Should Children Follow Corporal Punishment As A Means Of Behavior Modification?

In modern society, physical discipline is still considered a somewhat suitable way of teaching children how to behave in life, though it is decreasing in popularity as time goes on. When using physical discipline, the parent should never have the intention of causing harm, they should always have the intention of being constructive. Whether or not physical discipline results in a beneficial outcome is dependent upon how it is used. If it is the only, or primary, source of discipline, the outcome is generally unfavorable. Also, as said in an article by Larzelere and Kuhn, if the discipline is too violent, and results in the child becoming injured, the child is not going to retain the intended lesson (1). An example of non-abusive physical discipline is conditional spanking. Conditional spanking "is defined as about two open-hand swats to the buttocks when a parent is not angrily out of control" (Larzelere, Kuhn 1). This type of punishment "teaches a child to cooperate with the milder disciplinary tactic, thereby making spanking less necessary in the future" (Larzelere, Kuhn 1) . When parents decide to use physical discipline, the primary intention of the parent should always be that the punishment is being "used in such a way that [it] reduces the need to use it in the future" (Larzelere, Kuhn 1). A parent should never hit a child

“Physical punishment of children: Can we continue to accept the status quo?” by Kim Oates is a scholarly source found in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. The author of this journal argues that discipline with physical punishment is not only inefficient, but it also causes problems in the emotional and behavioral development of children. He follows by providing practical forms of disciplining such as: removing privileges, teaching by example, having constant supervision, setting appropriate rules, and being consistent. Kim Oates states that those parents who use physical punishment to discipline their children, likely experienced it during their childhood and are usually unaware of these other methods of discipline. Oates included

Punishing children for their wrong-doings has been and always will be necessary for a child's development of right and wrong. The different types of punishments parents use on their children work for various types and degrees of trouble the child is in. Laura Markham, a clinical psychologist that specializes in relationship-based parenting, assumes in her essay “Should You Spank Your Child?” that spanking is one of the worst punishments a child could receive from his parents. However, corporal punishment teaches responsibility and the difference between right and wrong, remains different from abuse, and is not the reason for issues in adulthood.

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

Thomas Eddlem is a longtime freelance writer and high school history teacher. His credentials as related to the topic of corporal punishment is that he is a parent to three children as well as a blogger. His stake in this issue is appropriately used corporal punishment is both effective and beneficial. Additionally, He discloses no noteable financial backing for his opinions. He aims this article at a universal/ friendly audience. His purpose is to persuade the audience to believe that corporal punishment, when used on toddlers, is the most effective means of discipline. He claims a ban

Consistent use of corporal punishment has been an indicator of less effective parenting and is commonly linked to socialization out comes such as delinquency, low self-esteem, and social incompetence (Day 81).

When a parent uses physical punishment to discipline his or her children, it can cause the children to become stressed. An excessive amount of stress in the home can cause children to internalize or externalize emotions (Mulvaney, Mebert. 395). A child who internalizes his or her emotions keep everything bottled up until he or she can no longer hold it in, and expresses their emotions in an inappropriate or dangerous way. Children who externalizes their emotions might use words in a harsh manner or they may become physically aggressive. Children who are punished physically are significantly more likely to develop anxiety and depression later on in life

Opposition to corporal punishment stresses the long-term effects of corporal punishment such as children externalizing their behaviors or becoming more physically aggressive (Gromoske and Maguire-Jack, 2012:1054, Lansford et.al 2012: 225, Mayer and Blome, 2013: 145). Hitting a child when he/she does something

Child abuse is a complex, surreptitious social problem that has been around for as long as humanity itself. The collective consequences of childhood abuse and spanking can be detrimental and are reflected in addictive behaviors, dysfunctional family dynamics and mental health problems in general. Can the commonly used practice of corporal punishment and spanking be justified as an appropriate method to discipline children?

I shall outline the two differing arguments (pro-corporal and anti-corporal punishment) and conclude with the conditional corporal punishment which also reflect my own view, and which for me, is a neutral ground for both arguments to be

This was shown when a U.S. epidemiological survey was conducted in 2004–2005 involving more than 34,000 adults. The results showed that experiences of harsh corporal punishment during ones childhood were strongly related to alcohol abuse and drug abuse problems later on in their adulthood, even after taking out socio-demographic and family dysfunction factors. It was also associated with anxiety and personality disorders (aggressive tendencies). That is not something you want your child to have. It is just going to create bigger problems that are going to be harder fix and require a lot of therapeutic assistance in the future (anxiety and personality disorders). That is just one of many reasons I don’t think corporal punishment is a conventional way of

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.

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.

Corporal punishment has been long debated as a method of correcting children, yet other methods of discipline should also be subject to rigorous scientific inspection. Although corporal punishment was used as the main example throughout the discussion of this model, it is equally applicable to other forms of parental discipline.