Howard S. Erlanger

Social class and corporal punishment in childrearing: a reassessment

In 1958, in his review of available literature on socialization and social class, Bronfenbrenner concluded that working class parents more often use physical punishment, while the middle class resorts to psychological techniques of punishment. The present paper updates this analysis drawing on more recent published studies and on secondary analysis of a national survey; it also examines the magnitude of class differences rather than only their statistical significance. This analysis suggests that, although various studies have found a statistically significant relationship, the relationship is weak. Analysis by type of indicator of punishment, quality of sample, age of children, or year of study does not alter this conclusion, However, none of the studies is definitive and suggestions are offered about topics to be pursued in future research.

The empirical status of the subculture of violence thesis

This article reviews some of the existing literature bearing on the subculture of violence thesis (Wolfgang, l958), reports the results of a re-analysis of survey data collected for •the Presidents Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence,and presents new data on peer esteem and social psychological correlates of fighting among males in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is concluded that although the subculture of violence thesis has not been definitively tested, the weight of the evidence is against it

Is There a Subculture of Violence in the South

For many decades analysts have commented on the disproportionately high rates of homicide in the Southern states. In 1958, for example, the South had a homicide rate about nine per 100,000 as compared to about three per 100,000 for the rest of the country. In recent years the gap has been narrowing, as the rate of increase in the homicide rate has been higher outside the South. In 1972 the homicide rate was 12.6 per 100,000 for the South, compared to about 7.3 per 100,000 for the rest of the country. Hackney, employing regression analysis on aggregate homicide (and suicide) data from 1940, found that the regional effect remained strong even after the effects of degree of urbanization, average level of education, average income, unemployment rate, wealth of state, and average age of inhabitants of state are controlled.

Socialization Effects of Professional School: The Law School Experience and Students' Orientation to Public Interest Concerns

While undergoing training in professional school, students are assumed to experience attitude change, internalizing the norms of their future profession. In law school this change is thought to be particularly conservative, reflecting a business orientation and a minimal concern with pro bono and social reform work. This paper examines these assumptions by presenting data from a panel study of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. Although some changes in attitudes are found, they are much smaller than suggested by recent critical literature on legal education. These findings lead to the proposal of a research agenda that stresses the contribution of the job market as well as that of education in fostering a traditional orientation toward the role of lawyers and the law.

PARTICIPATION AND FLEXIBILITY IN INFORMAL PROCESSES: CAUTIONS FROM THE DIVORCE CONTEXT

Based on open-ended interviews with the parties and lawyers in twenty-five informally settled divorce cases, this study finds that the informal process is often contentious, adversarial, and beyond the perceived control of one or both parties. Although settlement in some cases reflects flexibility, party participation, and true agreement, in most cases it reflects unequal financial resources, procedural support,or emotional stamina. Parties report settling issues such as child support according to nonlegal, situational factors-particularly their relative impatience to finalize the divorce-and mutual satisfaction with settlement terms is low. Our findings raise questions about the assumed value of informal settlement. However, we recognize that informal processing of divorce is structurally and institutionally inevitable(with or without evidence of its desirability), and we suggest that reform efforts must ultimately recognize both the inevitability and the limits of informal process.

Childhood punishment experience and adult violence

Using secondary analysis of data from a national survey, this note examines the relationship between childhood punishment experiences and adult violence. The data indicate that the correlation is rather low, a finding that is consistent with previous research on samples of children. It is suggested that in spite of this finding, rather extreme childhood experiences may be fairly strongly related to adult physical aggression, and suggestions for further research are offered.