To the editor:

Not only is the Baumrind study flawed by small numbers and inadequate controls, but she does not deal with the most important implications of spanking for character development, particularly for boys.

Parents, of course, have to let children know that it is they who are in charge. But when they enforce their dominance with violence -- and spanking is violence -- it telegraphs the message that violence is both acceptable and effective.

For boys, who are more likely to be spanked severely, a large body of research indicates, the pain and powerlessness translates to a propensity to be violent themselves.

We males are wired to locate ourselves high in dominance hierarchies or pecking orders. We often respond to personal experiences of powerlessness by needing to be controlling and dominant over others. One sees this often in clinical work with male victims of child sexual abuse and with men who have witnessed their mothers' abuse in childhood.

Perhas the most important part of character development for a boy is to become able to control himself and to respect the needs and rights of the people around him.. At that moral nexus where boys have to chose between behavioral alternatives -- where character manifests itself -- too often males default to violence, in the service of control of others.

To build better character in boys, we need urgently to reduce the number of violent scripts offered at home, in the media, and in such social institutions as school and organized athletics. Spanking is where much of our trouble with male violence begins.

Eli H. Newberger, M.D.

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To the Editor:

Re ``Findings Give Some Support To Advocates of Spanking'' (news article, Aug. 25):

Parents, of course, have to let children know that it is they who are in charge. But when they enforce their dominance with violence -- and spanking is violence -- it telegraphs the message that violence is both acceptable and effective.

For boys, who are more likely to be spanked severely, a large body of research indicates that the pain and powerlessness translates to a propensity to be violent themselves.

At that moral nexus between behavioral alternatives, too often males default to violence. To build better character in boys, we need urgently to reduce the number of violent scripts offered at home, in the media and in social institutions like school and organized athletics.

ELI H. NEWBERGER, M.D.
Brookline, Mass., Aug. 27, 2001