PSYC160
January 6, 2017
West Coast University
Time-Out?
Abstract
This paper critiques a column
written by Wendy Thomas Russell on why we should not use time outs on our
children. This essay goes on by quoting information Russell uses to support the
claim by her parenting instructor, that timeouts can be potentially harmful to
a child. Russell uses good formatting by getting her point across and can even
persuade some of her readers into using another form of disciplinary action.
However, even though she used great formatting, she failed to reference her
sources and include an alternative method to her claim. Many of her readers, as
I read in the comment box, felt as though they wasted their time reading her
article. However, I still feel there is a substantial amount of information
that can potentially help you find your own solution to your child’s bad
behavior. Overall Russell wrote a well-rounded column that was easy to
interpret and straight to the point.
Keywords: Behavior, Parenting, Children,
Discipline, Timeout
Time Out?
A recent column by Wendy Thomas Russell,
shows that a mother spanking her children is dramatically decreasing and resorting
to timeouts. However, studies have shown that even giving your child a time out
can negatively affect them. Some parents are baffled by this as I also was when
reading this article because one thinks that a time out is only benefiting your
child to act correctly. Little did we know we are only harming our children by
giving them timeouts.As B. F. Skinner, the father
of behaviorism, once said, "What's wrong with punishments is that they
work immediately but give no long-term results. The responses to punishment are
either the urge to escape, to counterattack, or a stubborn apathy. These are
the bad effects you get in prisons or schools, or wherever punishments are used"
(Goleman, 1987, p. B1).Most experts are urging us to stop punishing our
children andinstead listen to them in order to understand why they act the way
that they do. According to Russell in her PBS news column, Hatfield (Russell’s
parenting class instructor) once said that most children act the way they do
for a reason and not necessarily to misbehave but because they are still
learning or one of their basic needs is not being met.
Anyhow, I n the first three
paragraphs of the column the author, Wendy Thomas Russell, begins by
introducing the problem of her article with a personal story with her husband
and daughter. Russell begins by writing that when her daughter was five years
old and really pushing her and her husbands buttons they decided to go to a
parenting class. Then in the second paragraph, Russell begins to introduce the
problem by explaining how she would discipline her child when she would act
out. Russell explains that she would first put her child in a timeout and if
that did not work she would remove a toy of privilege.However, at this point it
is unclear of whether she will we talking about how she disciplines her child during
the class or if her disciplinary methods are incorrect. Further into the
article in the third paragraph, Russell continues with her experience and
explains how within 15 minutes of their class time the instructor, (Linda
Hatfield), interrupted class by stating that, “decades
of neuroscience and social research have shown that timeouts and other methods
of punishment are not only ineffective in steering the behavior of children but
outright damaging” (Paragraph 3). At
this point the author makes it clear of what the rest of the column will be
about, that is how giving your child a timeout is as damaging as a spanking is.
In addition,
Russell adds supporting information from the father of behaviorism, B.F.
Skinner, when he said, “timeouts are a form of light punishment in which a
child is placed in a certain spot for a set period of time. Often, the child is
made to stay “in timeout,” even if it requires restraint, and is ignored for
the duration” (paragraph 5). She also
supports evidence that timeouts are damaging to children by naming three people
(Daniel J. Siegel, Tina Payne Bryson, and Vanessa LaPointe) who have done
extensive research on timeouts and how they can prove through various
experiments on how timeouts are ineffective. Russell added that LaPointe, in
her many experiments, always asked parents who have children with behavioral
issues what their form of disciplinary action was and nine out of ten times
they say timeouts. At this point of the column Russell has given an extensive
amount of information supporting the claim that timeouts can be potentially be
damaging while focusing a lot on LaPoints evidence. Russell Supported this
claim further by stating how LaPointe once said that punishment is harmful
because, “It takes the core need of the child… and uses it as a bargaining
chip. A child has a lot of core needs, she said, but one of the most vital is
emotional attachment; the very thing parents sacrifice when they place their
kids in timeouts. The more you use punishments to respond to behavior, the more
you are actually escalating behavior and creating a reality where you have more
behavior problems,” LaPointe said.(Paragraph 9).
Wendy Russell did
and extensive amount of research making sure that the claim against timeouts is
in fact true and not just some theory made up by her parenting class instructor. So many parents believe that a timeout is a
healthier form of punishment than spanking is when in fact it is almost the
same. She also organized her information in an informative way showing
scientific research while also trying to persuade her readers in my opinion.
For example, if the readers have children or plan to have children, to try and use
another form of punishment when it comes to disciplining their children. Russell’s
column has great length while also keeping you engaged with her own personal
examples without boring you with so much information. Wendy gives examples for
her readers to understand how a time out would be ineffective by asking us to
imagine if our spouse would take away our coffee or wine every day in an effort
for us to become more patient. We won’t become more patient, we may fake it for
a while to get what we want but it will eventually ruin your relationship and
there will be no long-term correction only momentary. Russell then shares a
quote on how Dr. Alan Kazkin, director of the Yale Parenting Center, suggests
how we should go about disciplining our children through tamping down tantrums
by role-playing and positive reinforcement, not timeouts.In addition, Wendy
adds how parenting columnist Elisa Strauss disagrees with Kazkin because as
much as we would all like to believe that parents would only have to deliver
encouraging observations and loving smiles to keep our children in check is
just not the case. Therefor, Strauss believes that at times gentle punishments
such as timeouts are absolutely appropriate.
In the portion
of the article where Russell discusses Kazkin vs. Strauss, she explains how
even such a talented parenting reporter can be blinded by the fact that
something momentarily works by dismissing Kazkins research as theory because
what he knows through science doesn’t coincide with what she feels through
experience. So not only does Wendy use information that supports the
information but she also uses information that contradicts the evidence that
timeouts are a bad disciplinary action. Russell also has an outstanding way of
bringing real life experiences into the equation, by using her own and her
parent friends experiences to resort to when analyzing the scientific evidence
conducted by various scientists. Anyhow, after a long and informational column
Russell concludes by stating that just because something momentarily curbs
behavior doesn’t make it right or harmless. She also went on by saying that she
and her husband will no longer give their daughter time outs and see her acts
as ways to push their buttons but, “a 5-year-old girl with a 5-year-old brain
and a 5-year-old’s heart” (Paragraph 17).
To conclude, Russell overall made an excellent attempt at supporting her claim and even persuading some of her readers to stop giving their children timeouts. Wendy, however, at the end of her article did not reference any of the information used in the column. Even though she used in text citations, she did not physically put a link to where she retrieved her information. Anyhow, I do think that many parents and non-parents can benefit from the information of this article and even have a new perspective on parenting and disciplining even though I do not. I still believe that a timeout can be very effective if done correctly. However, Another key thing that I think readers would have benefited from was if Russell would have included a solution to children’s bad behavior. I as a parent asked myself, “Ok, if timeouts or spanking do not work, then what does?” I then actually read some of the reader’s comments to get their perspective and some actually felt they wasted their time entirely because what they’re really looking for is the alternative. I also believe that the article would have benefitted from interviews with people who are experienced with dealing with children’s behavioral issues and not only the scientific approach. However, overall Russell’s column was well-rounded and full of information, well formatted, easy to understand and straight to the point.
References
Wendy Thomas Russell. (April 28, 2016). PBS NEWSHOUR. Why you should never
use timeouts on your kids.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/column-why-you-should-never-use-timeouts-on-your-kids/
.