikely that parents can switch parenting styles without proper training and education, which a law banning corporal punishment will not provide, nor will it erase the social and cultural structures that validate the practice. In a recent article Maria La Ganga quoted Britt Colle who wrote, Parents are so afraid of being charged with crimes, that they no longer know how to discipline children leaving an entire generation of oppositional defiant children without receiving any discipline or learning to live by the rules or learning right from wrong. The children become juvenile offenders and later criminals as they reach the age of majority. This is the unintended consequence of attempts to end corporal punishment on the basis that it produces negative unintended consequences. Opponents may argue that insurmountable evidence shows that corporal punishment has a negative effect on children and increases aggressive and depressive symptoms, and that this body of evidence cannot be ignored. They are correct. Corporal punishment is a polarizing and controversial topic that should not be taken lightly. The current literature on the practice is troubling and illustrates the possibility of negative outcomes. The problem arises from the attempts to yoke the whole of parents who utilize corporal punishment with those negative outcomes regardless of context, intent, family dynamic, and cultural implications. When Gershoff states, We Know Enough

Now to Stop Hitting Our Children (133) she is stating that we have acquired the information necessary to end the practice of spanking with no further research . Parenting isnt an exact science, and given the implications of the growing body of research suggesting that corporal punishment is not inherently negative and may even promote positive outcomes, I suggest that there is more research needed to determine the appropriateness of spanking and quantify its effects.

Works Cited Gershoff, Elizabeth T. "Spanking And Child Development: We Know Enough Now To Stop Hitting Our Children." Child Development Perspectives 7.3 (2013): 133-137. MEDLINE with Full Text. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

Gordon Simons, Leslie, Ronald L. Simons, and Xiaoli Su. "Consequences Of Corporal Punishment Among African Americans: The Importance Of Context And Outcome." Journal Of Youth And Adolescence 42.8 (2013): 1273-1285. National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

Horn, Ivor B., Tina L. Cheng, and Jill Joseph. "Discipline In The African American Community: The Impact Of Socioeconomic Status On Beliefs And Practices." Pediatrics 113.5 (2004): 1236-1241. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

La Ganga, Maria L. "Kansas Bill Defines Legal Spanking: A Way to Catch Child Abusers?" Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

Mah, Janet W. T., and Charlotte Johnston. "Cultural Variations In Mothers' Acceptance Of And Intent To Use Behavioral Child Management Techniques." Journal Of Child And Family Studies 21.3 (2012): 486-497. ERIC. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.