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Spanking As Punishment For Children

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According to Roger Thompson, associate professor at Stony Brook University “If we are going to take seriously what science tells us about how we form relationships and how our mind develops, we will need to construct new strategies for parenting and when we do… we just may change the world” (Thompson). Punishment is usually intended to correct behavior, get rid of or lessen unwanted behavior and encourage better normative behavior. Parents often try to use punishment, such as spanking, to guide children, show them was is acceptable and what is not. This technique is outdated, unnecessary and harmful. To see that spanking as punishment for children is wrong, one needs to look at significant factors such as how the brain of a child works, the more effective options and the long term effects. In order to look at the effect of spanking on children, first one needs to look into how a child’s brain works, and how it is affected by the use of this punishment. As emphasized by Roger Thompson, associate professor at Stony Brook University, mirror neurons discovered in the early 1990’s play a large role in child development. These neurons fire the same way when one see’s something happening in the same way as when one does that action (Thompson). Mirror neurons are an important concept to consider when looking into how children will be affected by spanking. When children are being spanked, the same neurons are firing as when they see someone else being hit, this can translate into

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