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Barbara Ehrenreich addressed this issue in her book Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War (beginning on page 92). She contends that the practice creates anxiety in children that is not only lifelong but passed on to later generations. Children are helpless and susceptible to the fears implanted by their elders not because they are ...

There is nothing wrong with frightening the child, but only if you do so for the right reasons. Right reason: it is dangerous to play on roads, so you can say: Don't play on the road, or you may get hit by a car. Wrong reason: you don't want you child to get dirty, so you can say: Don't play in the garden, or the beast from the beneath the bungalow will ...

From your name, I understand that we are from the same country. The statements you mentioned is not just in your family but well prevalent across. Vicky has very valid points. Just adding to it: I have read about an article on this sometime back and it was mentioned that such fear that is ingrained in the childs mind (in the name of discipline) from such ...

I don't know about the "frightening the child" aspect - personally I think frightening / shocking a child who tries to do something dangerous, like run into the road (eg by shouting loudly) is quite effective. But I think the thing that all your examples have in common is that the parent is appealing to an external authority (God, ghost, policeman) to be ...