The Importance Of Physical Punishment

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Register to read the introduction… Physical punishment is a form of discipline which discipline is defined as “training to act in accordance with rules” (O’Leary 11). Some examples of physical punishment that are commonly used are “spanking, hitting, slapping, grabbing, pushing and/or physically restraining a child for the purpose of correction” (Dobbs et al 138). Physical punishment should also be “a last resort and a loving tap” (Dobbs …show more content…
Children reported emotional hurt on one study (Dobbs et al 147). A child expressed “You feel real upset because they are hurting you and you love them so much …they hit you and hurt you and feel like … they don’t care about you because they are hurting you” (Dobbs et al 147). This is not the outcome that a child should get when being disciplined. The child should always feel loved from their parents. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, “it gets confusing for children when parents, the people they depend on and love the most hurt them” (2). Given that children are affected emotionally, they may find it hard to concentrate on other things like their school performance and even their mental development. Since children emphasized that the use of physical punishment was the worst disciplinary measure a parent can use, they wish that their parents could stop being angry when disciplining them (Dobbs 160). A child wants their parents to talk nicely to them and explain what they did wrong so they can understand better and correct …show more content…
The study reported that “symptoms of depression and anxiety are higher among individuals who experienced physical punishment as children” (Leary et al 2). A comparison among young men who did not experience physical punishment and those who experienced physical discipline during adolescence reported 23% more depressive symptoms and even more likely to contemplate suicide (Leary et al 2). “Individuals who experienced higher level of physical discipline reported higher perceived rejection, lower self-esteem, lower self-adequacy, increased emotional unresponsiveness, greater emotional instability, and …more negative worldview” (Leary et al 2). These are serious long-term effects physical discipline has on children. When a child gets physically punished it leaves a scar in them psychologically which also stays with them as they get

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