The old adage “spare the rod, spoil the child” has been applied to many households in the past, but in truth, parenting methods and child rearing practices are as widely varied as are the cultures of the world. Politics, religion, family, and other environmental factors influence the way a child is raised and how that child develops. This review will attempt to examine the theories that have been presented as to how the various methods of child rearing impact the child’s socioemotional growth.
Delores Smith and Gail Mosby considered the possibility of a connection between the crucial reprimand of Jamaican and Caribbean youth and the trend of negative behavior among them. Based on a 1991 article by Diana Baumrind, they reasoned that Jamaicans have a harsh authoritarian style of parenting which tends to stunt the socioemotional growth of the children. Smith & Mosby listed these harsh styles as including flogging, shouting, and being hit with various objects from shoes to tamarind sticks. The wrongdoings that led to these punishments ranged from serious offenses like lying to minor inconveniences like excessive crying.
After noting the statistics of children who were disciplined in such manners and parents who conducted the discipline, Smith & Mosby pointed out that what American laws devise as corporal punishment and abuse is the cultural norm for Jamaican child rearing. They quote one father as saying, “I’ve never seen any statistics that show flogging doesn’t work. I send my boy to school for the teacher to take over; if she feels he should be whipped, then so be it; if he complains, he gets more at home.” (Smith & Mosby, 2003) The journal article also explains that this callous treatment stems from the West African traditions of bringing up children, where children are to be seen and not heard, and should they violate this rule then they would be flogged much like the slaves of that generation were whipped. Smith & Mosby go on to explain that such...