Spare The Child: Religious Roots of Punishment and the Psychological Impact of Physic

Greven Jr., Philip J.

ISBN 10: 0394578600 / ISBN 13: 9780394578606

Published by Knopf, 1991

About this Item

Fast Free Shipping â Good condition. It may show normal signs of use, such as light writing, highlighting, or library markings, but all pages are intact and the book is fully readable. A solid, complete copy that's ready to enjoy.

Seller Inventory # GWV.0394578600.G

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Spare The Child: Religious Roots of Punishment and the Psychological Impact of Physic
• Publisher: Knopf
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0394578600
• ISBN 13: 9780394578606
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: good

About this title

Synopsis

He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. These words provided generations of American Christians with the justification for physically disciplining their children, in ways that range from spankings to brutal beatings. This learned and deeply disturbing work of history examines both the religious roots of corporal punishment in America and its consequences -- in the minds of children, in adults, and in our national tendencies toward authoritarian and apocalyptic thinking. Drawing on sources as old as Cotton Mather and as current as today's headlines, Spare the Child is one of those rare works of scholarship that have the power to change our lives.

Reviews

Greven marshalls a wealth of clinical evidence to show that beatings and spankings administered in childhood have long-lasting harmful consequences, including suppressed anger, self-hatred, recurring depressions, apathy, and stifling of compassion for oneself and others. A Rutgers history professor who teaches courses on the family, Greven maintains that the violence against children endemic in our society contributes to adults' unquestioning obedience to authority and to the oppression of women. He traces support for physical punishment to the Protestant belief that use of the rod is necessary to break the child's will; he also briefly outlines nonviolent alternatives to corporal punishment. Although this is more sociological treatise than childrearing guide, parents will benefit from this wise and liberating book.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.