Corporal punishment, or the act of hitting a child as punishment, has been a topic of debate for many decades now and even though media and most of the country frown upon it, it is still legal in all 50 states. So why is Corporal Punishment still legal? Well, According to the Massachusetts Supreme judicial court, as long as the hitting is “light”, meant to safeguard the child’s well being, and causes no harm, then it's deemed acceptable. While many parents have accepted this outcome that does not mean the supreme court is correct. GPO.GOV shows a multitude of supreme court cases that were overturned; therefore, the supreme court is not a credible source for moral standpoints. So the question stands; Should corporal punishment be illegal? …show more content…
A child who receives physical punishment will believe that hitting is an effective form of problem-solving; in consequence, the child will learn to become violent. From the point of view of the average person, the harm caused by spanking will go away quickly, but that is wrong; the effects of spanking can do an outrageous amount of harm internally. According to Dartmouth.EDU, “Several important nerves from the sacral plexus either supply or traverse the gluteal region”; Which are the Superior Gluteal Nerve and the Sciatic Nerve, which is the largest nerve in the body. These nerves are very important as well as be very vulnerable to damage. The effects of the permanent damage done to these nerves far outweigh the disciplinary uses of spanking. According to Cancer.gov, damage to nerves can create motor problems; Such as, weak muscles, loss of balance, and difficulty to do simple actions. Another popular to hit area is the hands. According to NoSpank.net, the hands have no underlying protective tissue, which makes the ligaments, nerves, and blood vessels highly vulnerable. A defense of corporal punishment could be that a person could just avoid hitting these areas, except that is immediately rebutted by the fact that nerves are all over the body. Although a parent’s goal in using corporal punishment is to teach a child morals, that is not what actually happens. When a child’s only consequence for doing
Spanking is a fiercely debated social issue in many countries, such as the US, the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, and Germany. There are questions over what intensity of pain is suitable until it crosses the threshold into abuse. Up until the mid-20th century it was perfectly okay in most communities for a spanking to cause a child to cry in pain throughout and have difficulty sitting down afterward, even resulting in stripes or bruises for days. Nowadays several think even mere redness of the skin abusive, while others would call it effective discipline. This causes questions as to whether children should be spanked. In addition, whether spanking is an effective method of discipline and at what point does it constitutes child abuse.
Corporal punishment which disciplines wrong behavior should not be considered child abuse because it is beneficial to the child.That is, it teaches children the necessary knowledge of what behavior is wrong. Without this knowledge, children will believe that simple sins such as lying, stealing, and cheating are acceptable. Consequently, they will be unable to function normally in society. Corporal punishment has been found to be the most effective method of teaching children the knowledge of what behaviors are wrong. In the article “Smacked Children More Successful Later in Life” by Murray Wardrop, the spokeswoman for the child advocacy organization Parents Outloud, Margaret
Child discipline is an important part of parenthood. It is challenging for adults to manage children’s behaviors and find the correct lessons that will benefit their children. According to the research performed by Flynn (1998), most parents in the United States agree that "it is sometimes necessary to discipline a child with a good, hard spanking" (p.26). Socolar et al. performed research which agreed that “corporal punishment of children persists—roughly fifty percent of the parents of toddlers in the United States use corporal punishment as a regular method of disciplining their children.” (as cited in Gershoff, 2010, p.32). That is not to say that physical punishment is the solution as it can stop a behavior immediately but the results
In particular, when a child is struck for hurting another child, it actually shows that through aggression that they can become the aggressor and get what they want, usually a ‘child is more likely to imitate the aggressive behaviour in the long-term.’ (Gershoff, 2010). Actions like this tend to result in abusive behaviour flowing through to teenage years and even adulthood as it allows them to get exactly what they want. The use of corporal punishment by parents is used with the intention of making a child change their actions immediately and to reduce it occurring again, although this has been proven to be only be as effective as almost any other measure. The other aspect of psychological changes are the likes of mental health issues, given the violent aspects of corporal punishment. Studies have found that ‘the more frequently or severely children are spanked or hit, the more likely they are to have symptoms of depression or anxiety.’ (Gershoff, 2010). The circumstances around the development of these issues being caused by the action of punishing a child in this manner suggests that the best scenario is to not allow it to take place anymore. There are so many other options to use when disciplining a child that for these to still be considered pliable even with these dangers is not reasonable. Studies also suggest that the use of corporal
Firstly, physical punishment breeds aggressive behaviour. Research shows that negative reinforcement tends to have a replicating effect. Adults who were spanked as children are, in turn, more likely to spank their children. Parents set a precedent and children tend to imitate the behaviour, good or ill. For example, a child that is physically
“If parents use negative forms of discipline (i.e., physical punishment), their children are more likely to use violence to resolve their own conflicts” (Parents' Use of Physical Punishment Increases Violent Behavior Among Youth).Which would result in a physical altercation with peers.
Spanking, also referred to as corporal punishment, is defined as: an act of slapping, especially on the buttocks as a punishment for children. According to Alvin Poussaint, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, at Harvard Medical School, “Researchers have found that children who are spanked show higher rates of aggression and delinquency in childhood than those who were not spanked. As adults, they are more prone to depression, feelings of alienation, use of violence toward a spouse, and lower economic and professional achievement. None of this is what we want for our children” (Poussaint 17). Corporal punishment in U.S. homes is lawful in all 50 states, and 19 of those states still allow spanking in schools, which causes a multitude of issues. In likeness, many other countries have made spanking illegal because it engenders negative physical, emotional, and cognitive effects on children; there are many effective and harmless alternatives to corporal punishment.
We will find in the spanked kids a physical and verbal form of aggression against others: classmate, family members, friends etc… it is like an expression of all frustration accumulated by spanked and frustrated child. Another study published in the Akron Law Review examined criminal records and found that children raised where a legal ban on parental corporal punishment is in effect are much more likely to be involved in crime. When kids and spanked or abuse in their childhood are spanked, they develop a hatred. The immediate consequence in their adolescence is physical aggression. It is the most common in the adolescent behavior and are likely to result in physical injury. The most extreme form of violence is a homicide. Thus, fights involving weapons and fights by teenagers old enough to be able to inflict serious injuries are what see in the street every day. So finally spanked kids destroy them more than it help them to behave as parents would like to. It is why it is better to choose a different way to help kids to understand and to learn what is acceptable and what is not. In fact Dozens of countries have banned parental corporal punishment, such as Germany, Italy, and in 2007 New Zealand, which use force to correct children causes complete criminal penalties, and where the mother cannot even legally take the hand of her child to bring it where it refuses to go. And according to Krisha McCoy, discipline is a way of teaching children the restraint and values necessary to become competent and independent adults. When our child behaves negatively, the best way to teach him the positive behavior should be for example to explain what is wrong in his behavior, then explain or show with examples what is better to do. Also and the explanation of the reasons of positive behaviors regarding others, environments, society, laws, rules. And the consequences of “not doing this way” or of “doing
Physical punishment as a mode of behavior correction is a controversial issue amongst both professionals and society. The meta-analysis of research studies can be found to support and oppose the efficacy of spanking as an ideal or effective form of modifying maladaptive behavior in students and children (Brouwer 35). Spanking is a form of corporal punishment because it entails inflicting physical pain to deter an offense. Therefore, the purpose of corporal punishment is to deter the wrongdoing or offense from ever happening again through instilling the undesired acts with
2011) Corporal punishment exhibited by parents onto children has been a topic in psychology for many decades. It has been reported that approximately 94% of American parents are spanking their children by the time they are 3 or 4 years old (Gershoff 2001). Whether or not this method has been effective has caused many uprising with opinion papers in the field of psychology. “The ongoing debate to whether the benefits of corporal punishment might outweigh any potential hazards; some have concluded that corporal punishment is both effective and desirable, whereas others have concluded that corporal punishment is ineffective at best and harmful at worst,” (Gershoff 2001). As stated before certain parenting styles enforce punishment onto their children if there is requirement not met or the child obedience falters though these children usually don’t turn out to be in the best emotional state as an adult (Ribeiro 2009). “Previous researches pointed out those adults (parents and teachers), who were physically punished in their childhood, are more supportive of corporal punishment than those who were not subjected to physical punishment” (Naz et al. 2011). This explains reasons in why punishment continues throughout a family’s generation, because as a child when corporal punishment or just punishments in
I feel that teachers who apply corporal punishment don’t know how to deal with children in an acceptable manner, they don’t possess the necessary tools to deal with the situation. They don’t follow the ethical code of SACE and take matters into their own hands. I feel that they use this tactic to scare children instead of engaging with them in a caring manner because they don’t have a passion for teaching and developing children. Sometimes teaching is just another job to
Many studies have come out with negative effects that can come about from using many forms of corporal punishment. As parents we need to ask ourselves are we able to control ourselves when we are upset at our kids? Are we able to be fair to our kids? Can the things we do to our children come back and turn out to be used against us and others? “Corporal punishment
The world has changed in many different ways, but there are still things that need to be changed for the better. Corporal punishment is one of those things. All around the world, corporal punishment is affecting children in many ways. It is described as a form of discipline that hurts a child in a way and is used both in homes and schools. It has been going on for years upon years and very few people try to stop it. People believe corporal punishment is good for children, but there have been so many negative outcomes that other people argue against it. Although some people believe that corporal punishment helps improve a child’s behavior, corporal punishment should not be used because it could be used excessively and it is ineffective.
In today society, the above mentioned stance on corporal punishment is not uncommon. Many believe that because it was used as a child rearing tool in their childhood that it is not only effective but necessary in the rearing of obedient children. However, modern studies have consistently contradicted this philosophy. It is now known that although corporal punishment demonstrates short term results it ultimately leads to long term behavioral problems such as childhood aggression, poor parent/child relationship, poor child mental health, and adult antisocial behavior.
Children are like flowers, if well taken care of they will bloom. If ignored or tortured, they will wither and die. Child discipline is one of the most important elements of successful parenting. Today, many people have this notion that physical abuse is in no way a solution to helping children discern between right and wrong. Since generations children have been taught the art of discipline through physical punishment. Often this approach to disciplining has resulted in two outcomes, one is where the child becomes more tolerant and is willing to adhere to what he/she has been told, or the other which more often results in children developing a sense of anguish and desire to revolt.