Legitimate Violence, Violent Attitudes, and Rape: A Test of the Cultural Spillover Theorya

Baron, Larry; Straus, Murray A.; Jaffee, David

doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1988.tb50853.x

Cited by 59 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The findings are also consistent with the cultural spillover theory of violence (Baron & Straus, 1989; Baron, Straus, & Jaffee, 1988). According to this theory, individuals are more likely to use violence in the future (either for socially legitimate or criminal purposes) if the society in which they live condones violence for legitimate purposes such as rearing children or punishing criminals.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Straus's criminogenic theory of corporal punishment posits that in contexts in which corporal punishment is frequent, other forms of violence are also more readily accepted (Straus, 2001, 2004). Similarly, the cultural spillover theory of violence holds that violence in one domain tends to generalize, or spill over, into other domains (Baron & Straus, 1989; Baron, Straus, & Jaffee, 1988). Social learning theory, criminogenic theory of corporal punishment, and cultural spillover of violence theory would all suggest that, at a societal level, corporal punishment of children would be related to societal levels of violence in other domains.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cultural Norms for Adult Corporal Punishment of Children and Societal Rates of Endorsement and Use of Violence

Lansford¹,

Dodge²

2008

Parenting

118

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SYNOPSISObjective-To test the hypothesis that societal rates of corporal punishment of children predict societal levels of violence, using "culture" as the unit of analysis.Design-Data were retrieved from the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample of anthropological records, which includes 186 cultural groups, to represent the world's 200 provinces based on diversity of language, economy, political organization, descent, and historical time. Independent coders rated the frequency and harshness of corporal punishment of children, inculcation of aggression in children, warfare, interpersonal violence among adults, and demographic, socioeconomic, and parenting covariates.Results-More frequent use of corporal punishment was related to higher rates of inculcation of aggression in children, warfare, and interpersonal violence. These relations held for inculcation of aggression in children and warfare after controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and parenting confounds.Conclusion-More frequent use of corporal punishment is related to higher prevalence of violence and endorsement of violence at a societal level. The findings are consistent with theories that adult violence becomes more prevalent in contexts in which corporal punishment is frequent, that the use of corporal punishment increases the probability that children will engage in violent behaviors during adulthood, and that violence in one social domain tends to influence behavior in other domains. If corporal punishment leads to higher levels of societal violence, then reducing parents' use of corporal punishment should lead to reductions in societal violence manifested in other ways. INTRODUCTIONThe majority of American parents discipline their children physically. Over 90% report having used corporal punishment at least once; when asked about recent use, 40% to 70% report having used corporal punishment in a more limited time period (e.g., the last week, the last 6 months; Giles-Sims, Straus, & Sugarman, 1995;Straus, 2001;Wauchope & Straus, 1990). Corporal punishment is also widely used in other countries across the world (Durrant, 1999;Levinson, 1981;Rohner, Bourque, & Elordi, 1996;Straus, 1996;Tang, 1998).Despite its prevalence in many different societies, corporal punishment remains controversial because of several concerns. First, the question of where to draw the line between physical discipline and physical abuse is ambiguous, leading some to advocate abolition of all corporal punishment. In fact, in 12 U.S. states, "excessive corporal punishment" is explicitly included in the state's definition of maltreatment, and an additional 10 states make reference to corporal , 1997). Second, many studies find that even nonabusive physical discipline has negative effects on children's development, especially in increasing externalizing behavior problems (Gershoff, 2002). More frequent corporal punishment has been found to be related to higher levels of child aggression (Eron, Huesmann, & Zelli, 1991), delinquency (Farrington & Hawkins, 1991), and criminality (McCor...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural Norms for Adult Corporal Punishment of Children and Societal Rates of Endorsement and Use of Violence

Lansford¹,

Dodge²

2008

Parenting

118

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“…Consistent with the cultural spillover theory of violence 9,10 and as hypothesized, this study found that more acceptance of violence toward wives from husbands was related to more acceptance of using corporal punishment to rear children. Furthermore, as hypothesized, women’s attitudes endorsing domestic violence and corporal punishment were related to caregivers’ psychological aggression and physical violence toward children.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…7,8 The cultural spillover theory of violence holds that violence in one domain tends to generalize, or spill over, into other domains. 9,10 However, previous research using nationally representative samples of children and their parents from diverse countries has not examined how attitudes related to both domestic violence and corporal punishment are related to behavior toward children.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes Justifying Domestic Violence Predict Endorsement of Corporal Punishment and Physical and Psychological Aggression towards Children: A Study in 25 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Lansford

Deater‐Deckard

Bornstein

et al. 2014

The Journal of Pediatrics

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Objective The Convention on the Rights of the Child has prompted countries to protect children from abuse and exploitation. Exposure to domestic violence and corporal punishment are risk factors in children’s development. This study investigated how women’s attitudes about domestic violence are related to attitudes about corporal punishment, and harsh behaviors toward children, and whether country-wide norms regarding domestic violence and corporal punishment are related to psychological aggression and physical violence toward children. Study design Data were drawn from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, a nationally representative and internationally comparable household survey developed by UNICEF. Measures of domestic violence and discipline were completed by 85,999 female caregivers of children between the ages of 2 and 14 years from families in 25 low- and middle-income countries. Results Mothers who believed that husbands were justified in hitting their wives were more likely to believe that corporal punishment is necessary to rear children, and, in turn, were justified in hitting their wives and that corporal punishment is necessary to rear children were more likely to report that their child had experienced psychological aggression and physical violence. Countrywide norms regarding the acceptability of husbands hitting wives and advisability of corporal punishment moderated the links between mothers’ attitudes and their behaviors toward children. Conclusions Pediatricians can address parents’ psychological aggression and physical violence toward children by discussing parents’ attitudes and behaviors within a framework that incorporates social norms regarding the acceptability of domestic violence and corporal punishment.

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“…The idea of "legitimacy" in this context has its roots in sociology and criminal justice, specifically the work done in the creation of the Violence Approval Index (Baron, Straus, and Jaffee 1988), which is based on directly expressed attitudes about when it is appropriate to use physical force. While the index finds regional variations in the approval of some forms of violence, there is consensus on a number of legitimate forms of violence.…”

Section: Theme 4: Legitimacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Violence in Advertising

Jones

Cunningham

Gallagher

2010

Journal of Advertising

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Legitimate Violence, Violent Attitudes, and Rape: A Test of the Cultural Spillover Theorya

Cited by 59 publications

References 25 publications

Cultural Norms for Adult Corporal Punishment of Children and Societal Rates of Endorsement and Use of Violence

Cultural Norms for Adult Corporal Punishment of Children and Societal Rates of Endorsement and Use of Violence

Attitudes Justifying Domestic Violence Predict Endorsement of Corporal Punishment and Physical and Psychological Aggression towards Children: A Study in 25 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Violence in Advertising

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