crazyml -> RE: Spanking and Mental Illness? (7/4/2012 1:54:24 AM)
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ORIGINAL: epiphiny43 Successful behavior modification for All organisms with functional nervous system (This includes US children.), universally is based on teaching successful adaptions and behavior. European civilization parents (See above) are desperate in the face of the overwhelming amount and reach of the studies to continue to validate hitting and punishment. Probably because most were raised in families with no other conscious alternative techniques for more extreme situations. If the hollowness of the method needs any more evidence, look at the incarceration rate and recidivism of the US legal system. About the worst in history of Mankind and far beyond any Totalitarian system baring maybe Cambodia during the Killing Fields era? I would be fascinated if you could actually demonstrate a link between spanking and incarceration rates. I doubt you can though. So this implied correlation is absurd. If you pursued it, you could of course end by concluding that when people steal it's "our failure" and that we shouldn't dream of sending these people to prison. I would respectfully submit that it's all a teensy bit more complex than you appear to think. As it happens, I think prison is a pretty bad response to many crimes, and that alternatives like properly managed community restitution could go a very long way to addressing minor crimes and potentially prevent young people going on to more serious crimes. But there will always be some crimes for which prison is the best option. And I am open to the possibility that there will be some behaviours in children for which a spanking is the best option. quote:
Applied Behavior Analysis is the academic term for the general theory based on the observation all through the fields of intelligent behavior that nervous systems repeat successful actions. Recent studies show clearly that young children to the ages of 8 to 11 are Not affected by failure, but by success, or none of us would ever have learned to walk or talk, process with huge failure before significant success. Can I, and I say this with the deepest respect, ask you to avoid writing in this pseudo-academic style, you're clearly not an academic (evidenced by the fact that your attempt to write like one tends to render your prose incomprehensible). As for these studies you refer to - footnotes please, you're relying on a lot of "studies" rather than the weight of your own experience so please be good enough to mention a couple of specific studies. I have a feeling that you're falling into the shocking error of buying into the "there is no failure, only 'deferred-success'" which, if it persists, will be the fucking doom of western civilisation. You cannot bring up a healthy human without exposing them both to success (and rewarding them for it) and to failure (and having them face the consequences of it). The one-sided approach you seem to be advocating is silly nonsense. quote:
The European/Western cultures may not be the worst child punishers, but they are in the running. Traditional non-paternalist cultures are more likely to actually value the children more than their immediate behavior. Polynesians are one example. Journalists of the period commented that for many Hawaiians during the contact period, the greatest cognitive dissonance the White Man caused was the first time they saw a child struck. An incomprehensible action in pre-contact Hawaiian culture, where children were the most valued of all possessions and relationships. The social cohesiveness and family bonds in that culture are legendary. And largely absent in the thoroughly Christianized (Protestant child hitters) remnants of the culture, away from the few intact families still with bonds to traditional lands and behavior. The best example of how far Western society has fallen from true respect and love for it's children is in a surviving culture on one of the many Polynesian islands. Children aren't just 'not punished', they aren't reprimanded publicly or directly. With some undesirable behavior, later one adult will discuss the general situation and recommended alternative actions In the Hearing of the Child! Being careful not to humiliate or attack a fragile psyche but transmit family and village expectations in positive terms. The observation that the group has little mental illness just Might be connected? Love and respect the Hawaiian culture as I do... let's pause a moment and compare the success of non-spanking cultures with spanking cultures. Oh fuck me! Now there's a correlation... The judeo-christian culture of the 19th century (The old "spare the rod, spoil the child" culture) brought the greatest transformation in society, in the shortest amount of time, that the world has ever seen. Meanwhile, the non-spanking cultures were mooching around, without the wheel, without steam, and without any hope of expanding and thriving. quote:
If animal trainers with serious educations have fully embraced Applied Behavior Analysis and learned how to apply the knowledge, maybe parents can too? The largest downside of punishment is seen in the fragile bonds with training prey animals such as birds. ONE punishment can fatally damage a relationship for life. Errm... animal trainers use a compassionate balance between physical intervention and praise-based training. quote:
FAMILY doesn't hurt family, in almost all species, just humans? Can we set aside species that are pretty fucking far removed from humans in terms of intelligence, social complexity etc? I mean... much as you might argue that the absence of spanking within the starfish community has a bearing on this debate, it doesn't. Let's look at some of the smarter animals - Wolves, Primates. Lots and lots and lots of physical chastisement in those species. quote:
If you can't figure out how to communicate with your children without hitting them, Try a bit more?? It is a continuing test of creativity, love and busting old patterns learned everywhere while growing up American. Get some education? Step back take a deep breath and balance this moment's agenda with how they understand 'family' for the rest of their life? Real teaching is figuring out the real lessons you teach, not just the ones you have in your mind while acting out old patterns you haven't thought through Ever. If it is all too hard, Give them away to someone that loves them 24 hours a day? So here's the real fucking kicker. You are trying to create a binary argument - People that never spank vs that people that always spank. That's a really silly argument that leaves out a huge number of people in the middle. Yes, some people are terribly lacking in parenting skills. There are those fuckwitted idiots who think their psychopathic, violent little scumbag of a child is a delicate flower, who needs to be reasoned with and nurtured. And there are some complete tosspots who think that a slap should be the default (or only) form of behaviour correction. Can you see how both extremes are utterly fucked up? quote:
Notice how many kids have a better relationship with grandparents who instruct, not punish? Less ego in the relationship than parents and a lot more patience. There are soooooo many holes in this point that I don't have the time to address them all. Firstly, I can point to at least two pairs of grandparents who despair of the liberal approach to child-rearing taken by their children. And in both cases, I'm inclined to agree with the grandparents. quote:
An amazing number of cultures use aunts, uncles and grandparents for teaching and socialization in recognition of how parental ego interferes with open awareness of how communication is working. If your kids never even really know their elder relative and are damaged from the lack, comfort yourself on the better income the mobility of nuclear families assists. I have no clue what you intend by this - it appears to be complete gibberish to me. quote:
Nobody says conscious acculturation and instruction in successful life skills for kids is easy. It probably is the greatest challenge a human can face. It is how we influence our children and pass on whatever we have learned in life to our families and culture. Much of our 'conventional wisdom' on child raising is the more emotionally loaded behavior we witnessed in young life before we questioned parental behavior. We repeat this unexamined learning more often than later intellectual concepts the more emotional stress we feel in the situation we feel and fewer positive alternatives we have on hand. Speak for yourself! I've taken my child rearing responsibilities extremely carefully, and I've examined all of the conventional wisdom, as well as my experiences. quote:
Trying to teach life by specific discipline and lessons also ignores the most basic of observations of how kids learn. They Don't hear what you say, they see what you Do. Hitting mostly teaches kids that big people get what they want from little people with violence when non-violence doesn't work. Again... this is a gross gross generalisation, really unworthy of comment. Your choice of the words "violence" and "hitting" is emotive - Change it to chastisement and you can see how the sentence reads then. quote:
Any dispute on this is by people who are blocking out all their memories of early and middle school. What the fuck? You're my shrink now? How dare you make such a presumption. I have a very clear recollection of my early and middle school experiences, thank-you very much. I was caned on 4 occasions. I fucking deserved it every time, and it did me no end of good. quote:
Today's 'news' outlined a study that found over half of adolescents interviewed had experienced an uncontrollable violent temper behavior towards someone else. What the fuck? This is news? On what fucking planet is the idea that half of adolescents have experienced a violent loss of control news? Jesus fucking christ - Losing it the whole fucking point of being an adolescent. quote:
This doesn't occur in a vacuum. From Judge Judy and action hero movies to parental discipline, the lessons are everywhere that disrespect and violence, emotional and physical, are justified for personal or ideological reasons. Not the most promising thing to realize about our selves as technology gives fewer and fewer people the powers to damage larger numbers and areas of the planet? Well I beg to differ. I would argue that the reason that each successive generation is becoming more decadent, and more lacking in self control is due in large measure to the lilly-livered, "no such thing as failure" bullshit that you seem to be pimping in your post. If more children learned that their behaviour had consequences (both positive and negative) we would be in better shape now. Yes, there are many feckless parents out there, and it's a shame for their children. I'd go so far as to say that feckless parenting is a form of child abuse. But I'm not prepared to buy into the nonsense that bad parenting is only associated with parents that spank too much - it's equally down to those parents that fail to provide boundaries and discipline. So... how about me? I've got two fantastic boys, 14 and 10. I'm very lucky, they're respectful, honest, thoughtful lads. The older boy has been spanked by me on three occasions in his life. All three where when he was under 3 years old, and all of them were very light slaps on his thighs (and all of them related to him being in danger). The younger boy has never been spanked. Both boys know that their actions have consequences, and the lines that I draw are crystal clear. I praise them when they do the right thing, I counsel them when they make a poor choice, and there are consequences when they do something wrong. These consequences fit the crime. If they break something, they fix it (I'm happy to help them fix it - but they get to spend the time), if they drop litter they get to go litter picking. Sure, grounding, removal of tv privileges, being sent to bed etc are all there in the kit bag. And so is spanking. They both know, though, that there is a line. A clear line. And that if they were to cross the line I would certainly spank them. They both know that I would happily face the legal consequences if necessary. I've been described as a "victorian parent" on occasion - Because one glance from me will stop them in their tracks. I'm also proud of the friendship I share with them, the fun we have, and (particularly) the words from other parents when they say "I love having your boys around, they're a pleasure to be with". So don't you dare tell me that it's wrong for me to spank my children.
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