their children than did parents who did not approve of corporal punishment. It is not uncommon for an adult to lose control while administering corporal punishment.It is not coincidental that the most common mental health problems, depressive disorders, are strongly correlated to corporal punishment, the child rearing practice still employed by a majority of society. Depression often is a delayed response to the suppression of childhood anger... from being physically hit and hurt... by adults... whom the child loves and on whom he or she depends for nurturance and life itself. The National Family Violence surveys conducted by Straus (1994) and his team conclude that the more incidents of corporal punishment that a child endured, the greater the risk was for developing depressive disorders as an adult.Self-esteem is the driving force behind our motivations, our actions, our view of ourselves and of others, and of how we view life and its experiences. Self-esteem shapes the person we become and the attitudes that we hold. A lack of self-esteem can be severely detrimental to the reaching of ones full potential. A lack of self-esteem can lead to depressive disorders and delinquency. Punishments and negative child rearing practices are permanently damaging to the childs long term self-esteem. Corporal punishment is disrespectful of children, making them feel worthless and degraded. (Leman 238)Suicides are the most prevalent among people suffering from mood disorders such as major depression and dysthymia. Since corporal punishment is linked to depressive disorders, there is a suicide risk for victims of corporal punishment. Straus studies show that the more corporal punishment that a child experienced, the greater the risk for suicidal thoughts I have already discussed how the use of hitting to control children can lead them to view violence as acceptable. However, being hit by a loved one also causes rage and anger in a child, anger that ...