"Why do parents hit those they love? What effect does it have on children? What can be done to end this pattern? These are some of the questions explored in The Primordial Violence. Featuring longitudinal data from over 7,000 U.S. families as well as results from a 32 nation study, the book presents the latest research on the extent to which spanking is used in different cultures and the subsequent effects of its use on children and on society. Evidence that shows the relationship between spanking and the subsequent slowing of cognitive development and increase in antisocial and criminal behavior is shown. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are explored in an accessible fashion. An abundance of high quality research has produced findings that are highly consistent from study to study which show that spanking is a risk factor for aggressive behavior and other social and psychological problems. Because of these findings, the authors argue for policy changes and recommend a drastic reduction in the use of spanking. Policy and practical implications are explored in most chapters. The Primordial Violence highlights: the benefits of avoiding spanking such as the development of better interpersonal skills and higher academic achievement; the link between spanking and behavioral problems and crime; and the extent to which spanking is declining and why despite the unusually high level of agreement between numerous studies which found harmful effects from spanking, most parents continue to spank." -- Publisher's description.

pt. I. Prevalence and social causes of spanking. 1. The social and scientific context of research on spanking : What is spanking? ; Spanking, violence, and child abuse ; Why focus on just one narrow aspect of discipline? ; Public attitudes and beliefs about spanking ; The scientific climate ; Our research on corporal punishment ; The theoretical framework ; Risk factors: the real meaning of social science results -- 2. Corporal punishment in the United States : The survey ; How corporal punishment changes as children grow older ; Other characteristics of children and parents associated with spanking ; Five recent studies ; Implications for parents and professionals -- 3. Spanking in world perspective : Cross-national differences in spanking ; Sample and measures ; How cultural norms about spanking were measured ; Spanking worldwide ; Support for spanking worldwide ; The experience of spanking and approval of spanking -- 4. There was an old woman who lived in a shoe : Family and child characteristics associated with spanking ; Previous studies ; Confounding with age and birth order ; Sample and measures -- 5. Approval of violence and spanking : Is approving violence one of the reasons parents spank? ; Sample and measures ; Relation of approval of violence to approval of spanking ; Three other studies -- pt. II. Spanking and child behavior problems. 6. The boomerang effect of spanking : Spanking and behavior problems ; Which is cause and which is effect? ; Sample and measures ; Correlation of spanking with antisocial behavior ; Spanking and change in antisocial behavior -- 7. Impulsive spanking, never spanking and child well-being : Impulsive spanking and child behavior problems ; Effects of never spanking ; Sample and measures ; Prevalence of spanking and impulsive spanking ; Relation of spanking and impulsive spanking to child's antisocial behavior -- 8. The child-to-mother bond and delinquency : Does spanking "teach him a lesson"? ; The child-to-parent bond and delinquency ; Spanking and the child-to-parent bond -- Hypotheses ; Sample and measures ; Spanking, bonding, and delinquency ; Does a weak child-to-parent bond help explain the link between spanking and delinquency? ; Does the relation of spanking to bonding depend on other variables? -- 9. Spanking and risky sex : Questions addressed ; Study 1: Risky sex by high school students ; Study 2: Unprotected sex by university students -- pt. III. Spanking and human capital. 10. Mental ability : Processes that could link spanking and mental ability ; Previous research ; Studies suggesting that spanking might adversely affect mental ability ; Studies of spanking and mental ability ; Sample ; Measures ; Prevalence and frequency of spanking ; Spanking and development of mental ability -- 11. College graduation : Sample and measures ; Corporal punishment and college graduation ; Other variables related to college graduation -- pt. IV. Spanking and crime. 12. What explains the link between spanking and assaulting a partner? : Spanking and assaults on partners ; The linking processes ; The morality of violence ; Truncated development of conflict-resolution skills ; Depression ; Sample and measures ; Interrelation of depression, conflict, and approval of violence ; Relationship between spanking and assaulting a partner -- 13. Assault and injury of dating partners by university students in 32 nations : Assaults on dating partners ; Sample and measures ; Differences between men and women and between nations ; Relationship between spanking and partner violence -- 14. Cultural context and the relation of spanking to crime : Sociocultural context differences in the effects of spanking ; Why might spanking have different effects for Black children? ; Sample and measures ; Corporal punishment and assault and arrest as an adult ; Corporal punishment and family violence ; Corporal punishment and child delinquency and aggression ; Systematic review of cultural context effects -- 15. Spanking high-risk children and adult crime : Sample and measures ; Prevalence of corporal punishment and crime ; Corporal punishment and crime as a young adult ; Other variables related to crime -- 16. Sexual coercion and sexual assault : Prevalence of sexual coercion and gender differences ; Prior victimization and perpetration of sexual coercion ; Sample and measures ; Prevalence and gender differences in sexual coercion ; Tests of the theory -- pt. V. Social change and trends in spanking. 17. The decline in spanking : Cultural norms on the necessity of spanking ; The seven surveys ; Trends in support of spanking ; Trends in spanking -- 18. Why everyone spanks toddlers and what to do about it : The three paradoxes ; Consistency is confounded with spanking ; The myth that spanking is harmless ; The myth that spanking works when other methods fail ; Why spanking is no more effective than other methods in the short run and less effective in the long run ; Why is spanking perceived as more effective than it is? ; Beneficial versus harmful side effects -- 19. Implications for crime and violence in society : Spanking and violence ; Societal-level evidence ; The cultural spillover theory of violence ; Individual-level evidence ; Spanking and juvenile antisocial behavior ; Spanking and adolescent and adult crime ; Spanking and other adult antisocial behavior and crime ; Trends in spanking and implications for crime ; Processes linking spanking and crime -- 20. Obstacles to accepting the evidence : Does the research really prove that spanking causes antisocial behavior? ; Will ending spanking mean kids out of control? ; Cross-cultural applicability of the harmful effects of spanking ; The ethics of advising parents to never spank ; Why we don't perceive the connection ; Social and psychological obstacles to accepting the evidence -- 21. A world without spanking : Societal change and change in spanking ; The prospects for ending spanking worldwide ; The prospects for ending spanking in the United States ; Will never spanking result in a nation with kids out of control? ; Is ending spanking worth the effort?.