Pure Parents

Question:

Amen.  I recently posted my own experience as a layman and this seems to explain in more scientific terms what I was trying to get across. — Vance McAlister – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >From Jennie: >Like to share a quote from one of the articles in psychological >journals that Jennie dug up when she researched the literature on spanking. >The article is in Family Relations, Oct. 1996, pp. 405 to 414.  It is >called "The Discipline Controversy Revisited" by Diana Baumrind.  She >was impressed by it because Diana Baumrind had studied good parenting, instead >of just saying that we ought to eliminate the practices of bad parents, >seemed not to have a political agenda, and seemed to have a realistic >view of children.  Because it is a long article, Jennie only typed out >Baumrind’s conclusion: >   "The prudent use of punishnment within the context of a responsive, >supportive parent-child relationship is a necessary tool in the >disciplinary encounter with young children.  The short and long-term >effects on child outcomes of any disciplinary practice within the >normative range are moderated by cultural and childrearing contexts. >The extent to which spanking or any other form of aversive discipline >is part of a harsh parenting pattern or is conditioned by warmth and >the use of reason determines its meaning to the child and its >consequent beneficial or detrimental effects.  Within the context of >an authoritative childrearing relationship, aversive discipline is >well-accepted by the young child, effective in managing short-term >misbehavior, and has no documented harmful long-term effects.      It >is my view that behavioral compliance is a necessary, but by no means >sufficient, childrearing goal.  Socialization goals representing the >accommodative force in society should be balanced with training in >confrontation and disputation so that the child can become a creative, >transformational force in society, not merely a conforming citizen. >The disciplinary encounter is intended to control children’s >short-term behavior and to influence, but not determine, their >long-term behavior. Agentic dispositional tendencies (divergent >intelligence, competitiveness, willingness to dissent, and >induviduation) are adaptive, even though they may conflict with the >internalization of specific sosietal norms and with the development of >dispositional compliance. >   It should be the concern of professionals who work with parents to >respectfully offer them alternative disciplinary strategies, using >carefully evaluated intervention programs (e.g., Lochman & Wells, >1996), rather than to condemn parents for using methods consonant with >their own, but not the counselor’s beliefs and values.  Parents who >choose to use punishment often seek guidance in using it >efficaciously.  Efficacious punishment is contingent upon the child’s >misbehavior, as well as upon the parents’ responding in a prompt, >rational, nonexplosive manner and with knowledge and consideration of >the child’s developmental level and temperament.  Clear limits that >are firmly enforced during the early years and that occur within the >context of a rational-authoritative relationship minimize the need for >punishment by mid-adolescence, at which time the rights and >responsibilities of parents become more symmetrical and less >complementary, finally approaching the egalitarian relationaship >characteristic of adult peers." >This article is refreshing (Jennie says) because it defends the use >of responsible spanking, puts it into its proper perspective in terms >of parenting as a whole, and includes the disiplinary principles which >must accompany spanking to make it effective.  The entire article is >well worth reading, though unfortunately it is rather technically >written.  A layman’s version would be great.  Oh well.

Response:

From Jennie: Like to share a quote from one of the articles in psychological journals that Jennie dug up when she researched the literature on spanking. The article is in Family Relations, Oct. 1996, pp. 405 to 414.  It is called "The Discipline Controversy Revisited" by Diana Baumrind.  She was impressed by it because Diana Baumrind had studied good parenting, instead of just saying that we ought to eliminate the practices of bad parents, seemed not to have a political agenda, and seemed to have a realistic view of children.  Because it is a long article, Jennie only typed out Baumrind’s conclusion:    "The prudent use of punishnment within the context of a responsive, supportive parent-child relationship is a necessary tool in the disciplinary encounter with young children.  The short and long-term effects on child outcomes of any disciplinary practice within the normative range are moderated by cultural and childrearing contexts. The extent to which spanking or any other form of aversive discipline is part of a harsh parenting pattern or is conditioned by warmth and the use of reason determines its meaning to the child and its consequent beneficial or detrimental effects.  Within the context of an authoritative childrearing relationship, aversive discipline is well-accepted by the young child, effective in managing short-term misbehavior, and has no documented harmful long-term effects.      It is my view that behavioral compliance is a necessary, but by no means sufficient, childrearing goal.  Socialization goals representing the accommodative force in society should be balanced with training in confrontation and disputation so that the child can become a creative, transformational force in society, not merely a conforming citizen. The disciplinary encounter is intended to control children’s short-term behavior and to influence, but not determine, their long-term behavior. Agentic dispositional tendencies (divergent intelligence, competitiveness, willingness to dissent, and induviduation) are adaptive, even though they may conflict with the internalization of specific sosietal norms and with the development of dispositional compliance.    It should be the concern of professionals who work with parents to respectfully offer them alternative disciplinary strategies, using carefully evaluated intervention programs (e.g., Lochman & Wells, 1996), rather than to condemn parents for using methods consonant with their own, but not the counselor’s beliefs and values.  Parents who choose to use punishment often seek guidance in using it efficaciously.  Efficacious punishment is contingent upon the child’s misbehavior, as well as upon the parents’ responding in a prompt, rational, nonexplosive manner and with knowledge and consideration of the child’s developmental level and temperament.  Clear limits that are firmly enforced during the early years and that occur within the context of a rational-authoritative relationship minimize the need for punishment by mid-adolescence, at which time the rights and responsibilities of parents become more symmetrical and less complementary, finally approaching the egalitarian relationaship characteristic of adult peers." This article is refreshing (Jennie says) because it defends the use of responsible spanking, puts it into its proper perspective in terms of parenting as a whole, and includes the disiplinary principles which must accompany spanking to make it effective.  The entire article is well worth reading, though unfortunately it is rather technically written.  A layman’s version would be great.  Oh well.

Response: