Corporal Punishment of Children in Theoretical Perspective

Mr. Michael Donnelly, Professor Murray Straus0300085478, 9780300085471, 9780300133806

Despite being commonplace in American households a generation ago, corporal punishment of children has been subjected to criticism and shifting attitudes in recent years. Many school districts have banned it, and many child advocates recommend that parents no longer spank or strike their children. In this book, social theorist Michael Donnelly and family violence expert Murray A. Straus tap the expertise of social science scholars and researchers who address issues of corporal punishment, a subject that is now characterized as a key issue in child welfare.
The contributors discuss corporal punishment, its use, causes, and consequences, drawing on a wide array of comparative, psychological, and sociological theories. Together, they clarify the analytical issues and lay a strong foundation for future research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

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Table of contents :
Contents……Page 5
Acknowledgments……Page 10
I. Current State of Theory……Page 12
1. Theoretical Approaches to Corporal Punishment……Page 14
2. Corporal Punishment in Ecological Perspective……Page 19
II. Comparative Theories……Page 30
3. Parent-Offspring Conflict and Corporal Punishment in Primates……Page 32
4. Putting Corporal Punishment of Children in Historical Perspective……Page 52
5. Grid-Group Theory and Corporal Punishment……Page 66
III. Psychological Theories……Page 82
6. The Origins of Physical Punishment: An Ethological/Attachment Perspective on the Use of Physical Punishment by Human Parents……Page 84
7. Behavioral Theory and Corporal Punishment……Page 102
8. Behavior Analysis: Evolutionary Theory, and the Corporal Discipline of Children……Page 114
9. Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child: Lay Theories of Corporal Punishment……Page 145
10. Difficulties of Making Rational Choices Concerning Corporal Punishment of Children……Page 163
IV. Sociological Theories……Page 174
11. Unintended Consequences of Punishment……Page 176
12. Moral Development and Corporal Punishment……Page 181
13. Corporal Punishment of Children: A Communication-Theory Perspective……Page 194
14. Conflict Theory of Corporal Punishment……Page 210
15. Punishment of Children from the Perspective of Control Theory……Page 225
16. Punishment, Child Development, and Crime: A Theory of the Social Bond……Page 234
17. Exchange Theory……Page 256
18. Corporal Punishment and the Stress Process……Page 266
19. Corporal Punishment and Black’s Theory of Social Control……Page 288
20. The Structure of Family Rules about Hitting: A Family-Systems Perspective……Page 298
References……Page 310
List of Contributors……Page 344
Index
……Page 346