| Research has shown that some parental discipline practices pass from generation to generation while others do not. However, the mechanism of this transmission remains poorly understood. The objective of this research was to understand how parents decide which discipline practices they will repeat from their childhoods.; This qualitative research used storytelling and the biographical/life history method of inquiry. Sixteen parents (13 mothers and 3 fathers) from two low-income, ethnically diverse, community day care centers were interviewed. Parents were asked to tell stories of being disciplined as children and whether their experiences related to their current discipline practices. Discipline was defined as punishment (physical and nonphysical) and praise. Since physical punishments were defined differently by parents, a glossary of terms was developed using parents' definitions to better understand their stories.; According to most parents, the strong, remembered affect associated with how they were punished and praised as children influenced how they discipline their own children. Participants chose not to repeat punishment practices when a strong, negative affect was remembered. Their stories included punishments such as spanking, whipping and hitting with objects and memories of parental rage and unpredictable punishments. Remembered affects associated with their childhood punishment experiences included shame, humiliation, and hatred.; Nine participants use physical punishment, such as spanking, with their own children. Parents repeated physical punishment practices if they believed the practices were effective or culturally valued, if they were under stress, or if the parents lacked alternative strategies.; All of the parents remembered a positive affect associated with being praised. Only two parents reported being praised as a typical childhood experience. Parents recalled being praised for achievements such as graduation and good grades.; Results indicate that remembered affect is a powerful factor in the intergenerational transmission of discipline. Nonetheless, even when remembered affects were strong and negative, parents described the importance of support and education to learn alternative discipline strategies with their children. These results are discussed in terms of developing theories for understanding intergenerational transmission of discipline, methodological issues related to the study of parental discipline, and future research. |
