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Carmin Wentworth

Mr. Gross

English 12 (3) B

12 May 2017

Spanking Children (Helping or Hurting)

Around the world, 52 countries have now outlawed it. It is declining in the United States,

and some are beginning to wonder if it should be banned everywhere. Spanking children has

been a seemingly harmless form of punishment for hundreds of years, but, psychologists are

beginning to wonder if it is harming more than helping the situation. Studies are showing that

spanking a child can lead to aggression and other behavior problems in the childs future.

Although physical punishment may be the last resort and can work wonders for a disobedient

child, the probability of it leading to a violent future is too high.

Many studies have shown that spanking a child as a form of punishment can lead to

aggression, antisocial behavior, and physical injury or mental health issues for the child (Smith

1). Parents all around the world have used spanking as a form of punishment for a disobedient

child, but before studies, many parents had no idea that spanking can have long-term effects on

their children. Dr. Elizabeth Gershoff states that over the past decade or two, parenting books

have touted a gentler, kinder parenting technique involving positive reinforcement (Marcus 1).

Gershoff has also stated that spanking does not have a positive effect short term, but it instead

has a bad effect long term.

In 1986 a number of people that said that spanking was acceptable were around 86%

when the survey was taken again in 2012, that number had dropped 14% to a low 70%. Not only
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has that percentage dropped, but France has become the 52nd country to ban spanking in the

homes (Beck 1). Most parents that spank their children are hoping that it will correct the

unacceptable behavior, helping to create a more obedient child, while spanking their child the

parents rarely think of the long term effect of it. Another study that Gershoff had worked on

proved that putting a child in a time-out has the same if not better short-term effect than a

spanking would have (Narvaez 1). In reality, spanking a child will only have a short-term effect

on their behavior. Thinking about what they did wrong lasts about as long as the pain does.

When punishing a child, it is important to use positive reinforcement, rather than harmful

consequences for negative behavior. Spanking does not convey positive guidance on how to

behave in a particular situation, only how not to behave if a threat of punishment is at hand.

(Narvaez 1). It is more important to show the child how to act, rather than just tell them how not

to. Children need to be spoken to rather than just punished for their wrongdoing. Out of 75

studies conducted 111 results came out (Some of the studies produced more than one result). Out

of the 111 results, 108 had poor long-term outcomes to the spanking. 99% of the results showed

a significant association between spanking and detrimental child outcome (Beck 1).

Spanking can have a great short-term effect on a child when the child does something

disobedient and gets spanked for it, they instantly know that it was not the right thing to do

(Duke 1). Spanking is used when a child is disobedient or defiant of authority, not if the child is

just being irresponsible or childish. Discipline is motivated by love for the child, focuses on

the future, and results in obedience and feelings of security (Pingleton). Even though it can have

a positive short-term effect, the long-term issues outweigh the benefits. A well-behaved child
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lasting for a week or so is not worth having an aggressive child the rest of their life. A child

needs to be able to hear what they did wrong rather than just being punished for it. They need to

be shown the right thing rather than just being punished for what they did wrong.

France has now followed suit of 51 other states in banning the use of spanking in their

homes. It has been proven that the long-term effects on spanking a child are not worth the short-

term obedience. The chance of a child becoming aggressive because of being spanked at as a

child is much higher than if a child had never been punished with a spanking. Aggressive

behavior has been linked to being spanked as a child more often than a well-behaved child has

been. Maybe the United States should follow in Frances footsteps and ban spanking as a form of

punishment in homes.

When considering punishment for a child it is always important to see or look at the long

term effect of it. Choosing to spank a child could lead to aggression and possibly mental health

issues. Spanking a child as a form of punishment may have a short term benefit of obedience, but

does not typically last very long. Using physical harm on a child as a form of punishment is

leading to a very high chance of violence that is not acceptable. More countries, including the

United States should follow France and the other 51 countries who have banned spanking

children.