MATERNAL PUNITIVENESS AS AFFECTED BY SITUATIONAL STRESS - AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALOGUE OF CHILD ABUSE

• NCJ Number: 58307
• Journal: Journal of Abnormal Psychology Volume: 86 Issue: 5 Dated: (OCTOBER 1977) Pages: 565-569
• Author(s): R H PASSMAN; R K MULHERN
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 5 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Midwest Institute on Drug Use
• Corporate Author: American Psychological Assoc
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

RESULTS OF LABORATORY TESTS SHOW THAT MATERNAL PUNITIVENESS MAY BE MANIPULATED BY SITUATIONAL STRESS.

Abstract

TO TEST HYPOTHESIZED VARIABLES INVOLVED IN PUNISHMENT AND CHILD ABUSE, TWO TECHNIQUES WERE USED TO INCREASE SITUATIONAL DEMANDS PLACED ON MOTHERS IN A CONTROLLED LABORATORY SITUATION WHILE THEY MONITORED THEIR CHILDREN'S PERFORMANCE. HEIGHTENED STRESS RESULTED IN INCREASES IN PUNITIVENESS TOWARD THE CHILDREN. THE MOTHERS WERE TOLD TO MONITOR THEIR CHILDREN'S ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE A PUZZLE AND AT THE SAME TIME PERFORM TASKS THEMSELVES WHICH INVOLVED A HIGH DEGREE OF UNCERTAINTY. THE CHILD'S FAILURES WOULD BE COMMUNICATED TO THE MOTHER BY A BUZZ. RESULTS SHOWED THAT WHEN THE MOTHERS PERFORMED A STRESSFUL, UNCERTAIN TASK INTENSITIES OF PUNISHMENT TOWARD CHILDREN WERE GREATER THAN WHEN THEY WERE UNHURRIED AND UNSTRESSED IN THEIR TASKS. IF THE CHILDREN THEMSELVES PRODUCED STRESS BY FREQUENT INTERRUPTIONS, THE MORE INTENSELY THEY WERE PUNISHED. THESE FINDINGS CLEARLY IMPLICATE BOTH THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THE PARENT IS FUNCTIONING AND THE CHILD'S BEHAVIOR AS DETERMINANTS OF THE INTENSITY OF THE PUNISHMENT ADMINISTERED. IT MAY BE REASONBLY ASSUMED, THEREFORE, THAT MORE STRESSFUL REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS MIGHT EVOKE STRONGER FORMS OF PUNISHMENT, ALTHOUGH EXTRAPOLATION OF RESULTS OF A CONTROLLED LABORATORY EXPERIMENT SHOULD BE DONE WITH EXTREME CAUTION. THE FINDINGS, NEVERTHELESS, HAVE IMPLICATIONS RELATING TO CHILD ABUSE THEORY. IT IS CLEAR THAT THERE IS NO ONE SIMPLE CAUSE, YET, BY DEMONSTRATING THAT EITHER CHILD-DEPENDENT OR CHILD-INDEPENDENT SOURCES OF STRESS HEIGHTEN PUNITIVENESS TOWARD THE CHILD, THE RESULTS ARE CONTRARY TO ARGUMENTS THAT SITUATIONAL STRESS IS NEITHER SUFFICIENT OR NECESSARY FOR ABUSE (SPINETTA AND RIGLER, 1972). THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT PATHOLOGY IS NOT REQUIRED IN PREDISPOSING MOTHERS TO PUNISH MORE INTENSELY WHILE UNDER STRESS. PUNITIVENESS MAY BE MANIPULATED BY SITUATIONAL FACTORS IN A RANDOMLY SELECTED POPULATION OF PRESUMABLY NORMAL MOTHERS. GRAPHS AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (STB)