Re: Child Discipline and Cultural Controversies

[Ralph Billingsley <rbilling@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Cassandra Woolfolk wrote:
> 
> ... When counseling
> parents I have suggested that they have not been able to demonstrate that
> they are able to make the distinction between discipline and abuse (thus
> their involvement with the child welfare system).  If they are acting
> impulsively, leaving bruises etc., they have crossed the line between
> spanking and physical abuse....



The above is one of the rationales for abolishing spanking--it makes the
line between abuse and discipline much clearer. J. Durrant, at the
University of Manitoba, has published on this, including two extended
visits in Sweden to study the after-effercts of their ban of corporal
punishment (enacted in the 70's, if my recall is accurate). They have
found in Sweden that the ban has come to be accepted by the majority of
the population--the reverse was true prior to the ban. Deaths from
infant mortality through violent death have also fallen, as have rates
of abuse.

Several other European countries have also banned corporal punishment.
Durrant's (and a colleague's) work may be of interest. 


-- Ralph Billingsley

 
______________________________
Dr. Ralph Billingsley
Psychologist
Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Yes!)

http://www.netcore.ca/~rbilling/page.htm