The death of discipline: Is the requiem premature?

There is a current trend among one sector of the professional mental- health community against the use of confrontive discipline with children and toward a positive-only approach to child behavior management. The current paper addresses this position by providing an overview of family process research as well as parent training outcome research related to parent disciplinary (punishment) practices. Consistent with research from developmental psychology showing that 'authoritative' parenting is associated with the best developmental outcomes, this overview concludes that child management which combines positive approaches with age appropriate structures, limits, and non-hostile, nonviolent punishment is associated with the best treatment outcomes. The paper challenges positions calling for an end to the use of punishment with children.

Duke Scholars

Author Karen Cameron Wells Psychiatry, Child & Family Mental Health & Community Psychia ...