Our culture is conflicted about childrearing. On the one hand, are people like the conservative Christian psychologist James Dobson who, through his widely syndicated radio show Focus on the Family, has been a prominent critic of permissive parenting and an advocate for the use of spanking and corporal punishment for disciplining children. At the same time, corporal punishment has increasingly come to be regarded as a form of child abuse and is penalized by today's child protection laws.

In a four to six page essay, discuss the current controversy about corporal punishment in child-rearing with reference to the historical origins of this debate.

What does each view imply about child development and how parents may most effectively foster positive development?
Based on what you have learned so far from Cleveley & Phillips' Visions of Childhood trace the origins of each view in Western Thought.
Within each view, what are the ways in which development can "derail" or go wrong?

What is your personal view? Were you aware of the historical origins of your view?