Is Corporal Punishment Effective or Destructive for Children - Research Paper Example

? [Module] Is corporal punishment effective or destructive for children? Introduction There have been a number of debates over the question whether corporal punishment is effective or destructive for children. A large number of educators, philosophers, psychologists, human rights activist, teachers and administrators have actively participated in this debate. A large number of world nations have abolished corporal punishment from their educational systems whereas corporal punishments still remain legal in some other nations. It can be seen that judicial corporal punishment in schools is still prevalent in many parts of Africa and Asia, even though the majority of the Western World have done away with the practice. In simple terms, corporal punishment can be understood as inflicting physical pain on the children for their offences and mistakes. Very often, parents resort to corporal punishment either to reform or deter children from socially unaccepted behavior. While supporters of corporal punishment do so for retributive and deterrent purposes, there are many who argue that corporal punishments should be banned as the literature on the issue offers amble evidences in support of the various physiological, psychological, behavioral and social consequences of corporal punishments on children. Analyzing the pros and cons of corporal punishments, this paper seeks to argue that corporal punishments have very destructive consequences on children. One needs to have a thorough understanding of the various theoretical underpinnings of corporal punishments among children. While behavioral theorists such as Thorndike and Skinner argue that “punishment was ineffective for producing significant and lasting behavioral change,” Domjan is of the opinion that “punishment can be an effective agent of behavioral change, but only under certain conditions” (Holden 591). However, the ‘certain conditions’ are left vague, and it is not easy for an ordinary parent to follow Domjan’s postulations. Besides, discipline through corporal punishment creates anxiety and mental conflict in the minds of the children as they very often fail to understand or internalize the parental message conveyed through the punishment (Holden 592). This has also been pointed out by Slade and Wissow: the authors postulate that young children “have relatively limited capacity to understand the intent of and rationale for punishment” and very often their behavior fails to ‘comply with parents’ verbal directives’ (1321). Corporal punishments can thus turn to be traumatic for children and can leave lasting impressions of fear, anger, humiliation, and embarrassment in their young minds. Thus, behavioral and learning theorists argue that corporal punishment fails to ‘promote cooperative, reciprocal relationships’ among parents and children and they stress on the negative side effects (physiological, psychological, behavioral and social consequences) of corporal punishment on children. There have also been studies and research that clearly demonstrate that corporal punishment among children leads to aggression, anti-social behavior, and poor cognitive development when they grow up. Regalado et al. hold that parenting style is an effective predictor on the level of corporal punishment as depressive symptoms and poor demographic factors of parents can result in harsh corporal punishment among their children. Durrant and Ensom, in this respect, point out how slapping and spanking in childhood may lead to psychiatric disorders in adulthood, and they argue that physical punishment leads to “higher levels of aggression against parents, siblings, peers and spouses” (Durrant and Ensom 1373). Evidences of behavioral problems are also found among non-Hispanic children who were frequently spanked in early childhood (Slade and Wissow 1321). Recent studies conducted among a large Canadian sample reveal that physical punishment leads to a wide “range of mental health problems in children, youth and adults, including depression, unhappiness, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness, use of drugs and alcohol, and general psychological maladjustment” (Durrant and Ensom 1374). In this respect, Greven also argues that corporal punishment during childhood “can later appear in the form of destructive and aggressive behavior towards others or, turned on the self, can lead to psychological problems such as depression and melancholia” (Block 6). All these studies clearly pinpoint that corporal punishments among children are likely to result in complex interpersonal violence, anti-social behavior, depression and other psychological problems in their future lives. Similarly, it has also been observed that physical or corporal punishment among children can adversely affect their cognitive development and academic achievement (Durrant and Ensom 1374). For Block, parents who try to reason and explain everything to their children not only develop their verbal ability but also promote their cognitive capability in the long run (Block 7). All these evidences found in the literature reinforce the destructive consequences of corporal punishments on children. Corporal punishment, as has been practiced among young children in schools, also offers amble evidences for its negative impacts on children. Preschool or the beginning of kindergarten is a crucial period when children acquire a lot of social skills, and as such corporal punishments should not be inflicted on them during this period. During the initial stages of their schooling, the type of discipline used in the school has got great impact on the young minds. In this regard, the American Academy of Pediatrics is completely against the use of corporal punishment in the school environment. For them, “corporal punishment may hurt a child’s self-esteem as well as his or her ability to achieve in school” and it can also “lead to disruptive and violent behavior in the classroom” (Ricci and Kyle 843). Therefore, it is high time that corporal punishments is taken away from the educational scenario as well. In 1998, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family recommended a conceptual frame work for effective disciplining of children comprising of three elements – “a learning environment characterized by positive, supportive parent–child relationships,” proactive teaching and strengthening desired behaviors through positive reinforcement and reactive practices such as extinction or verbal reprimands (Regalado et al.). The authors make it clear that strategies such as positive reinforcement and extinction are more effective among children than corporal punishment. Similarly, there are many who argue that the permission to engage in corporal punishment in schools will result in zero tolerance. Kincheloe, in this respect, observes that “although corporal punishment, in both its retributive and deterrent forms, has traditionally been a common form of punishment for students, a different form of deterrence, zero tolerance, has been growing in prominence and eclipsing corporal punishment policies” (Kincheloe 256). This zero tolerance very often leads to serious problems of disproportionally harsh punishments, and there have been a number of reported instances where teachers have displayed violent attitudes with regard to corporal punishments. All these have prompted the supporters of anti-corporal punishment to think in terms of alternatives to corporal punishments, such as detention, out-of-school suspension, and in-school suspension. It is also worthwhile to analyze the arguments in favor of administering corporal punishments on children. Parents make use of corporal punishments with a view to maintain discipline, conduct, and good manners among their children. On the other hand, corporal punishment among children at schools is based on the democratic principle that everyone has equal rights and that the students who encroach on others’ rights and prove themselves to be problematic are to be offered exemplary punishment. This punishment is often used as a form of deterrence, scaring the other students not to repeat the same sort of behavior. While corporal punishment in excess is generally regarded as quite destructive and dangerous, there are many who believe that “a limited amount of carefully administered physical punishment can be a legitimate practice in raising children” (Diller 44). There are also strong supporters of corporal punishment like Michael Pearl, who advocates the use of the rod to teach young children discipline. Pearl exhorts parents to discourage misbehavior among children through the use of such strategies as hitting on the arms, legs or back of the children with a quarter-inch flexible plumbing tube (Eckholm). It is quite interesting to note that more than 670,000 copies of Pearls' self-published book were bought and practiced by parents. Similarly, the strongest support for corporal punishment comes from Old Testament of Bible: “many fundamentalist, evangelical, and charismatic Protestants use scripture to justify their use of corporal punishment to develop obedience and character in children” (Block 5), even though the New Testament asks one to treat children with great love and compassion. In the same way, there is evidence to show that banning corporal punishment has not reduced juvenile crime rates in such nations as Sweden. Even though Sweden made corporal punishment of children by their parents illegal in 1979, statistics show that “children who grew up since the Swedish ban show a sixfold increase in criminal assaults compared with the previous generation, along with major increases in juvenile delinquency and substance abuse” (Diller 44). In spite of all these arguments for favoring corporal punishment among children, recent research, as already pointed out in the paper, has undoubtedly proved it quite unproductive and destructive. Conclusions To conclude, it can be stated that corporal punishment has more of negative impacts on children rather than its positive sides. The American Academy of Pediatrics cautions parents of the ‘potentially deleterious side effects’ of corporal punishments and recommends parents to choose alternative methods to manage undesired behavior among children (Durrant and Ensom 1375). On the other hand, there is no evidence to prove that spanking will inculcate sound moral and ethical values among children. There are many parents who resort to spanking quite unnecessarily merely out of anger and frustration. On the other hand, offering timely positive reinforcements or extinction and providing constant support and love may have better effects on the psychological and emotional needs of children. Durrant and Ensom stress on non-violent responses to misbehavior and non-violent parenting style. Parents need to be taught of the adverse physiological, psychological, behavioral and social consequences of corporal punishments on their children and this emphasizes the need to offer timely support and education to parents on the issue. Works Cited Block, Nadine. “Abandon the rod and save the child.” The Humanist 60.2 (2000): 5-8. Print. Diller, Lawrence. “The Truth about Spanking.” National review 60.7 (2008): 42-44. Print. Durrant, Joan, and Ron Ensom. “Physical punishment of children: lessons from 20 years of research.” Canadian Medical Association Journal 184. 12 (2012): 1373-1377. Print. Eckholm, Erik. "Preaching Virtue of Spanking, Even as Deaths Fuel Debate." New York Times 7 Nov. 2011: A1(L). Academic OneFile. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. Holden, George W. “Perspectives on the Effects of Corporal Punishment: Comment on Gershoff (2002).” Psychological Bulletin 128.4 (2002): 590–595. Print. Kincheloe, Joe L. The Praeger handbook of urban education, Volume 1. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. Print. Regalado, Michael, et al. “Parents’ Discipline of Young Children: Results from the National Survey of Early Childhood Health.” Pediatrics 113.6 (2004): 1952-1958. Print. Ricci, Susan Scott, and Terri Kyle. Maternity and pediatric nursing. Illustrated edn: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008. Print. Slade, Eric P., and Lawrence S. Wissow. “Spanking in Early Childhood and Later Behavior Problems: A Prospective Study of Infants and Young Toddlers.” Pediatrics 113.5 (2004): 1321-1330. Print. Read More