Table Of ContentThe Primordial Violence
Why do parents hit those they love? What effect does it have on children? What
can be done to end this pattern? These are some of the questions explored in
The Primordial Violence. Featuring data from over 7,000 U.S. families as well
as results from a 32-nation study, the book presents the latest research on the
extent to which spanking is used in different cultures and the subsequent effects
of its use on children and on society. It presents longitudinal data showing that
spanking is associated with subsequent slowing of cognitive development and
increase in antisocial and criminal behavior. Both cross-sectional and longi-
tudinal studies are explored in an accessible fashion. An abundance of high
quality research has produced findings that are highly consistent from study
to study, which show that spanking is a risk factor for aggressive behavior and
other social and psychological problems. Because of these findings, the authors
argue for policy changes and recommend never spanking. Policy and practical
implications are explored in most chapters.
The Primordial Violence highlights:
• The benefits of avoiding spanking such as the development of better inter-
personal skills and higher academic achievement;
• The link between spanking and behavioral problems and crime;
• The extent to which spanking is declining and why, despite the unusu-
ally high level of agreement between numerous studies that found harmful
effects from spanking, most parents continue to spank.
This book is clearly written. Technical material is in an appendix. It is
readable by a general audience and suitable for undergraduate and graduate
courses in child development, parenting, child abuse, family violence, juvenile
delinquency, criminal behavior, social development, sociology of the family,
family relations, human development, family studies, education, social work,
and social policy.
Murray A. Straus is Professor of Sociology and founder and Co-Director of
the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire.
Emily M. Douglas is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Bridgewater
State University.
Rose Anne Medeiros is Quantitative Methodologist in the Department of So-
ciology at Rice University.
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The Primordial Violence
Spanking Children, Psychological
Development, Violence, and Crime
Murray A. Straus
University of New Hampshire
Emily M. Douglas
Bridgewater State University
Rose Anne Medeiros
Rice University
First published 2014
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,an informa business
© 2014 Taylor & Francis
The rights of Murray A. Straus, Emily M. Douglas, and Rose Anne
Medeiros are to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by
them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
Paperback cover design by Ryan T. Dunn.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Straus, Murray A. (Murray Arnold), 1926–
The primordial violence : spanking children, psychological
development, violence, and crime / Murray A. Straus, Emily M. Douglas,
Rose Anne Medeiros. — First Edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Violence—Psychological aspects. 2. Corporal punishment of
children. 3. Child rearing. 4. Child abuse. I. Title.
BF575.A3S77 2013
(cid:2) (cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:9)(cid:7)(cid:10)(cid:11)(cid:12)(cid:13)(cid:5)(cid:3)(cid:2)
2013007416
ISBN: 978-1-84872-952-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-84872-953-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-80885-6 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To Dorothy who, years before we met, brought up her
wonderful children without spanking.
—Murray A. Straus
For L. L. Perkins , who taught me to look past barriers and
to only see possibilities
—Emily M. Douglas
For my dear friend Catherine
—Rose Anne Medeiros
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Contents
List of Charts xiii
List of Tables xix
List of Tables in Appendix xxi
Preface xxiii
Acknowledgments xxvii
About the Authors xxxi
PART I
Prevalence and Social Causes of Spanking 1
1 The Social and Scientific Context of Research on Spanking 3
What is Spanking? 3
Spanking, Violence, and Child Abuse 5
Why Focus on Just one Narrow Aspect of Discipline? 6
Public Attitudes and Beliefs about Spanking 7
The Scientific Climate 9
Our Research on Corporal Punishment 12
The Theoretical Framework 15
Risk Factors: The Real Meaning of
Social Science Results 17
Summary and Conclusions 22
2 Corporal Punishment in the United States 23
The Survey 24
How Corporal Punishment Changes as Children
Grow Older 26
Other Characteristics of Children and Parents
Associated With Spanking 29
Five Recent Studies 33
Summary and Conclusions 35
Implications for Parents and Professionals 38
viii Contents
3 Spanking in World Perspective 41
Cross-National Differences in Spanking 41
Sample and Measures 42
How Cultural Norms about Spanking were Measured 43
Spanking Worldwide 44
Support for Spanking Worldwide 47
The Experience of Spanking and Approval of Spanking 50
Summary and Conclusions 52
4 There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe 55
Family and Child Characteristics Associated with Spanking 56
Previous Studies 57
Confounding with Age and Birth Order 58
Sample and Measures 59
Summary and Conclusions 60
5 Approval of Violence and Spanking 63
Is Approving Violence One of the Reasons Parents Spank? 64
Sample and Measures 66
Relation of Approval of Violence to Approval of Spanking 66
Three Other Studies 70
Summary and Conclusions 74
PART II
Spanking and Child Behavior Problems 79
6 The Boomerang Effect of Spanking 81
Spanking and Behavior Problems 82
Which is Cause and Which is Effect? 83
Sample and Measures 84
Correlation of Spanking With Antisocial Behavior 87
Spanking and Change in Antisocial Behavior 87
Summary and Conclusions 89
7 Impulsive Spanking, Never Spanking, and Child Well-Being 93
Impulsive Spanking and Child Behavior Problems 94
Effects of Never Spanking 96
Sample and Measures 97
Contents ix
Prevalence of Spanking and Impulsive Spanking 99
Relation of Spanking and Impulsive Spanking To Child’s
Antisocial Behavior 100
Summary and Conclusions 105
8 The Child-to-Mother Bond and Delinquency 109
Does Spanking “Teach Him a Lesson”? 110
The Child-to-Parent Bond and Delinquency 111
Spanking and the Child-to-Parent Bond 113
Hypotheses 114
Sample and Measures 114
Spanking, Bonding, and Delinquency 116
Does a Weak Child-to-Parent Bond Help Explain
the Link between Spanking and Delinquency? 118
Does the Relation of Spanking to Bonding Depend on
Other Variables? 120
Summary and Conclusions 121
9 Spanking and Risky Sex 124
Questions Addressed 125
Study 1: Risky Sex by High School Students 125
Study 2: Unprotected Sex by University Students 131
Summary and Conclusions 135
PART III
Spanking and Human Capital 139
10 Mental Ability 141
Processes that Could Link Spanking and Mental Ability 142
Previous Research 143
Studies Suggesting that Spanking Might Adversely Affect
Mental Ability 144
Studies of Spanking and Mental Ability 145
Sample 147
Measures 147
Prevalence and Frequency of Spanking 149
Spanking and Development of Mental Ability 149
Summary and Conclusions 151
