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Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force On Violence And The Family
Tension exists between the deeply ingrained value that spanking is appropriate and necessary discipline for a child and the psychological knowledge that, if violence is learned behavior, even spankings can teach children that it is okay to use some kinds of violence, even with people they love. According to surveys, the majority of people believe that sometimes a child needs to be disciplined with a spanking. Many who believe in spanking feel that children who are not spanked will not develop the moral values that are appropriate for their culture. They see spanking as a punishment that can stop undesirable behavior, but psychological research shows that behavior is shaped far more effectively by rewarding positive behavior than by punishing negative acts.
While spanking may have the short-term positive effect of stopping undesired behavior, there are risks involved in spanking, because it may have unintended consequences. Although most parents who spank have good intentions, they may actually cause harm by training their children to deal with conflict by using violence. Spanking demonstrates to the child that the person who is supposed to love him or her the most, who has social authority over the child, and who is the most responsible for the child's well-being, also has the right to physically hurt the child. The message is confusing: 'If you love someone and need to correct or control them, then in certain situations it is okay to hurt them.' In other words, spanking a child increases the likelihood that when the child becomes an adult, he or she may use physical force for control or discipline.
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