Kate Murphy's Attachment Theory

Spanking is subjective in the least. Most parents suggest that using spankings as a form of discipline is essential to the development of a compliant child. For most Americans, this truth is one of the core foundations of the American model home. “70% of mothers indicated they had spanked their child at least once by the time he or she was 2-years-old” (Lee, Altschul and Gershoff, 2015.) There are numerous amounts of evidence that point to the certainty that spanking is linked to child aggression. In,

A recent study shows 70 percent of parents believe it is right to discipline a child through physical means. Most commonly, parents will spank their children but being hit with things like belts or other objects happens as well. Parenting methods haven’t changed much with time and discipline in similar no matter the country. With more studies out to find the most effective method of parenting and discipline it’s coming to attention whether or not physical harm is the best way to teach children. Parents want what is best for their children, so it is important to constantly bring up and question methods commonly accepted in the past. One method that is becoming more controversial is spanking children. Though it is still considered normal to do, it is gaining more traction and more studies are being done to find the problems it causes. Checking on parenting methods can be difficult as everyone is raised differently. It is also difficult to test which forms of punishment lead to certain outcomes. However, there is a trend of negative effects from hitting. Gershoff acknowledges, “several national professional organizations have called on parents to abandon spanking as a child rearing practice and for professionals to recommend disciplinary alternatives to spanking.” Spanking children is a terrible discipline method as it has negative effects.

One of the key theorists of attachment is John Bowlby and his ‘Attachment theory". Bowlby believed ‘the attachment of a caregiver is an inherited mechanism to

In the article “ The Case Against Spanking” written by Brenda L. Smith. A writer in Washington D.C informs us that spanking leads to aggression, antisocial behavior, physical and mental problems. First, by giving information to explain how spanking or any other physical punishment can pose as aggression and or a loss of trust. Then, by explaining that there are other punishments that could be used or

Attachment theory was originally proposed by Bowlby (1969) as an explanation of interpersonal relationships, with particular focus in his work on the parent-child relationships which are formed in early childhood. He noted that this was an evolutionary need within us as humans to form close attachments to improve our rate of survival (Bowlby, 1969). He later also theorized that these attachment styles would persist throughout life into adulthood (Bowlby, 1988). Further work on attachment theory by Bartholomew & Horowitz (1991) expanded on attachment styles and looked at the continuation of attachment style into adulthood. Using interviews with participants and the participants close friends they found evidence for four types of adult attachment styles: Secure, Preoccupied, Dismissing and Fearful (Bartholomew & Horowitz 1991). Further support for adult attachments styles is from Mikulincer & Shaver (2004) showing that attachments styles persist from childhood into adulthood demonstrating bowlby 's later hypothesis

Spanking Isn’t Child Abuse, It’s Common Sense, by Ruban Navarrette deals with one of the biggest controversies in parenting ever since the twenty-first century: spanking your child. Ruban’s main point in this article is that fear is essential to respect and children won’t do what we tell them to do unless they fear

While this review of literature on spanking children is limited in finding evidence in supporting spanking, the research available that opposes spanking is rather compelling. The findings from the reviewed articles provide advice to parents, both new and long-time, on how to discipline their children if they want their children to have the best outcomes. The studies that have been reviewed are only a small amount of what has been published regarding the negative impacts that spanking can have on children. Additionally, this research may be a start for a move in society to begin viewing spanking as a negative child-rearing practice. While there is a lot more research that could be reviewed on this topic, high levels of aggression, behavioral problems, and

With new upcoming generations and a changing society, traditional practices of how people live are changing; arguably for the better or worse. Some of these changes include the controversial to spank or not to spank question, in which new studies are aiming to show the effects of spanking on children. “With more than 30 years of research, we can now visualize accurately how spanking can alter a child’s perception.” (Scrock 2009) Although spanking has been the “go-to” way of discipline, it is starting to be looked on as a form of child abuse. After all, there are great reasons as to why organizations like the American Psychological Association and American Academy of Pediatrics condemn spanking. We will talk about the problems spanking causes in children, the misconception on why parents do it, and how to properly discipline your child. This essay argues that parents should not spank their child and should instead turn to other measures of discipline.

Many studies on cases of adults who have tendency to perpetuate abuses, either as a victim or as an abuser, are traced in the pattern of violence experienced at home, and many are reportedly experience being physically violated by spanking during their childhood. Despite the information and advocacy available in almost all media these days, there are still parents who thought that spanking their children to emphasize discipline is still beneficial. The benefits cited by those supporting spanking as acceptable method of discipline varied across culture and race. Generally, there are three views or positions about spanking as a form of discipline (Benject C. & Kazdin A, 2003) : Pro-corporal punishment, anti-corporal punishment, and conditional corporal punishment.

In our culture, it is generally agreed upon that no man should hit his own wife, but whether a man should have the right to hit his own child is often debated. The use of corporal punishment on children does not seem like a serious issue to most parents, but the negative effects it has on a child’s developing mind is irrefutable. When a child is disciplined by means of beating and spanking, they are being taught that that problems can be solved with violence. According to the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNA), “...(Corporal punishment) is ineffective over time, and is associated with increased aggression and decreased moral internalization of inappropriate behavior.” (“Spanking Children Is Ineffective in the Long Term”) All parents should avoid using corporal punishment to discipline their children because it causes causes aggression in children, can cause them to develop mental problems, and is ineffective compared to other forms of discipline.

In the first few months of life, the sole purpose of any child’s behaviour is to survive. This, more often than not, results in actions that reduce the risk of harm and increase the chances of longevity. Of these behaviours, some argue that the most influential is attachment behaviour. “Attachment behaviour is any form of behaviour that results in a person attaining or maintaining proximity to some other clearly identified individual who is conceived as better able to cope with the world”(Bowlby, 1982). Therefore, children will make an effort to stay close to and under the protection of their primary caregiver. According to Webster, “through interactions with their primary caregiver, the child develops expectations and understandings about the workings of relationships. These mental representations of relationships become internalized to the degree that they influence feelings, thought and behaviour automatically and unconsciously” (1999, p.6). Moreover, the response of the identified individual plays a huge role in the child’s perception of the outside world. If the caregiver responds to the child’s needs in a caring and protective manner, the child will feel safe and comfortable in his or her surroundings. If, on the other hand, the caregiver is often emotionally and/or physically unavailable, the child is likely to

Every parent has had to face the question: how do I punish my child when they misbehave? Since parenting does not come with a guidebook or set of rules, it is ultimately up to the parent to see that bad behavior in their children is dealt with accordingly. For centuries, spanking has been the ultimate choice of child punishment. However, there are many arguments against it today. Some say corporal punishment of children can affect their personalities later on in life. Some people view physical punishment child abuse. Where does the line lay between abuse and punishment? Other arguments say that physical punishment of a child has no effect at all to the child; it teaches them neither right nor wrong. Spanking is seen as a form of punishment

Researchers have been looking at theories to show how important relationships are in people’s lives and attachment theory has allowed them to understand human behavior in a variety of ways. Feelings, such as anger and romantic love, can be directly correlated to the attachments received as a child.

We as people say that we are a non-violent society but yet we think that corporal punishment is acceptable and we should be able to hit and spank our kids and think that it will have a positive effect on them. However, parents tend to spank a slap their kids repeatedly for minor situations and at a second resort rather than there last. In a study, it discovered stated by Holden that “They were all spanking for minor misbehaviors and were not spanking as a last resort but as a second resort, They'd say, ‘No, stop it,’ and then hit. They were spanking after 30 seconds on average. More than half were pretty heated”(qtd. In Hanes 10). And in 30 of 41 incidents, the spanked children misbehaved within 10 minutes. Proving that spanking does not help decrease negative behavior in children. A woman named Sandy Haase had a father in the 1960s who would use corporal punishment and spank and hit Sandy with a yardstick for perhaps turning the tv on when she wasn't allowed too. She also stated that “the ‘spankings’ that would follow were angry, severe, and scary. One instance left her in need of bandages”(qtd. In Hanes 2). After the experiences, she had said she “would only spank her kids as a last resort”(qtd. In Hanes 2). but when she did get out of hand she said “I would flash back to my dad and think, ‘Oh gosh, am I doing what my dad did?”(qtd. In Hanes 2).Which frightened her.

The authors also identify the known effects of spanking on childhood outcomes. They noted that most of the literature has been concerned with aggressive child outcomes, such as increased child stress reactivity (Bugenthal, Martorell, and Barraza, 2003). They also noted that studies are emerging on the connection between spanking and child cognitive outcomes. (Gershoff, 2010). They criticize these emerging works as suffering from a lack of "…adequate controls for the predictors of spanking, risk factors which themselves could be