The Roles of Individual Personality and Statewide Personality on Individual Corporal Punishment Beliefs
Abstract
Corporal punishment is a parenting technique that, when used inappropriately, can be related to negative child outcomes. The present study aimed to look at personality as a predictor of corporal punishment beliefs in adults as a way to target education concerning discipline techniques for parents. Personality was examined at both individual level and at the state level, in which mean personality scores of each state were used. There is a significant relationship between individual personality and corporal punishment beliefs such that Openness, Neuroticism, Agreeableness and Extraversion were related to corporal punishment beliefs. Statewide Neuroticism was also a significant predictor of individual corporal punishment beliefs. Statewide personality did not affect the relationship between individual personality and corporal punishment beliefs. Education for parents concerning different discipline techniques can be targeted based on these findings.