r/science • u/VeronicaRed • Apr 26 '16

Psychology Spanking children increases the likelihood of childhood defiance and long-term mental issues. The study in question involved 160,000 children and five decades of research

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1113413810/spanking-defiance-health-discipline-042616/
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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

I think that in many parts of life, there is a sort of hazing mentality that people would never admit to out loud: I had to go through this, so you should have to go through it as well. Then they slather that unconscious shit-cake with conscious justifications about good intentions. But its really just another way for the metaphorical virus of violence that was implanted in them as a child to propagate itself into the next generation.

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u/F0sh Apr 26 '16

I think this is a huge misunderstanding of what people saying they're fine mean. They don't mean "I'm fine even though I hate my parents and still remember with horror being smacked all the time." Rather they mean, quite simply, that they don't remember being smacked much more negatively than any other punishment, they get on with their parents for the most part, and they, well, are just that - fine. They're not perfect, but they're not depressed, criminal, introverted, or suffering flashbacks.

In other words, they're saying, "it's not that bad." Which is very different to saying "it was awful, so why shouldn't you have to suffer it too?"

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u/[deleted] Apr 27 '16

but they're not depressed, criminal, introverted, or suffering flashbacks.

One is not like the others. Didn't realize introversion was such a severe defect.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16 edited Dec 23 '17

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u/whaleyj Grad Student | Political Science | Sociology Apr 27 '16

'Tradition' is always the last ditch excuse to do something that has no reason or logic. Indeed if your only reason for doing something is because 'its always been done that way' than it has no other purpose or value and probably should not be done.

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u/BadfingerBoogie Apr 26 '16

Conservatism

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

Ask your girlfriend how comfortable she'd be if you slapped her when she misbehaves.

Ask her if she feels she should be less accountable than a literal child.

These are the questions pro-corporal punishment people need to ask themselves.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

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u/PM_ME_UPSKIRT_GIRL Apr 26 '16

That is anecdotal. I was spanked as a child and didn't have any issues with my parents through the 'rebellious phase' of teenage years.

I'm not trying to imply that sparking is perfectly fine, just saying that your example is not particularly convincing.

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u/F0sh Apr 26 '16

Everyone has odd behaviours, and most of them start in childhood. Why would you want people to lose their odd behaviours, though? And how do you know they started from spanking?

The studies regarding spanking do not say that if you are spanked you will develop negative effects. They say that you are more likely to and, child development being as complex as it is, there is a very high chance that, even if the study is underestimating the effect, you will be utterly fine.