Discipline by Parents and Child Psychopathology Emily

There is wide consensus that parental discipline can have important affects on the psychological well-being of children, but there is little consensus on what constitutes discipline. For many parents, 'discipline' is a euphemism for spanking and other legal and culturally approved tonns of corporal punishment. At the other extreme, for many professionals, 'discipline' is anything done to raise a well-adjusted child. The first of these conceptualizations of discipline is too narrow because spanking is only one of many modes of correcting misbehavior. The second conceptualization is too broad. It covers almost everything done as a parent. This chapter addresses how the topic of discipline is handled in psychiatric and other professional sources and presents a definition that avoids the two extremes. The chapter emphasizes research on a specific form of discipline, corporal punishment, because there is sufficient research to support an evidence-based analysis and because it is an aspect of discipline that has been the focus of controversy and legislation in many nations.