Acceptability of Corporal Punishments - Literature review Example

CORPORAL PUNISHMENTS of Corporal punishment to children refers to the use of punishment that is physically instigated to a child that causes him/her to experience bodily pain or absolute discomfort. Some social theorists believe it is the correct and possibly dependable way of correcting vices in children because it has immediate response and effect. On the other hand, many social specialists believe that use of other correction means away from corporal punishment is very vital in helping a child change behavior. The greatest of the effects is a strong psychological set up of the kid as he/she grows. Introduction The society today is drastically changing. Parents are becoming even more challenged on the way to bring up their children and teachers are at a crossroad on the best punishment to use while correcting errors done by this young generation. According to Mitchell (2008) and Turner (2006), punishments are far reaching and the psychological aspect of this punishment could be carried throughout the entire life of this kid. There are parents and teachers who still believe that corporal punishment should prevail in homes and schools while psychological theorists and professionals believe that it should totally be abolished (Saunders & Goddard, 2009). This paper seeks to discuss why parents should (or should not) use corporal punishment to discipline their children. In light of this, it will develop an argument for and against the punishment where the choice on which one is credible remains the choice of the reader. Values of Corporal Punishment Human psychologists have contented with the fact that no kid is born knowing anything and everything is acquired by way of the environment in which the kid is conditioned in (Dearborn, 1990). Behavior is therefore acquired. Stopping or controlling this behavior therefore is an issue that should be acquired through a collection of measures which range from society to society. Corporal punishment is an instant way of dealing with misbehavior in a child. The pain that is inflicted in the child acts as a control measure to the mischief that this kid was up to. It creates a negative motivation towards repeating the same trait that the kid was involved in. the manner in which corporal punishments are administered are such that it is done publicly (Unicef, 2000). This means that it has not only personal effect but also a public effect. When kids are punished in public, they tend to get embarrassed and the public also get to know the relevance of the punishment at the very instant. It will therefore serve to remind the kid and the public that such a vice is out of order and punishable, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry report. When there is no corporal punishment, the discipline of the children drops. This is extended to other social areas such as in school, in church, relating with peer groups and in the immediate family (Thompson., 2002). The immediate effects that this type of punishment has on the children are always and openly seen to be lacking when a child interacts in the stated groups. Some of the children are cheeky by nature and always up to some mischief (Murray & Denise, 2002). However, such petty challenges can be corrected if there is administration of corporal punishment which instantly deals with the aspect. Some aspects of the child such as immediate compliance, internalization of the morals and quality of relationships with the parents, when measured against the resultant behavior of the kid, it is seen that immediate compliance is very practical. This is a necessary step that parents should take to make their children fit in the immediate social forums without an outward show of an anti-social behavior. Some may argue that corporal punishment leads to aggression among other vices in a child. However, the American Psychological association (2012) found out that not all children who are punished by this method end up being aggressive or developing weird behaviors. An application of other factors such as the relationship between the parent and the kid can help moderate the effects of the corporal punishment. In fact, a meta-analytical view of this aspect suggests that the manner in which the punishment is administered determines the actual behavior of the child as per such circumstances (APsaA, 2013). Disadvantages of Corporal Punishment Corporal punishment has far reaching effects. These effects are both psychological and physical. According to Benatar (2001), corporal punishment directly leads to abuse. This type of punishment is never sound because there is always an escalation into something else more brutal than was anticipated. This amounts to abuse. Much as research on the level of corporal punishment remains an elusive issue, any form of physical punishment that would inflict pain to the point of a victim being distressed can be stated to be abuse as a result of the punishment. Secondly, physical punishment is degrading. As stated earlier, it has an instant effect on the victim. In a public situation, the victimized child will tend to develop a low morale as the other children would tentatively ridicule this victim. There are other ways of degrading the personality of somebody but for a young kid, corporal punishment is probably the greatest of them all. In relationship with the aspect of degradation of oneself, there is also the aspect of psychological damage. This is perhaps far reaching than most of the other effects; inhibition, low self-esteem, depression and anxiety that are heightened are just some of the psychological effects of corporal punishment (Adah & Donald, 1992). Children who are frequently subjected to this type of punishment tend to be withdrawn from the family. They have fear in almost all the things they do and this inhibits their freewill to adventure and exploration of their environment. It has also been proved that an increased number of punishments in this sense lead to the children having suicidal thoughts as opposed to those people that use different means of punishment (Benatar, 2001). All forms of corporal punishment from mild ones to relatively violent actions have been proved to have the victim having extraneous thoughts about their lives. Ramble (2014) argues that much as this punishment is inflicted to the kids, there have always been long term effects and one of them which touch on a very important aspect is the sexual deviance. Psychologists argue that punishment may range from sexual perversity to deviance (Barnes, 2003). Many cases have developed a situation where there has always been a sadomasochistic relationship between the victim and the beater. In most versions, there is one party that feels sexual excitement and this has not always been the beater. The victim in later stages may feel sexually repressed. This may be explained to the aspect that if the two are of the opposite sex, there is likely to be a future disliking of person of the assaulting sex (Patrick, 1994). In this regard, the victim might be repressed by all people of similar sex as the beater. The beater may be enjoying what he is doing as an aspect of sadomasochistic situation but the long term effects are so far reaching that there might be a sexual disorientation (Trumbull, Ravenel, & Larson, 1995). Corporal punishment also sends the wrong lesson to the victim. It conveys a message of violence and since young kids are still growing, they tend to develop that as a way of resolving disputes. The child is being taught that when one person does not like what someone else is doing, then the only way would be to inflict pain in resolution (Scarre, 2003). This is a message taught in the wrong way. A situation arising where the child is taught not to violently hit a fellow child by a violent means like beating him, he also grows up confused because violence was suppressed by violence. Conclusion Discipline by parents is a very volatile and complicated aspect of life (Carolyn, 2004). The levels of interactions of the kids expose them to a collection of challenging environments and these are the makers of the real child that grows up. Corporal punishments are acceptable and discerned in a more strong measure. Though parents have an obligation to care for their children and guide them effectively, the aspect of punishment is still tricky. This paper has discussed various reasons about why corporal punishment is viable and applicable in a resolution situation. The greatest point is that it has an immediate effect. Moreover, there are reasons why corporal punishment is bad and should be shunned, most of which are purely psychological aspects. References Adah, M., & Donald, G. (1992). Corporal punishment. Journal of Adolescent Health, 13(8), 638. APsaA. (2013). Position statement on physical / corporal punishment. apsa.org.apsa.org. Retrieved from HYPERLINK "https://www.apsa.org/About_APsaA/Position_Statements/Physical_Punishment.aspx" https://www.apsa.org/About_APsaA/Position_Statements/Physical_Punishment.aspx Barnes, J. (2003). Corporal punishment. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 7(5), 7. Benatar, D. (2001, October). Corporal Punishment. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from World Corporal Punishment Research: http://www.corpun.com/benatar.htm Carolyn, H. (2004). Corporal Punishment: Another Form of School Violence. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 1(2/3), 59-75. Dearborn, G. V. (1990). Human psychology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 14(6), 424. Mitchell, L. (2008). Corporal Punishment and Low-income Mothers: The Role of Family Structure, Race, and Class in America. Washington: Cambria Press. Murray, S., & Denise, D. (2002). Beating the Devil Out of Them: Corporal Punishment in American Families and its Effects on Children. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. Patrick, H. (1994). Rethinking Sadomasochism: Feminism, Interpretation, and Simulation. Feminism, Sexual behavior, Social research, 9(1), 116-141. Psychiatry, A. A. (2002). Corporal Punishment in Schools. New York: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Policy Statement 14. Rumble, A. (2014). Forms of Punishment That Parents Use. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from Global Post: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/forms-punishment-parents-use-1416.html Saunders, B. J., & Goddard, ‎. (2009). Physical Punishment in Childhood: The Rights of the Child. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Scarre, G. (2003). Corporal Punishment. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 6(3), 295-316. Thompson., G. E. (2002). Corporal Punishment by Parents and Associated Child Behaviors and Experiences: A Meta-Analytic and Theoretical Review. Psychological Bulletin, 128(4), 539-579. Trumbull, D. A., Ravenel, D., & Larson, D. (1995). Corporal punishment. Pediatrics, 96(4), 792. Turner, S. (2006). Something to Cry About: An Argument Against Corporal Punishment of Children in Canada. Toronto: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. Unicef. (2000). Awareness Campaign Against Corporal Punishment of Children at Home. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from Unicef: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CDYQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unicef.org%2Flac%2Fspbarbados%2FImplementation%2FCP%2FGlobal%2FEducate_donthit_SaveManual.pdf&ei=CxwQU73WMY7B7AaLmYD4Cg&usg=AFQjCNHx6Bn39FFIdSdhD960 Read More