Spanking is viewed very differently from one culture to
another. In the United States spanking has become a common practice
for discipline among parents. Although it is common for us, other
countries view this method of discipline very seriously. They believe
spanking is a form of corporal punishment that is very abusive to
children. Countries have taken this method of punishment so serious
that they have actually banned the use of corporal punishment
(spanking). In 1979 Sweden became the first country to outlaw
spanking. Since then seven other countries have followed behind
Sweden and enforced similar laws to ban corporal punishment
(spanking). These countries include Finland, Denmark, Norway,
Austria, Cyprus, Latvia, and Croatia. As a result of the ban, studies
have been conducted in Sweden to see if it has made any impact or
difference on behavior and attitudes in that country. Their results
show that there has been dramatic decreases in the use of physical
punishments since 1979. According to Durrant a professor in physical punishment, “One study in particular, upon examining
youth well being in Sweden found that youth have not
become more unruly, under socialized, or self destructive following
the passage of the 1979 corporal punishment” (Durrant 2000). The
ban against spanking has been successful so other countries are
considering to put the same laws into place. However, the United States
is not one of the countries that is considering that option.
The use of spanking may vary between cultures. Studies have
been conducted and they suggest that in certain cultures, especially
collectivist cultures like China and Africa, when parents do not
spank their kids it may indicate a lack of love from the parents. In
our culture we do not see it that way. When most parents spank their
kids, we believe it is our way of showing “tough love” while
trying to eliminate bad behaviors. Even though the ban has worked for
other countries I feel we shouldn't model ourselves after them. We
are a largely populated country with a lot of diversity and
opinions. The ban was successful in countries that are smaller in
population. What might work for one country will not guarantee to be
successful for the next.
(Global Perspective, 359 word count)
References:
Addleman, John. “Spanking”. International Encyclopedia of
Marriage and Family Vol 4. 2003. Web. 24 October 2013.
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