Applying Psychological Science, Benefiting Society
Discipline has a significant role to play in what is arguably the world’s most important job—raising children to be moral and responsible members of society. And, not surprisingly, there’s no shortage of advice about how to do it. Unfortunately, a lot of it is contradictory.
Even in the best of circumstances, parenting is super hard work and takes tremendous patience. When we have so many other concerns in life and then we add in a child who is misbehaving, it is tempting to give the child a smack. But let me tell you what the research shows: Spanking does not achieve our parenting goals.
When we talk about discipline, we usually refer to the efforts by parents and teachers to reduce or eliminate annoying or inappropriate child behaviors. Punishment is designed to suppress or reduce behavior and may appear like the perfect match for these goals. The term “discipline” includes the notions of instruction but also of punishment.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This is the fourth and final post in a blog series about APA’s ACT Raising Safe Kids (ACT-RSK) program. ACT-RSK teaches positive parenting skills to parents and caregivers of children from birth to age 8. Make sure to check out our first, second and third posts in the series. By J. Riley Bailey, […]
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This is the second in a series of posts about APA’s ACT Raising Safe Kids (ACT-RSK) program. ACT-RSK teaches positive parenting skills to parents and caregivers of children from birth to age 8. Read our first and third posts in the series here and here. By Howard Baker (Executive Director, Lemberg Children’s Center at Brandeis […]
By Nichole Baker My full name is Nichole Marie Baker. I am 26 years old. I work full-time now, but plan to go back to school. I am from Morristown, New Jersey. I want to own a farm. I love kids, laughing, and meeting new people. I hate the news, social media, and violence. And… […]
Psychology Benefits Society 