Corporal Punishment As A Valid Means For Disciplining Children
Demetria Belcher
Northeast Lakeview College
Corporal Punishment As A Valid Means For Disciplining Children
INTRODUCTION
"Is corporal punishment a valid tool for disciplining children?" This question has been debated for decades worldwide, but not so much in the United States as in recent years. High profile cases in the media, such as the indictment of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2014, for spanking his son with a switch, have brought the issue to the forefront yet again (Connor, 2014). The perceived increase in violent crimes carried out by young people in the US has brought up many questions regarding how children are influenced and molded in the early …show more content…
Current studies on corporal punishment, primarily punishment in the form of spanking, in contrast, are observational (Sanders, 2014). These retrospective studies rely on questioning parents, children or both regarding punishment style, severity and outcomes. When parents alone are questioned, for example, the data is questionable since the parent is giving both accounts and potentially biased. Also, parents may not be honest about the type, frequency or severity of punishment administered (Smith, …show more content…
Sanders (2012) quotes Christopher Ferguson as saying, "The state of the science is like a tennis match, constantly sending new volleys over the net. “One group says ‘I find this correlation.’ And another group says ‘well, you found it for the wrong reason.' And it goes back and forth.” While corporal punishment may not be necessary for all children as a disciplinary means, some feel it is a useful and valid tool for modifying the behavior of children, without lasting negative consequences, when applied in the proper way and under the right conditions, in conjunction with other learning tools, particularly verbal reasoning. Corporal punishment can have permanent psychological repercussions, contributing to antisocial behavior, increasing undesired behaviors and weakening the parent-child bond. Non-corporal forms of punishment provide long-lasting results, in a safe environment for children. This supports the parental goal of raising children who have moral and ethical compasses, who take responsibility for themselves and their
Demetria Belcher
Northeast Lakeview College
Corporal Punishment As A Valid Means For Disciplining Children
INTRODUCTION
"Is corporal punishment a valid tool for disciplining children?" This question has been debated for decades worldwide, but not so much in the United States as in recent years. High profile cases in the media, such as the indictment of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2014, for spanking his son with a switch, have brought the issue to the forefront yet again (Connor, 2014). The perceived increase in violent crimes carried out by young people in the US has brought up many questions regarding how children are influenced and molded in the early …show more content…
Current studies on corporal punishment, primarily punishment in the form of spanking, in contrast, are observational (Sanders, 2014). These retrospective studies rely on questioning parents, children or both regarding punishment style, severity and outcomes. When parents alone are questioned, for example, the data is questionable since the parent is giving both accounts and potentially biased. Also, parents may not be honest about the type, frequency or severity of punishment administered (Smith, …show more content…
Sanders (2012) quotes Christopher Ferguson as saying, "The state of the science is like a tennis match, constantly sending new volleys over the net. “One group says ‘I find this correlation.’ And another group says ‘well, you found it for the wrong reason.' And it goes back and forth.” While corporal punishment may not be necessary for all children as a disciplinary means, some feel it is a useful and valid tool for modifying the behavior of children, without lasting negative consequences, when applied in the proper way and under the right conditions, in conjunction with other learning tools, particularly verbal reasoning. Corporal punishment can have permanent psychological repercussions, contributing to antisocial behavior, increasing undesired behaviors and weakening the parent-child bond. Non-corporal forms of punishment provide long-lasting results, in a safe environment for children. This supports the parental goal of raising children who have moral and ethical compasses, who take responsibility for themselves and their