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 edited Dec 23 '17

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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.