Physical Punishment vs. Communication Essay

Verbally abusing someone can be as simple as telling them over and over that they are insignificant and of little importance. Purposefully holding them responsible for things that they are not able to control is also a form of mistreatment. Although hurting others through the use of harsh words might seem harmless, it can actually seriously affect them at that time as well as in the future. The effects of abuse may or may not be seen from observers depending on whether the victim has emotional or physical symptoms. When people are constantly told that they are worthless, they can be affected mentally as well as physically.

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

Do you know the difference between child abuse and discipline? Child Abuse is when someone physically and mentally hurts another person. Discipline is teaching someone or something to do the right thing. Child Abuse is very common in the United States. Many children suffer from bruising, swelling skin, and broken bones. Situations like this happen because of problems at home or personal problems. Parents at home abuse their children because of drinking and depression issues. In this crazy world, there are numerous types of abuses. There is sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, and emotional or psychological abuse. Sexual abuse is an intentional incident that involves sexual relationship to a child using all their power and taking advantage of them. According to Family & Community Services, Physical abuse is a nonstop injury that happens more than one time. Neglect is a type of abuse you just don’t care or pay no attention to your child. Emotional or psychological harm is when you make your children think something that isn’t true. Discipline children usually do the things their parents or guardian tell them what to do because they teach them to pay attention and be polite.

A recent study shows 70 percent of parents believe it is right to discipline a child through physical means. Most commonly, parents will spank their children but being hit with things like belts or other objects happens as well. Parenting methods haven’t changed much with time and discipline in similar no matter the country. With more studies out to find the most effective method of parenting and discipline it’s coming to attention whether or not physical harm is the best way to teach children. Parents want what is best for their children, so it is important to constantly bring up and question methods commonly accepted in the past. One method that is becoming more controversial is spanking children. Though it is still considered normal to do, it is gaining more traction and more studies are being done to find the problems it causes. Checking on parenting methods can be difficult as everyone is raised differently. It is also difficult to test which forms of punishment lead to certain outcomes. However, there is a trend of negative effects from hitting. Gershoff acknowledges, “several national professional organizations have called on parents to abandon spanking as a child rearing practice and for professionals to recommend disciplinary alternatives to spanking.” Spanking children is a terrible discipline method as it has negative effects.

There are significant signs of psychological trauma due to any kind of abuse. Children experience feelings of low self esteem and depression. Many exhibit behavioral problems including aggression towards other children. Other emotional problems include hostility, fear, humiliation and the inability to express feelings. The social impacts of physical abuse include inability to form relationships, poor social skills, poor cognitive language skills, distrust of others, over-compliance with authority figures, and tendency to solve interpersonal problems with aggression. (2008, p. 1). Verbal and physical abuse has a cumulative impact on children’s socialization. Abused children are caught in damaged relationships and are not socialized in positive, supportive way (Craig & Dunn, Ex.: 2010, p. 196). They learn defiance, manipulation and other problem behaviors that are used to escape any maltreatment. In turn they will learn to exploit, degrade and terrorize.

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

A common reason that parents abuse their children is because they were abused growing up. “They are the little ones we failed to protect a generation ago” (Polonko, 2005). Adults who were abused as children typically live with much anger and also tend to lack control. Beating and neglecting a child is normal to them and is the only way they know how to deal with children. They may have grown up in an “unhealthy environment, and it is likely that they never learned how to care for a child properly”

Parents who use their child as a way to let out anger or frustration as if their child was a punching bag should be accused of child abuse. If the child is constantly not disciplined for bad behavior it can to lead to a build up of anger in the parent which can be taken out on the child through abuse. In an article it says, “ The most important thing, experts say, is to defuse your anger before you start disciplining”(Degregory). The severity of the injury can differ by how angry you are when disciplining. In some states when authorities are trying to figure out if its child abuse or discipline one of the things they look at is how bad the injury was. Everybody has seen that angry and frustrated mother in the grocery store slap her child because the child was misbehaving. This might be considered abuse because it was anger driven but authorities will also look at the intent of it. If it was out of love to teach the child its not appropriate to act like he/she was then it might be looked at as discipline. Discipline needs to be controlled, never out of anger. Controlled discipline is done out of love and the benefit of the child. In “Three Kinds of Discipline” by John Holt he talks about the discipline of superior force which is discipline given so the child doesn’t get hurt and keep him/her out of danger. Holt states, “We can’t afford to let small children find out from experience the danger of playing in a busy street, or fooling with the pots on the top of a stove, or of eating up the pills in the medicine cabinet” (79-81). Discipline comes from people who know what they do can effect their child’s life and their opportunities. Where as a child abuser is angry and makes it all about their feelings or their own desires. Often people who were abused by angry parents become just like that with their own

     There has been a shift of late from a more liberal mindset, to a more conservative one. With that change I have noticed a pattern. More and more parents I converse with are pro spanking, even going as far to brag about it. It is not uncommon to hear people talking about how their parents beat them when they were children, and how they believe they turned out better for it. But there are numerous other accounts of how people were scarred emotionally, and physically from such abuse. I have too many times seen parents beating their children at stores, parks, and other very public places. This creates a cycle. Children who are spanked turn into parents who spank. Spanking usually starts out as a light swat, but over time can turn into much more. Studies show that the longer a person uses this practice, the more severe it gets over time. Children can be extremely frustrating, and that frustration can lead a parent to overdo any type of discipline.

85% of parents express high levels of anger while spanking their children(CITE)Using acts of aggression and violence teaches children that it is acceptable for a person to use violence to get what he or she wants. This behavior will then carry on into their adult relationships.(CITE)I feel as if punishing children , using violence instills fear and isolation rather than understanding.

There are many things that cause parents to abuse their children and there are also many affects that abuse has on the child being abused. You cannot pinpoint one cause for child abuse, because parents abuse their children for many different reasons. One reason for the abuse is that the parents were abused as children. So, this is the only way they know to discipline their children. Another reason is that the parents are teenagers and not ready for children One more reason for the abuse is alcohol and substance abuse. The affect that abuse has on children is not only physical but the abuse affects children on many different levels. When children are abused they are 53% more likely to commit criminal acts as an adolescent and 40% more likely to commit a crime as an adult. Also the children have maladaptive, anti-social and

In other instances, the parent can confiscate the child’s belongings or force the children to strip down naked and be photographed as a form of punishment. Considering the types of abuse that these children experience, there are psychological effects that can affect their life as they get older. The effects of household abuse can extend outside the home and affect the child in their performance in society. “Children Exposed to Domestic Violence” states that children exposed to family violence can experience difficulties in paying attention and staying on task (Geffner 39). Abused children are prone to externalizing problems which causes children to act out. Externalizing problems include temper tantrums, impulsivity, hyperactivity, aggression, conflict, cruelty and bullying. Another issue that abused children develop are internalizing problems. Internalizing problems are issues such as headaches, sleep disturbances, anxiety, fear of separation, social withdraw and depression. This overall causes the children to be less engaged in tasks and in normal behaviors.

It is common for parents and their children to have disagreements and to have arguments but sometimes these disagreements can turn into abuse. Children usually use violence to try to “control or bully them” (Parenting and Child Health, n.d.) This violence usually occurs when the child “frightens, threatens or physically hurts them. It can involve using abusive language, pushing, shoving, kicking, throwing things, or threatening with knives or other weapons” ((Parenting and Child Heathen’s.) Children may abuse their parents due to the normalization of that parent getting abused by the other parent within their household. The child may use the parent that abusing the other parent as a model for the way they should act towards their parent as well and justify their actions simply as something that they observed in their household. The violence that children commit against their parents affects that subsystem because it leaves it broken. There is a strain within the parent and child relationship that forms a direct result of constant conflict and abuse between the child and parent. Sometimes, in child-child relationships, an older sibling may become “more aggressive” with their younger sibling because of the abuse that they have witnessed and been exposed to. (Fantuzzo, Mohr, 1999) The children can become socialized by the parents to believe that

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.

Parents should be learned about how their form of discipline affects their child because punishment does not have a sense of discipline as the only outcome. Sometimes children are less responsive to a certain form of discipline than others. It cannot be helped that a child is unique and different from others. The child is also a factor in terms of discipline and punishment it is not solely dependent on his/her parent and the way they discipline.