Is it true that spanking and other types of physical discipline are wrong and considered abuse?

It is a matter of opinion. Many children do not find such methods damaging in any lasting way, physical or psychological. Other people may find that as adults such ways of teaching have left them in some way traumatized. Keep in mind that the severity of the discipline forms a large part of each opinion.

One school of thought is that all violence - if you choose to define spanking as such - is unnecessary; better to teach with Words. Learning occurs best in a relaxed environment, according to many studies, and fear of physical discipline cannot be said to be such.

On the other hand, some also say that humans, as animals, have evolved over time to learn from pain and observing consequences for actions. This is the same principle used in training dogs or cats successfully. It is true that our instincts mean that lessons are often taught through realizing that there are undesirable results of our actions - if we run with scissors and cut ourselves badly, we are unlikely to do it again or to ever forget the incident.

As far as major safety concerns go, keep in mind that children often do things more than once after being told not to do so. In cases where even one tryst with disobedience can mean injury or death, sometimes spanking is considered preferable to insure that they remember the next time that they should not do the dangerous action. It seems harsh to some, but others would argue that it is in the child's best interests.