Argumentative Essay Against Corporal Punishment
Corporal
punishment is generally used by parents in the US specifically from the
pre-school years until the child reaches eight to ten years old. Although there
has been several discussions and debates focused on the effectiveness of
spanking, parent still use such method in disciplining their children.
Currently, only two states in the US view corporal punishment as child abuse.
The other states maintain that spanking or slapping that result to zero
physical harm is legal. According to statistics, 90% of American parents
support the use of physical punishment on their children. The spanking usually occurs when the children
are already four years old. The study also shows that corporal punishment is
more common among minorities and poor families. Aside from physical punishment,
yelling and swearing in front of the children are also considered as harmful
(Strauss & Gelles 95).
One of the
negative effects brought by corporal punishment is the strong tendencies of
children to develop anti-social behaviour. The notion of corporal punishment is
based on aggression and such leads to violent behaviour both exhibited by the
parent and eventually the child. Also, the child could channel the aggression
to other people for instance bullying their classmates in school. Other
counter-productive behaviour such as lying, cheating, and stealing could be
traced to a child history who suffered from corporal punishment (Strauss 55).
Another aspect that needs to be considered is that the development of
anti-social behaviour encompasses all socio-economic groups.
According
to some studies, the intended impact created by corporal punishment
(discipline) is reversed in the long run. Spanking and slapping are proven to
be ineffective strategy in promoting discipline. In extreme cases, corporal
punishment results to anger, resentment, low self-confidence, and worst
children just repeat the cycle of violence to themselves and to others
(Gershoff: 545). In reality, children
who are inflicted of pain in the form of spanking and slapping have shown the
highest tendencies of suffering from behavioural problems. When parents use
harsh methods discipline, children could exhibit anxiety, helplessness, and
depression.
Child
abuse is often used as a counter argument to the rampant use of corporal
punishment. As it is usually done to children, such method would impede the
development of young bodies. Moreover, children are not capable of absorbing
pain, which in some instances lead to injuries. Most of the reported injuries
have been due to parents losing their control or parents underestimating their
strength. There is also no direct evidence showing children fearing their
parents when subjected to corporal punishment (Teti & Candelaria 155). The
most common response from children includes isolation and rebelling from their
parents. Instead of building a bond with
their children corporal punishment could destroy relationships and lasting
effects on the psyche of the children.
Corporal
punishment tends to decrease the moral values and pro-social behaviour of
children. At an early age, children
perceive the solution to all problems should involve violence and physical pain.
Another critical element of corporal punishment is its impact to the mental
health of the children being subjected to it. Some parents misconstrue
obedience and discipline with fear. There is the possibility that children
become more secretive and this affects the dynamics of a parent-child
relationship.
In a
nutshell, the disadvantages of corporal punishment outweigh by a huge margin
the benefits of spanking. Instead of promoting good behaviour and discipline,
corporal punishment produces adverse effects. Parents have embraced tradition
by using such methods, but evidence through the years suggests that corporal
punishment is one tradition that needs to end.
Reference
E. T. Gershoff. “Corporal punishment by parents and
associated child behaviours and
experiences: A meta-analysis and
theoretical review.” Psychological
Bulletin., vol. 138. 2002:539-579.
M. A. Strauss & R. J. Gelles. “How violent are American
families? Estimates from the national
family violence resurvey and other
studies.” Physical Violence in American
Families. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. 1990.
M. A. Strauss. “New evidence for benefits of no spanking.” Society, vol. 38. 2001: 52-60.
D. M. Teti & M. A. Candelaria. “Parenting competence.
Parenting competence.” In Bornstein M.
H.,
(ed.) Handbook of Parenting, vol. 4.
New Jersey: Erlba. 2002
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ReplyDeleteHello - I am having a hard time explaining why I am in favor of legislature passing the law against corporal punishment. This is the part I missed. "The use of force against any child under the age of 18 with any animate or inanimate object in such a way that causes a bruise, burn, or breaks the skin shall be illegal and shall be punishable as a Domestic Assault and Battery, a class 1 misdemeanor." Do you have any ideas how I can include this into my paper?
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