Learning 207APA Goal 2: Scientific Inquiry and
Critical Thinking
Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child?
Addresses APA Learning Objectives 2.1: Use scientific reasoning
to interpret psychological phenomena; 2.2: Demonstrate
psychology information literacy; and 2.5: Incorporate sociocultural
factors in scientific inquiry.
To spank or not to spank has been a controversial issue for many years now. In the past,
across many cultures, spanking a child for misbehavior was an accepted form of discipline,
but with the rise in both awareness and incidence of child abuse, critical thinking demands
asking the next question: Does it work, or does it do more harm than good?
Finland was the second country in the world (after Sweden) to enact a law that banned
any kind of physical punishment of children, including by their own parents. This law was put
into effect in 1983. The results of a survey conducted nearly 30 years later on a sample of 4,
609 males and females between the ages of 15 and 80 years of age showed a significant
decrease in reports of physical discipline (e.g., being beaten with an object or slapped) among
those participants who were born after the law went into effect. There were also far fewer mur-
dered children. Those participants who had been exposed to more physical punishment than
average were found to be more likely to abuse alcohol and suffer from mental health issues
such as depression and were also more likely to be divorced or to have attempted suicide
(Österman et al., 2014). In other countries where a ban against corporal punishment has been
enacted, there has also been a decrease in child abuse (Zolotor & Puzia, 2010). In this case it
definitely seems that physical punishment such as spanking actually does more harm.
In the last 40 years in the United States, spanking has decreased as a means of disci-
plining children but is still used by the parents of about 80 percent of preschool-aged children.
While in addition to Finland and Sweden 24 other countries have officially banned corporal
punishment in about the same time period, spanking is still common across many cultures
(Runyan et al., 2010; Zolotor & Puzia, 2010; Zolotor et al., 2011). Regardless of country of
origin, research has found that spanking and other forms of harsh physical discipline are more
common in places where income is low and parents are less educated (Runyan et al., 2010).
Country Year Corporal
Punishment Banned
San Marino 2014
Brazil 2014
Argentina 2014
Malta 2014
Bolivia 2014
Honduras 2013
TFYR Macedonia 2013
Cabo Verde 2013
South Sudan 2011
Albania 2010
Tunisia 2010
Republic of Congo 2010
Poland 2010
Kenya 2010
Luxembourg 2008APA Goal 2: Spare the Road and Spoil the Child? Countries that Have Banned Corporal Punishment
Country Year Corporal
Punishment Banned
Republic of Moldova 2008
Liechtenstein 2008
Costa Rica 2008
Togo^2007
Uruguay^2007
Netherlands 2007
Spain 2007
Portugal 2007
Venezuela 2007
New Zealand^2007
Greece^2006
Hungary^2005
Romania 2004
Ukraine 2004Country Year Corporal
Punishment Banned
Iceland 2003
Turkmenistan 2002
Bulgaria 2000
Germany 2000
Israel 2000
Croatia 1999
Latvia 1998
Denmark 1997
Cyprus 1994
Austria 1989
Norway 1987
Finland 1983
Sweden 1979SOURCE: The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, 2016