The Behavioral Effectiveness and Long Term Effects of Spanking - Research Paper Example

This research paper carries a study on the pros and cons of child’s spanking. It is one of the most controversial and widely talked about topics in child psychology. Long term effect of spanking has a life time impact on the victim’s psychology. Spanking or other corporal punishments are only effective for controlling the child’s behavior for a time being. Spanking that continues for a long time, chronically destroys children personality and behavior. In this research paper we will discuss the long term effects of spanking on children and why parents should completely avoid spanking. HYPOTHESIS Long term spanking leads to behavioral and psychological conflicts in child and is root cause for aggression, anxiety, depression and other psychological problems. INTRODUCTION Polishing the children behavior and making them realize their mistakes is the duty of parents. Parents often punish their children on the mistakes they do but should spanking be done as a punishment to make them realize their mistakes? This research paper carries a short research on the behavioral effectiveness and the long term effects of spanking. In Times magazine the article was published about the long term effects of spanking. It stated that although spanking and physical punishments can help to make child’s behavior in control for time being; it has very negative effects on child’s behavioral development. The research published by Tulane University Pediatrics came up with the noticeable evidence that the short term result of spanking might make the child act like the way their parents want them to behave and show them a tamed behavior but it brings out many emotional conflicts later in child. The study showed that 2,500 kids who were spanked very often at the age of 3 were more likely to be aggressive at age 5. (Alice Park - Times, 2010) AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS (AAP) ON CORPORAL PUNISHMENT According to AAP parents should adopt counseling their children rather than corporal punishments. Corporal punishments such as spanking might control the behavior of child for time being and reduce the frustration of parents; but prolonged punishment of spanking brings out many emotional and behavioral conflicts in children. Spanking is considered to be the least successful way of dealing with children towards discipline. (Benatar, 2001 ) In the survey of AAP, different views were seen. About one half of the sample opposed the physical punishments by parents but said that under certain situations rare spanking can be effective form of discipline. One third of pediatricians completely opposed corporal punishment under any situations whereas 14 percent supported limited spanking as a method to instill discipline. In different parental counseling on child training, almost all pediatricians suggested parents to use reinforcement technique for maintaining and bringing a good disciplined behavior in children; and suggested nonphysical punishments. More than fifty percent of pediatricians stated that they discuss both positive and negative aspects of spanking and corporal punishment with parents in which they discourage them for such punishments. Five out of ten said that limited spanking under certain circumstances is effective while nine percent gave no recommendation related to corporal punishment. Many pediatricians stated that parents usually don’t seek any recommendation from them regarding this discipline. (AAP) SIDE EFFECT OF SPANKING The AAP has listed some negative aftermaths of spanking which are as following Spanking only work for time being but it doesn’t change the behavior. Spanking and physical punishments increases aggression in child. Though spanking reduces the anger of parents at time but later they may feel guilty. Once parents start spanking they become consistent in it. Because of spanking, other techniques become less effective and don’t work over children and even later spanking doesn’t work. Sometimes spanking can lead to harming the child Those who have been spanked develop aggression in their personality. They are more likely to stay depressed and even hit their children as well when they become parents. Spanking stems a belief in the mind of children that by causing others pain can help them to control others. (Robinson, 2009) CORPORAL PUNISHMENT Corporal punishment is a widely used term for the punishment on the body. It means causing physical pain without any injury. It includes different ways of punishments like spanking, beating or hitting. Corporal punishment is quite common in various households for controlling children’s behavior. Many parents give physical punishments to children when they do something wrong. This shows the aggression and frustration of parents towards children. Physical punishments like spanking control the behavior of child for time being and s/he gets to normal or as desired but it leads to other conflicts in him or her. Corporal punishment is not only common in homes by parents but also in schools. Many teachers give physical punishments to children when they disobey them or break any rule; or simply don’t do well in class. Though the type of corporal punishments in both school and homes are different but they side effects of this act are same on a child’s mind. The advantage which parents and teachers see in corporal punishments are that they can control the child’s behavior through it and make them obey their orders or the rules they have set for the children to follow. The disadvantages of corporal punishment are long term conflicts and disturbance in child’s behavior. Though many people cannot link the behavior in general as a result of physical punishments in past but the root cause of such behavioral development is stemmed by such punishments. LONG TERM EFFECT OF SPANKING ON CHILD’S BEHAVIOUR Spanking is not objected because of any single reason. There are many reasons observed and over which even many researches have opposed the act of spanking. When a child is born s/he is completely naïve in his or her behavior and leanings. Gradually when s/he grows, observes and adopts the behavior from surrounding. So the age of childhood and adolescence is the period of child’s learning. There are many things which child does wrong and to correct them many parents use the punishment of spanking to discipline the child. When a child does something wrong s/he many times is not aware of what’s right or wrong. When parents spank him or her as a punishment, s/he shows a desired behavior to his parents for the time being; but deep down he or she would still have question that why s/he was punished for the act. S/he might also wonder that this punishment was because his/her parents don’t like such acts otherwise there was nothing wrong about it so s/he continues doing it later till s/he again got caught. Spanking also makes child’s behavior prone towards spanking. When s/he knows that what so ever s/he will do, the punishment s/he is going to get is spanking or any other corporal punishment then s/he became resistant to it. S/he does whatever s/he wants to do and then willingly gets spanked. The other long term effects of spanking are as following: 1. Low self-esteem: Physical punishments like spanking leads to low self-esteem in children. As when they are always punished and rarely appreciated this builds a low self-esteem in them. They start thinking low of themselves which later leads to depression and conflicts with peer and people around them. 2. Feel insulted: When a child is constantly punished he feels insulted. Sometimes parent’s snobs and spank kids in front of others which make the kid feel humiliated. 3. Builds stubborn behavior: constant long term spanking prone the behavior of kid towards spanking. He becomes stubborn, aggressive and stern towards other. He starts showing aggression towards people which makes his behavior more complicated. The punishment of spanking doesn’t works over such kids for long. They show sternness and aggression to such punishments. 4. Psychologically conflicts: It is observed in many researches that corporal punishments such as spanking and hitting cause various negative psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, rigidness and aggression. Kids start hating their lives and are not able to enjoy their childhood. They start to lose their focus and when they enter in teen it increases their problem which leads them to self-harming activities like drugs intake, self-cutting and suicidal thoughts. 5. Causing sexual deviance: Many people who oppose spanking as unacceptable act often raise a point that spanking causes sexual deviance. Spanking is mostly done on buttocks which are also considered to be a sexual part which sometimes lead to sexual perversity in the child or can even develop the sadomasochistic relation. The other effects of spanking on child can also lead to sexual repression. The uneasy feelings naturally develops in the mind of kids which later grown to bigger psychological conflict. (Benatar, 2001 ) 6. Wrong Upbringing: Spanking and other corporal punishments build a wrong mindset in the kids that violence and aggressive behavior is the right way to deal with others. It is obvious that kids observe and learn from surrounding and what they see and learn in home is their primary source. When they are beaten they unconsciously build this concept and not only later they repeat this act on their kids but even in their childhood they beat and misbehave with their peers and kids around. This actually leads to a conflict in their mind that when they don’t obey or show desirable behavior they are beaten but when they beat someone else, they are again spanked back by their parents or teachers to teach them that their behavior was wrong. This creates confusion in understanding what’s wrong and what is right. TIME OUT Time out is an effective technique to control child’s behavior and make them disciplined. In the time out technique when a kid shows inappropriate behavior then they are isolated for others for time being till they realize their mistake or stop crying or irritating. This technique is widely recommended by child psychologist and perditions both. Through time out the inappropriate behavior of child is controlled by isolating him. It is effective because when a child is separated, his behavior is calmed down and in time out he realizes that if he will again show such behavior then he will be again sent to time out. This also helps the parents to convey and make the child understand the right behavior. If a child misbehaves or show tantrums then send him/her to Time out and explain him/her the reason for time out. (supernanny, 2006) CONCLUSION Spanking is no good in both long and short term. It just controls the child behavior for time being. Llater child becomes used to of the punishment, starts developing aggression and shows even more tantrums. This later also leads to many psychological issues. Spanking is completely an unethical and harsh punishment for a child. Rather than spanking a child parents should talk and discuss the reasons over which they are opposing any action of child. Children might be slow to understand the reasoning but with time they become clear and learn the right behavior effectively. Bibliography 1. Times (2010) The Long-Term Effects of Spanking [online] available from < http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1983895,00.html> 2. Supper nanny (2006) The naughty step technique [online] available from < http://www.supernanny.com/Advice/-/Supernanny-techniques/-/Discipline-and-reward/The-naughty-step-technique.aspx> 3. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 1962; 5:33–40. 4. Dreamcatchers for child abuse (2010) spanking vs child abuse [online] available from < http://dreamcatchersforabusedchildren.com/2010/08/spanking-vs-child-abuse/> 5. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (2009) Corporal punishment of children --spanking [online] available from < http://www.religioustolerance.org/spankin14.htm> 6. AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS (n.d) Periodic Survey of Fellows [online] available from < http://www.aap.org/research/periodicsurvey/ps38a.htm> 7. Colin Farrell (2001) Corporal Punishment [online] available from < http://www.corpun.com/benatar.htm> 8. Newsweek (2008) Spare the Rod? [online] available from < http://www.newsweek.com/2008/02/27/spare-the-rod.html> 9. Wallerstein (n.d) The Influence of Corporal Punishment on Crime [online] available from < http://www.naturalchild.org/research/corporal_punishment.html> 10. PTAVE (n.d) Criticism of traditional parenting methods [online] available from < http://nospank.net/pt2011.htm> Read More