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Spare the Rod? Ideology, Experience, and Attitudes Toward Child Discipline Among Presbyterian Clergy

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An Erratum to this article was published on 18 July 2008

Abstract

Despite the recurrent public and academic controversies over the issue of corporal punishment, few studies have examined the attitudes of clergy members. This oversight is noteworthy, because clergy members may influence the beliefs and behaviors of church members and others via their roles in parish ministry, counseling, and civic leadership. Our study addresses this gap in the research literature using data from a nationwide sample of Presbyterian Church (USA) clergy members. Key findings include the following: (a) Approval of corporal punishment is higher among male, non-white, less affluent, and parish (vs. specialized) clergy; (b) Theological conservatism is unrelated to corporal punishment attitudes, but political conservatism and Republican Party leanings are strongly predictive of greater approval of physical discipline; and (c) Clergy members who know someone in their congregation who has experienced abuse are less supportive of the corporal punishment of children, although direct personal experiences with physical or emotional abuse are less consistently related to corporal punishment attitudes. Several implications and promising directions for future research are discussed.

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Notes

  1. Because of attrition, the number of ministers in the Panel by November 1999 was 1,556.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A1700, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Margaret L. Vaaler, Christopher G. Ellison, Karissa D. Horton & John P. Marcum

Authors
  1. Margaret L. Vaaler
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  2. Christopher G. Ellison
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  3. Karissa D. Horton
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  4. John P. Marcum
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Correspondence to Margaret L. Vaaler.

Additional information

Preliminary analysis of these findings was presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion’s Annual Meeting in October 2006 in Portland, OR.

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11089-008-0144-z

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Vaaler, M.L., Ellison, C.G., Horton, K.D. et al. Spare the Rod? Ideology, Experience, and Attitudes Toward Child Discipline Among Presbyterian Clergy. Pastoral Psychol 56, 533–546 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-008-0129-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-008-0129-y

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