The Effects Of Corporal Punishment On Children

When it comes to disciplining children there are many different schools of thought and beliefs of what is right and wrong. These different opinions have been reviewed, discussed and argued by many different adults including parents, teachers, psychologists, and lawmakers. Every day parents must make decisions on what they believe is ethically and morally right when they discipline their children. Corporal punishment is one such decision. By definition, corporal punishment is “the infliction of physical pain upon a person’s body as punishment for a crime or infraction” (Encyclopedia, 2015). In a more general sense of the term, it refers to the physical disciplining of children.

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.

The more a child is spanked between the ages of 3 to 5 the more likely they will become aggressive (Online Psychology). Spanking can cause mental health problems and can have anti-social behavioral issues. Children that get spanked tend to defy their parents and have cognitive difficulties. When parents spank they think it is to help their child now what is right and wrong, but spanking has accidental detrimental outcomes. You don’t have to hurt a child to punish them, in 2014 about 80% of people spanked their kids. If the parent was spanked as a child the parent is more likely to support spanking

There are different outlooks on spanking. Sheree L. Toth, author of the CNN article “When does spanking become abuse?”(CNN) discusses her negative point of view on corporal punishment. In her article, she discusses how corporal punishment can have long-lasting effects on the mental state of the child and shift parental relationships with their children, all caused by the use physical discipline. “Corporal punishment is of limited effectiveness and has potentially deleterious side effects,” Toth states. She recognizes the effects that corporal punishment may have on individuals, and she disagrees with the uses of it. Toth also understands what the outcomes

Corporal punishment is defined as the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offense, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behavior deemed unacceptable (Wikipedia 2014). The line between spanking and abuse is not always clear and is decided on a case by case basis by the state prosecutors and judges and whether the line has been crossed. If asked parents use the word spanking as not just a slap on the buttocks, but a form of corporal punishment that is not severe enough to be classified as abuse. Corporal punishment has been repeatedly associated with child abuse, moral internalization, aggression, delinquent and antisocial behavior, decreased quality of the parent-child relationship, increased behavioral symptoms, later criminal behavior, worse mental health, and perpetration of spouse and child abuse (Gershoff, 2002; Zolotor et al., 2008).

As the saying goes, “if people are good only because they fear punishment [then] we are a sorry lot indeed” (Albert Einstein). The question is whether corporal punishment is necessary with so many other methods of discipline available. Is it effective? This is a much-debated issue between childcare specialists and parents alike. Corporal punishment, like spanking, should not be the preferred method of discipline as it does more harm than good.

Currently, 24 countries have banned the practice of spanking children; labeling it child abuse. However, in America 49 states permit physical punishment by parents (Gershoff). There are mandates that define appropriate physical punishment, but there is truly no appropriate way to hit a child. Parents often resort to spanking in an effort to control their child’s behavior. It is true that most children will immediately respond to the pain that is inflicted upon them and stop the bad behavior. However, it is proven to make children more aggressive towards others. Furthermore, it is not worth the risk of causing life altering psychological impairments. Instead parents should focus on non-violent forms of discipline, such as positive reinforcement and redirection or time-out. Spanking may give parents the immediate satisfaction of changed behavior, but it is not worth the life-time of damaging

Growing up most children had experienced being spanked.Being spanked is not fun and hurts very bad. Sometimes children get spanked for something they did wrong or simply because they lied.Spanking is a form of child abuse and can hurt a child 's feelings. Spanking of children can cause a disattchament between parents and child. It can also cause a child to not trust their parents.Spankings can cause a distraction for children and it can affect their school work. Hitting children can cause them to have life memorable scar on their body that could cause reseniment. Spanking can cause a child to rebill against parents.It also can cause them to have hatred against their parents.Spanking is not accptable because it show children that its accpeteable to hit other children.Parents should not spank their children because it promotes violence, damages relationship and trust, and it teaches children to lie when confronted

Once considered an appropriate parenting strategy, corporal punishment is progressively being deemed as a risk factor to children’s development by health professionals (Durrant, 2008). Corporal punishment does have detrimental effects on a child’s development (Gershoff, 2012). It models aggression, impairs cognitive and emotional development, and establishes antisocial behavior in children (Straus, 1999; Gershoff, 2012).

However, using corporal punishment flexibly and appropriately is also necessary: it is important to disciplinary system; it is an effective tactic to discipline children, so it can reduce the incidence of child abuse; and it will not harm children who are under six but benefit them. Corporal punishment should not be prohibited because it is a safe and effective tactic to discipline children as long as parents use it rationally. If parents use it as the trump of their disciplinary system, use it in control, and only use it to teach children under six, spanking is a reasonable and viable option to teach children. Corporal punishment can be detrimental, but it also can beneficial to both parents and children. It only depends on how parents use

The stresses of parenting are often times hard and relentless. With this in mind, many parents try their best to deal with those stresses and make the best of raising their children. This often-times requires disciplining, in order to end and/or curb bad behavior. Corporal punishment is one of these forms of discipline. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, corporal punishment is “punishment inflicted on a person's body” ("Corporal Punishment"). The most common form of corporal punishment is spanking which is often used to deal with child rearing or bad behavior (Knox and Brouwer 341-342). According to American Academy of Pediatrics, upwards of 90% of Americans spank their children infrequently (American Academy of Pediatrics 725). Furthermore,

The effects of spanking are seen in children being antisocial and more aggressive. As children sees it, spanking is one way to get something that you want, like obedience asked by parents from their children.

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.

Discipline is one of the basic things a child learns from his parents before he or she faces the outside world to learn more about life as a whole. Teaching this trait can depend on how the parent shows it to their child and how they explain the importance of having this trait both in and out of their homes. Misbehaving children cannot be avoided as they are curious little beings and they have a tendency to explore. But there are some parents, even teachers, who do not tolerate misbehaving and they resort to corporal punishments such as spanking to make sure the child never forgets how painful it is to misbehave as they will remember the punishment entailed to it and become more disciplined. However, not all children would understand the