"When people who have been beaten or spanked as children, attempt to play down the consequences by setting themselves up as examples, even claiming it was good for them, they are inevitably contributing to the continuation of cruelty in the world by their refusal to take their childhood tragedies seriously. Taking over this attitude, their children and students will in turn beat their own children, citing their parents and teachers as authorities."

Alice Miller,"For Your Own Good. The Roots of Violence in Child-rearing", 1980.


And are liable to conclude that violence is the way to solve problems, at every level in society, and interpreting violence slightly loosely (e.g. mental cruelty.)

I would imagine that the more severely one has been brought up, or the severer the family tradition is, the more violent the response might be to Ms. Miller's views.


Ivor