The Disciplinary Practices of African American Fathers: A Closer Look

There has been a growing recognition by family, school, and mental health counselors of the importance of taking into account cultural factors in interpreting the parenting practices of African Americans. Current research has discovered that the disciplinary practices of African American parents are diversified and that the use of physical discipline is context specific or used as a last resort (Denby and Alford, 1996). This article examines the disciplinary techniques of African American fathers.