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aggression in children, especially in children aged 10 to 12, and increase delinquent and antisocial behaviors in children as well as decrease their mental health well into adulthood. Lastly, adults who were hit as children were found to be more likely to be involved in crime and abuse their own children or spouses in adulthood.

In light of existing research and personal beliefs I am a firm opponent of corporal punishment. Instead of protecting a parents right to hit their children, legislation should protect children. In fact, seventeen countries worldwide Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and Ukraine - have created legislation against the use of corporal punishment (Douglas, 2006). Sweden and Finland even accompanied their laws with a national campaign to teach parents alternate discipline techniques (Ripoll-Nunez & Rohner, 2006). The U.S. should follow suit and begin taking strides to end corporal punishment here as well, especially because the link between corporal punishment and physical abuse is so strong.

Although corporal punishment has been proven to increase compliance among children there are alternative ways of achieving this goal. For example, instead of spanking or hitting a child when they misbehave, parents can use a Time-Out system. If children are aware of the consequences of their bad behavior, they will be less likely to behave in this manner. If a Time-Out system is ineffective parents can take away privileges (i.e. watching TV, playing outside, canceling play dates) to reinforce the idea that their behaviors have consequences. It is also important to be consistent and reward children when they are behaving well so that they are aware of the difference between right and wrong.

Lastly and most importantly, the use of corporal punishment should be avoided as a means to discipline children because it teaches children that violence is acceptable and can be used as a means to change people's behavior. This is a dangerous life lesson for children to internalize. When confronted with a problem, children who are hit at a young age will reason that violence is an appropriate solution. Therefore, while some agree that corporal punishment is an effective means of parenting, it is clear that hitting a child has the potential to leave lasting and significant scars on a child's life.

References:

Benjet, C. & Kazdin, A.E. (2003). Spanking children: the controversies, findings, and
new directions. Clinical Psychology Review, 23, 197-224.

Douglas, E. (2006). Familial Violence Socialization in Childhood and Later Life
Approval of Corporal Punishment: A Cross-Cultural Perspective. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76 (1), 23 30.

Gershoff, E.T. (2002) Corporal Punishment by Parents and Associated Child Behaviors
and Experiences: A Mata-Analytic and Theoretical Review. Psychological Bulletin, 128 (4), 539579.

Ripoll-Nunez, K.J. & Rohner, R.P. (2006). Corporal Punishment in Cross-Cultural
Perspective: Directions for a Research Agenda. Cross-Cultural Research, 40 (3), 220-249.

Smith, M.S., Lindsey, C.R., & Hansen, C.E. (2006). Corporal Punishment and the
Mediating Effects of Parental Acceptance-Rejection and Gender Empathy in a Southern Rural Population. Cross-Cultural Research, 40 (3), 287-305.

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