Customer Reviews

The Case Against Spanking: How to Discipline Your Child Without Hitting (Jossey-Bass Psychology Series)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Hyman's book offers plenty of good insight into raising children based on the growing Western movement towards corporal punishment alternatives. Rather than simply suggesting theoretical disciplinary approaches, he cites real world ideas & results from countries like Sweden where a general aversion towards corporal punishment has caused a significant decrease in violence.

I have to say that this book is very well written. I feel that everyone should read this book, although I know some would probably never even consider reading a book like this. I didn't believe in spankings before I read this book, but now I don't feel so left out. Everyone I know spanks their kids and I am the "odd ball". I get criticized alot, but this book has made me feel alot better about who I am as a parent and a person. The author did a good job explaining why he believes the way he does and I have to give him credit. He is very intelligent and brave.

My parents used corporal punishment. Because of this, I vowed never to spank my children. I didn't know how to discipline, though - what to do IN PLACE of spanking. My daughter is now almost 30 and the mother of my beautiful 3 year old granddaughter. My daughter graduated from college, was an honor student praised by all her teachers throughout school, she never got into trouble the law, or misbehaved beyond giving me a bit of "normal teenage attitude". And she wasn't spanked! My son is 21, mentally handicapped, a well behaved, loving adult with a great sense of humor. Spanking is useless with a special needs child.
To the reviewer between 8 & 13 who wrote "it's ridiculous not to spank", my heart breaks for you. You're being lied to if someone has told you that spanking is necessary.
The author doesn't suggest that parents NOT discipline their children. What he HAS written is that there are other methods of discipline besides spanking. And, BTW, the author has an advanced education and clinical studies to support his work. Bryan's wife

True, Hyman proceeds with his book without really considering at any great depth, the possible virtues of spanking. Perhaps that is because the arguments in favor of spanking are so shallow: parents should be able to do as they please with their kids, or the Bible says it's OK. Hyman's evidence against spanking is admittedly mostly anecdotal. That's because there is very little else out there. He banks heavily on the common-sense and proven principle that if parents want their kids to treat others well, then parents should treat others well. If a parent tells his kid not to hit others, then hits (spanks) his kid, what is the child to think? To Hyman, and to even the most casual observer of human nature, actions are louder than words.

I love this book it is teaching parents not to spank their kids. I mean pick on someone your own size. beating up on little people means your a real coward. Children have rights to they are human beings. I don't care what the bible says.

Chapter 1 An Alien Point of View (on spanking)
Chapter 2 Abuse or Discipline?
Chapter 3 Why We Hit and What It Does to Kids
Chapter 4 Back to Basics: What You Need to Know About Effective Discipline
Chapter 5 Changing Your Appproach to Discipline
Chapter 6 Rewards and Punishments
Chapter 7 Anger and Resentment
Chapter 8 Using Therapeutic Techniques
Chapter 9 What We Need to Do Next

Some of the topics discussed in this book:
Discipline, Punishment, and Corporal Punishment
Why Ads Become Aggressive
What Spanking Does to Kids
Family Factors
What Is Your Orientation to Discipline?
The Dos and Don'ts of Prevention
Diagnose the Causes of Misbehavior
How to Set Up a Reward System
Dos and Don'ts for the Effective Use of Timeouts
How to Run a Family Council/Meeting
8 Steps to Anger Control
How to Produce Hostile Children
How to Defuse Your Child's Anger
What Not to Do When Your Child Blows Up
7 Essential Qualities of Effective Psychotherapy
Understanding and Avoiding Emotional Maltreatment
Teaching Your Child to Think and Act Rationally and Appropriately

The author does a great job at giving real-life examples of situations where some parents might turn to spanking as a method for discipline, and then in turn offers alternatives that can be useful. Besides offering alternatives to spanking, the author discusses the importance of prevention of misbehavior, modeling good behavior, and catching children being good, instead of always catching them being bad, and rewarding those good behaviors.

I don't have children of my own yet, but I found this book to be very informative, in that it explains what child abuse it, how spanking as discipline can often escalate to child abuse, or even mask child abuse. The author also does a very good job at describing what physical abuse can actually do to kids, not in just the physical aspect, but on an emotional level as well. I will definitely take much of what I learned from this book, and apply it into my own style of parenting when the time comes for me to parent my future children.

This book is good and offers enormous examples of what the average person see's day-to-day, does day-to-day, with child hitting. This book takes those situations, alters them, and out comes a positive resolution. Really, simple as that - not hard to read - or do. If your becoming a parent I highly suggest to invest in this book, just get a used one, skim through it and I guarantee you'll walk away with a little wisdom in your heart.

Child hitting is never necessary. This book will soon evoke this broad mindset of a dominant-yet respectful-parent where you'll never have to stress over a situation and deal with such a negative consequences that may be long-term.

Buy the book already.

Found this book on a Christian website, but it turns out it really isn't.The author connects spanking in childhood to sexual pleasure in adulthood. It really isn't what I was looking for.

This guy is saying not to spank kids. That's ridiculous. In my opinion, spanking kids is right. Not hitting. Not beating. Spanking. Not as hard as you can. But spanking nontheless. I am outraged at this guy, who obviously never even CONSIDERED, the slightest POSSIBILITY that the other side might be right. I hope he knows what he's doing: his kids, and kids that he knew, that he said not to discipline, and that he didn't discipline, may become the adults who shrug and either throw him into the nursing home or go the path of enuthasia. Not trying to be cruel, but that's a warning: If we don't train kids now, actively and effectively, then we are doomed.
And BTW, this is coming from someone who is older than eight and younger than thirteen. I believe this butts heads with the Truth.