Spanking/corporal

punishment1

Spanking/ Corporal Punishment of Children

Exercise #1

Spanking/ Corporal punishment of children

Lathaniel F. Mills

SOWK 300

Tuskegee University

January 25, 2010

Spanking/Corporal
punishment 2

Article 1
 Day, R. D., Peterson, G. W., & McCracken, C. (1998). Predicting spanking of
younger and older children by mothers and fathers. Journal of Marriage and
Family, 60(1), 79-94. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/353443

Summary, this article focused on different predictors that would explain why a parent
would spank there child. The one thing that they found when conducting the study
was that wording of the question had to be change several times in order to receive a
correct answer. One thing they look to use in conducting this study was that the
attributes of the parent and the child played a big role in the study. The findings
showed that different things, such as environment, race, and social status were able to
predict why and how often they spanked there child.

Article 2

Flynn, C. (1994). Regional Differences in Attitudes toward Corporal

Punishment. Journal of Marriage and Family, 56(2), 314-324. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/353102

Summary, this journal article looks close to regional differences as a factor when
looking at corporal punishment. They centered the research around Southerners and
non-southerners as to who saw spanking as a better way of disciplining children. They
found that all Americans were okay with spanking children, but that the south had a
higher rate of acceptance of spanking. Social groups were a factor, such as money,
religion, and race in all regions except the south which were closer together.

Article 3

Flynn, C. (1999). Exploring the Link between Corporal Punishment and

Children's Cruelty to Animals. Journal of Marriage and Family, 61(4), 971-981.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/354017

Summary, this article compares the factors that male when a child is spank that this
type of behavior is then used in the child’s interaction with animals. The study also
saw that this behavior was more commonly found when a father uses corporal
punishment on a male child. They also found that more children that was being punish
with corporal punishment was being done so at the teenage level, which was the same
age gap that the children was participating in animal cruelty. The researchers also
came to the conclusion that the child’s anger is transferred to the weak animals, and
that could explain why the child commits this crime.

Article 4
 Ziegert, K. (1983). The Swedish Prohibition of Corporal Punishment: A
Preliminary Report. Journal of Marriage and Family, 45(4), 917-926. Retrieved
from http://www.jstor.org/stable/351805

Summary, this journal article seems to focus on the Swedish and its outlawing
corporal punishment of parents on children. The law did not want to take away rights
of the parents, but make for a better atmosphere in the home. Another reason for the
law is that the Swedish felt that this method of child rearing was teaching that the use
of violence was okay in solving ones problems. The law also seeks to acknowledge
the rights of kids from being abused. The people have reacted well to the law, which
is good for the kids.

Article 5

Erlanger, H. (1974). Social Class and Corporal Punishment in Childrearing: A

Reassessment. American Sociological Review, 39(1), 68-85. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2094277

Summary, this article researches the topic of childrearing between the classes. The
data showed that the lower class was more inclined to use violence in the forms of
spanking to punish children, but middle class parents took a more laid back approach
when it came to child rearing. Also the parents were asked if they were spanked as a
child and what class were they growing up. The ones of them that had identified
themselves as lower class or working class also said yes to being spanked and doing
the spanking the children they have now. So through this research they were able to
conclude that class does determine how parents deal with rearing children.