Fatherly
Originally Posted: February 27, 2020
Psychology professor George Holden was quoted in the blog, Fatherly, about corporal punishment. Research finds it doesn’t work, he says. https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/how-should-parents-discipline-finding-alternatives-to-corporal-punishment/
Professor George W. Holden is the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Southern Methodist University, Texas where he focuses on parent-child relationships, parental cognitions, and discipline.
The evidence that corporal punishment (such as spanking, smacking, or slapping) can impair child development is compelling and, at this point, overwhelming. More to the point for parents, accumulated research convincingly demonstrates that “positive child discipline” — including communicating openly and setting expectations — is much more effective than hitting a child. Still, as parents well know, not every misbehavior provides a teachable moment. Most parents think that punishment is a critical socialization tool and research has yet to establish what are the best practices. This uncertainty may be slowing the demise of corporal punishment. READ MORE