And -- if Rush Limbaugh is to be believed -- a recent study links
increased probability of drug abuse (and other negative outcomes) to
spanking. I caught part of his rant last week on the topic of this
study, but missed the cite. Part of his rant was 'What kind of weirdo
would look for such a correlation?' (You guessed it -- liberal
professors/researchers who's agenda includes the destruction of the
American family, and hence America.) This from a guy who brags that he
dropped out of college (and, was therefore, was not corrupted by weirdo,
liberal, pinko college professors). See:
http://www.nlspac.org/limbaugh/reid1.html for a little background.
I can understand students having problems accepting the anti-punishment
position -- at least, initially. What I cannot understand is how
someone can get to the position of Instructor/Professor of psychology
without having a full understanding and full knowledge of the
behavioristic position against punishment.
Nor can I understand why anyone could not imagine that there are
alternatives to spanking other than "letting them get away with it".
Discipline=Whacking?? Of course, with sites like
http://209.238.187.185/ (click on "spanking), what chance do we have?
When it comes to authority, even Skinner doesn't begin to measure up to
God.
"Dr. Kristina Lewis" wrote:
>
> Michael Sylvester wrote:
>
> ....my students tend to agree that psychology's negative and
> unfavorable attitude towards punishment,spanking and rigid discipline of
> children may be one of the reasons that some of our youth have grown
> problematical in behavior and social civility.
>
> Although I don't have time to dig up the appropriate references at the
> moment, I cannot let this post go unanswered. This is the kind of poor
> thinking that we would like to counter, not encourage in students.
>
> There is a large literature documenting the negative effects of punishment.
> In a nutshell, punishment does not teach acceptable behavior, produces
> negative emotional side effects, and models aggressive behavior as an
> appropriate response.
>
> Authoritarian parenting need not include physical punishment. Certainly in
> some cultural contexts authoritarian parenting is more acceptable and
> perhaps more effective, but as far as I know there is no evidence that
> physical punishment contributes to effectiveness.
>
> There are complex societal/cultural reasons for the level of inappropriate,
> aggressive, some might say disrespectful behavior that seems more prevalent
> in (some of) today's youth. We perhaps should share in the blame, but not
> for failing to support the use of spanking and other physical punishment.
>
> Kris Lewis
> Saint Michael's College
> Colchester VT
>
> who would respond at more length but she has to write an exam for History of
> Psych, and who would welcome references to back her up if anyone as them at
> hand.
--
----------==========>>>>>>>>>> τΏτ <<<<<<<<<<==========----------
John W. Nichols, M.A.
Assistant Professor of Psychology & Computer Science
Tulsa Community College
909 S. Boston Ave., Tulsa, OK 74119
(918) 595-7134
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Home: http://www.tulsa.oklahoma.net/~jnichols/home.html
MegaPsych: http://www.tulsa.oklahoma.net/~jnichols/megapsych.html
