Spanking is detrimental

Essay by nana78College, UndergraduateA+, July 2007

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Spanking can have many different meanings. If ten parents were asked what spanking meant to them they would probably all have different definitions. The only definition that experts and parents seem to agree on is that spanking entails hitting of some kind. One parent may think that a swat on the rear-end is a spanking. Other parents may think that a swat on the rear-end with a belt or a paddle is a spanking.

According to Kitty O' Callaghan (2006), scientific evidence does point that spanking can cause behavior problems later in life. Such effects may be increased aggression, decreased self-control, damage to sense of well being, and adolescent aggression. Dr. Straus (1998) suggests that spanking is a form of violence and is mental abuse and for some physically brutalizing and can destroy love, trust and hope. Serious adult depression is a widespread problem. It affects from one to six percent of the population.

The Family Research Laboratory of the University of New Hampshire (2001) released a study that showed that the more often a child is spanked, the lower the IQ Tests can be, four years later. Thirteen percent of the parents studied reported spanking their children seven or more times a week. The average was three or more spankings per week. Twenty-seven percent reported using no physical punishment. Those children who were spanked frequently averaged 98 on their IQ tests. Children, who were very seldom or maybe never spanked, scored 102 - and above-average score. The four point average decline in IQ among the spanked students is sufficient to have a negative functional effect on those children. Jared Wadley (2004) pretty much says that children who are under the threat of violence or aggression develop a fight-or-fight response system that has an impact on creativity...