a consequence of dysfunctional family constellations and inadequate adult development of appropriate parenting skills, anger management strategies, and emotional/developmental maturation.
Further, abused children are viewed as having increased potential of becoming abusive adults and parents. Terling (1999) believes that there may be some relationship between any number of variables (age, income, family demographics, race/ethnicity, etc.) and child abuse, but that there is enormous and perhaps insurmountable difficulty in generalizing such relationships. Given that child abuse represents a form a deviance and antisocial, violent, aggressive behavior, anomie theory may be of value in identifying a sociological lens for studying this phenomenon. However, as a subsequent section of this study will demonstrate, most causation theories tend to be psychological or psychosocial in orientation.
The physical abuse of children is a phenomenon that can only be understood in terms of the social and cultural context in which it takes place, with emphasis on some specific factors. Throughout history, children have been victims of abuse by parents, caretakers, other relatives, and total strangers; in virtually all cultures and societies, child abuse is a cause for concern (Tower, 1993). The use of corporal or physical punishment to discipline children has, however, in recent years, begun to be regarded as inappropriate in most cases and unnecessary in many. Laws limited the authority of parents and school officials in this area. These laws have been created to address the issue, and it is generally recognized in the nations of the West, at any rate, that excessive, brutal, or dangerous physical punishment directed against children constitutes nothing less than a crime (Tower, 1993).
This is not to suggest that other cultures do not recognize the problem of child abuse. Many non-Western cultures are far more permissive with re...