Final answer:
Mx's feelings of being overwhelmed and resorting to yelling highlight potential emotional abuse, with consistency and a nurturing environment being critical for child development. Authoritative parenting is encouraged, and reinforcement is favored over punishment in modern psychological thought. Stress management and support for young parents are essential to reduce risks of abuse.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Mx expresses that she feels overwhelmed with disciplining Lindsey, leading to inconsistency and yelling, it raises concerns about potential emotional abuse. This form of discipline may have adverse effects on a child's socioemotional growth. According to Diana Baumrind's theory on parenting styles, the authoritative parenting style is most encouraged in modern American society, which emphasizes reasonable demands, consistent limits, and warmth and affection while also taking the child's point of view into account. Yelling and inconsistency, on the other hand, can create an unpredictable environment for children, leading to issues with self-esteem and social skills.
Considering the controversies surrounding physical discipline and its correlation with negative outcomes in children's development, as reported in studies by Lisa Berlin and reflected in the changing societal attitudes, there is a push for strategies that nurture a positive self-concept in children. Reinforcement over punishment is recommended by modern psychologists and parenting experts, suggesting that rewarding positive behavior is a more effective and healthy approach to discipline than physical punishment or yelling
Child abuse cuts across all demographics, but stresses felt by parents, such as financial stress, can increase the risk of abuse or inconsistency in parenting. Therefore, parents are encouraged to develop resilience to stress to decrease the risk of potential abuse. Moreover, young parents, such as teenage mothers, are at higher risk, indicating the need for support systems that help new parents navigate the challenges of disciplining children.