In 2013, Adrian Peterson, a Minnesota Vikings running back, faced felony charges and indicted by a jury with reckless injury of a child (Goessling). This incident sparked controversy on the topic of where the line is drawn between discipline and abuse. Oxford dictionary defines corporal punishment as: “physical punishment, such as caning or flogging.” On one hand, many parents argue that spanking or other corporal punishments are not abusive because it teaches respect and consequences for bad behavior. However, on the other hand, others maintain that spanking and other corporal punishments are harmful because it does not teach respect but instead inspires fear in the child and does not effectively teach them what they did wrong or what they did to deserve such punishment. Seeing both sides of the argument, I argue that the line between abuse and discipline is crossed when the punishment causes damage to the child, whether physical or psychological. I would go on to argue that spanking and other corporal punishments are not ideal because it does not show the child what he or she did wrong, can escalate into harsher punishment and borderline abuse, and has been shown to not be effective and can actually cause more behavioral problems in children.
Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Children don’t come home from the hospital with an instruction manual and only so much information can be acquired from parenting books at the local bookstore. Discipline can especially be a hard subject for new parents, considering that there is no real “right” way to punish your children for bad behaviors. Spanking is a commonly used strategy to combat childhood wrongdoing. Spanking has been used as a disciplinary tool in reportedly 90% of American families (Wolraich et al.). Spanking and corporal punishment has a high prevalence in American society. Although spanking is seen as acceptable by the majority, this does not mean that spanking is good for the child. Dr. Elizabeth Gershoff, a developmental psychologist, asserts, “There is little research evidence that physical punishment improves in the long term. In contrast, there is substantial research evidence that physical punishment puts children at risk for negative
Spanking is subjective in the least. Most parents suggest that using spankings as a form of discipline is essential to the development of a compliant child. For most Americans, this truth is one of the core foundations of the American model home. “70% of mothers indicated they had spanked their child at least once by the time he or she was 2-years-old” (Lee, Altschul and Gershoff, 2015.) There are numerous amounts of evidence that point to the certainty that spanking is linked to child aggression. In,
Punishing children for their wrong-doings has been and always will be necessary for a child's development of right and wrong. The different types of punishments parents use on their children work for various types and degrees of trouble the child is in. Laura Markham, a clinical psychologist that specializes in relationship-based parenting, assumes in her essay “Should You Spank Your Child?” that spanking is one of the worst punishments a child could receive from his parents. However, corporal punishment teaches responsibility and the difference between right and wrong, remains different from abuse, and is not the reason for issues in adulthood.
A recent study shows 70 percent of parents believe it is right to discipline a child through physical means. Most commonly, parents will spank their children but being hit with things like belts or other objects happens as well. Parenting methods haven’t changed much with time and discipline in similar no matter the country. With more studies out to find the most effective method of parenting and discipline it’s coming to attention whether or not physical harm is the best way to teach children. Parents want what is best for their children, so it is important to constantly bring up and question methods commonly accepted in the past. One method that is becoming more controversial is spanking children. Though it is still considered normal to do, it is gaining more traction and more studies are being done to find the problems it causes. Checking on parenting methods can be difficult as everyone is raised differently. It is also difficult to test which forms of punishment lead to certain outcomes. However, there is a trend of negative effects from hitting. Gershoff acknowledges, “several national professional organizations have called on parents to abandon spanking as a child rearing practice and for professionals to recommend disciplinary alternatives to spanking.” Spanking children is a terrible discipline method as it has negative effects.
Everyday parents are faced with the challenges of disciplining their children. We all wish there was an instruction booklet that we could magical pull out and get them back on the right path, but no such thing exists. Often times, your child pushes you to the edge of your personal limitations. At this moment it is often we correct our child’s behavior by spanking. Spanking is considered a form of discipline that is acceptable by most and an unacceptable to a smaller crowd. Spanking can lead to psychological problems in early adolescent, which long term can lead to emotional and anger retention.
Child discipline is an important part of parenthood. It is challenging for adults to manage children’s behaviors and find the correct lessons that will benefit their children. According to the research performed by Flynn (1998), most parents in the United States agree that "it is sometimes necessary to discipline a child with a good, hard spanking" (p.26). Socolar et al. performed research which agreed that “corporal punishment of children persists—roughly fifty percent of the parents of toddlers in the United States use corporal punishment as a regular method of disciplining their children.” (as cited in Gershoff, 2010, p.32). That is not to say that physical punishment is the solution as it can stop a behavior immediately but the results
Living in the twenty-first century you rarely ever see someone spank their child or hear the word spank come out of a parent’s mouth. I see too many parents today that are too self-righteous to “spank” their children, because many people see spanking as form of abuse. Many parents in today’s world use more reasonable punishments for their misbehaving children. Some parents put their children in time-outs, deny them of their freedom, take toys away and ground them. I have seen parents use these methods because there are more reasonable ways of punishing their child for being disobedient. However, not everybody in today’s world uses these methods for punishing children; some parents use the act of spanking for punishment. Spanking was a popular punishment back in the 1900s, but is a very debatable topic in today’s society.
When someone becomes a parent they constantly worry about how their child will turn out, if they’ll raise their child correctly, and some people even obsess with wanting to use the best disciplinary methods on their children. Everyone has their own input, their own view, and their own opinion about how to parent a child correctly. Spanking is a universally debated topic. Many experts go against corporal punishment, but many parents still think that spanking is an effective discipline strategy. Should they do it? Is it effective? What are the consequences and the effects? Throughout my paper I will go over the many reasons as to parents should not spank their children.
Parents have the toughest job in the world trying to raise and support their children, while teaching them right from wrong. The subject of disciplining children, and which methods are most effective, is certainly one that has been around a very long time. Possibly the most controversial method is spanking: hitting a child with an open hand on their bottom or extremities to cause pain, but not injury, to correct or control the child's behavior. Spanking is one method of discipline that has no place in our society because it teaches children that hitting is acceptable, negatively affects the child's moral internalization, and is detrimental to the child's mental health.
Much controversy surrounds the topic of corporal punishment with children. Arguments against the use of physical punishment usually revolve around the perception that it is abuse and that healthier methods of disciplining children effectively accomplish adjusting behavior. Those who support spanking usually employ religious arguments, citing religious values, or cultural arguments, citing social context and how parents themselves were raised. Religious beliefs, culture, and perceptions of abuse produce different approaches to parenting. Diana Baumrind identified three styles of parenting, authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative (Berger, 2014, pp. 287-288). These methods of parenting will support or oppose corporal punishment to varying
A study conducted in this article by Murray Straus a University of New Hampshire professor, shows 110 studies have linked mild punishment to increased misbehavior during childhood, and well into adolescence. As well as experiencing issues in adulthood as well, issues such as abusing spouses or even experiencing depression. A study conducted by Diana Baumrind was used as a refutation point in Pitts Jr. earlier essay. In this article Diana Baumrind concluded that children who were spanked had no more of a behavioral problem then the children who weren’t. But goes on to say that parents who regularly rely on physical punishment, can cause harm to the
Everyone has heard the expression, “my parents spanked me and I turned out just fine.” Thirty years ago people did not think twice about spanking their children. This was a socially excepted form of discipline. In fact, it was so publicly accepted that even teachers and principals were allowed to spank children. Today spanking has become a taboo subject. Some believe spanking is irrefutably a form of abuse. However, others resort back to the belief of, “spare the rod and spoil the child.” Researchers believe that spanking can lead to aggressive behavior and psychological impairments. Instead, psychologists encourage the use of alternative forms of discipline, such as positive reinforcement and redirection. Although it is each individual’s decision whether or not to spank a child, the long-term effects of spanking far outweigh the benefits of the immediate change of behavior.
Spanking children is a very controversial topic; there are people who agree with spanking and there are those who disagree. Everyone’s decision varies based on if they were spank or not spanked as children. After taking several courses in child development it is my belief that physical punishment actually alters the brain, it can traumatize a child, as well as have a decrease of gray matter in certain areas of the prefrontal cortex that have been linked to depression, addiction and other mental disorders. Which could be a leading cause for children growing up with higher risk of commenting a crime. Some may say there is no damage left on children and it can alter unwanted behavior affectedly. Regardless of the reason for what people stand behind when it comes to spanking, it is my belief every individual reacts different to being spanked. There are many elements that affect if the outcome is positive or negative. Spanking should only occur if a child is mentally capacity to understand it is a form or correcting unwanted behavior; followed by a firm lecture as to why the child got spanked. A child should know why they were spanked, furthermore, a parents’ goal should be to not resort to spanking. As a child, I was not spanked, nevertheless, I knew my parents could spank me; from witness childhood friends get spanked. The beliefs and values of American’s are that no one deserves corporal punishment, however, corporal punishment is practice in homes on children, corporal
Spanking, also known as corporal punishment is a highly controversial method of discipline that parents currently use in an attempt to modify their children’s misbehavior. This type of punishment is not known to uplift the essence of education in children, and many parents and researchers feel that spanking leads to developmental problems. Research studies show how spanking produces a negative effect in children, and parents and caregivers should reconsider the use of corporal punishment as a form of discipline for their children because of its harmful effects. In addition, there are other, better alternatives that can be used to discipline children.
Child abuse is a complex, surreptitious social problem that has been around for as long as humanity itself. The collective consequences of childhood abuse and spanking can be detrimental and are reflected in addictive behaviors, dysfunctional family dynamics and mental health problems in general. Can the commonly used practice of corporal punishment and spanking be justified as an appropriate method to discipline children?
Punishment, the word has brought fear to men and children alike, leaning towards adult offenders it tends to take on deeper connotations. As a child you would be punished by your parents, school leaders and other parental figures, and mostly under not so serious circumstances, usually requiring very little corporal punishment and/or separation from entertainment devices. As we get older the offenses tend to be greater and therefore demand greater punishment, despite having histories involving death sentences and hard labor, some methods have done little to deter some offenders. The question this raises of course, should we focus more on punishment or on rehabilitation, concentrating on punishment some would say stricter… while many will