Essay on The Psychological
Effect of Corporal Punishment in Children
In our society, the word punishment
usually has a negative connotation. When people hear such word, they generally
associate it with discipline and may recall childhood memories of getting
punished at home or in school. A more technical approach on punishment is that
it is said to occur when an event following an action weakens the tendency to
make that same action such as when a pigeon pecks a dish, it receives a brief
shock which leads to the rapid decrease in the tendency of the pigeon to peck
the dish again (Weiten 205). Furthermore, Weiten wrote that punishment
encompasses far more than disciplinary acts but it is used more frequently for
disciplinary purposes which brings forth interesting discussions.
In disciplining children, punishment
may come in different forms. Some parents or teachers would resort to verbal
reprimand, social isolation or withdrawal of privileges while some still use
physical punishment or corporal punishment. Mash noted that in the past 50
years or so, child-rearing practices have been changing dramatically with
parents being expected to focus on the child’s developmental strengths and
limitations and move away from disciplinary control methods (458). In the past,
corporal punishment is common and well accepted but toward the end of the
twentieth century, movements have developed towards the abandonment of corporal
punishment (Myers 207). Opponents of corporal punishment back up their cause
with a growing number of research studies that indicate corporal punishment to
have deleterious consequences among children. Such consequences, according to
Flynn may be psychological or behavioral which may include alcohol abuse,
depression, suicidal thoughts, behavioral problems, low achievement and future
economic insecurity (qtd. in Myers 208). Favela highlighted studies that
suggested that children who were spanked suffer emotionally, are more likely to
have lower IQs and are more aggressive.
A meta-analysis from Gershoff on the positive and negative long-range
effects of parental corporal punishment displays a more comprehensive view of
the consequences of this form of discipline with the following findings:
Negative or undesirable outcomes
showed decreases in the subsequent areas during childhood: moral internalization, quality of relationship between
the parent and
child mental
health. Associated decrease in mental health was also found later in adulthood. In addition, there were
increases in the aspects of child aggression, child delinquent and antisocial behavior. In adulthood, increases in
the risk of being a
victim of physical
abuse, risk of abusing own child and spouse, adult aggression,
adult criminal and antisocial behavior were
observed among adults who experienced corporal
punishment during their childhood. There was only one desirable behavior linked to corporal punishment which is
increased immediate compliance in the part
of the
child. (qtd in Mash 458)
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More recent
studies echo the results of Gershoff but her conclusions are not without
critics. Arguments raised include that evidence linking spanking to negative
effects is correlational which is not an assurance of causation. It means that
corporal punishment cannot be directly pointed out as the cause for the
negative effects enumerated earlier. In such light, Damon points out that there
is still a great deal to learn about the long-term effects of corporal
punishment and the factors that serve to moderate its effects (402). Moreover
he expressed that although such form of discipline is usually associated with
negative outcomes for the child, the associated pathway and the qualifying
variables for such relationship are still unclear.
With more research findings that
discredit the effectiveness of corporal punishment among children, societal
views have now shifted to the discouragement of its use. However, despite the
negative effects associated with physically punishing children, some parents
still find it as an effective means of disciplining their children. The
practice of corporal punishment cannot be easily uprooted from society because,
as stated by Mash, cultural norms in many countries have long accepted corporal
punishment as a primary, even necessary component of discipline (458). It will
take more research to change the mind set about corporal punishment among
parents, teachers and authority figures who grew up experiencing corporal
punishment themselves and found it to be more effective than detrimental to
their individual development.
Works Cited
Damon, William
and Nancy Eisenberg. Handbook of Child
Psychology Volume 3: Social,
Emotional,
and Personality Development, 6th edition. New York, NY: Wiley, 2006.
Favela, Regina. “Emotional and Physical Development of
Children Who Get Paddled.” 10 June
2010. Live Strong.com. 6 September 2012
<http://www.livestrong.com/ article/144862-emotional-physical-
development-of- children-who-get-paddled/>.
Mash, Eric J. and
David A. Wolfe. Abnormal Child
Psychology, 4th edition. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010.
Myers, John E B.
Myers on Evidence in Child, Domestic and
Elder Abuse cases, Successor edition.
New
York:
Aspen Publishers, 2005.
Weiten, Wayne. Psychology: Themes and Variations, 8th
edition. Australia; Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011.
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