Essay On Corporal Punishment

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Corporal punishment is the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain but not injury for the purpose of correction and control of a child’s behaviour (Oas, 2010). Historically this mode of disciplining has been used without malice, due to the biblical reference of “spare the rod, spoil the child”. This belief has been perceived to be necessary to instill respect for authority, to maintain discipline, and to rear good citizens. This paper seeks to examine the effects of corporal punishment, and its ability or inability to produce desirable behaviour.
Fifty percent of the parents of toddlers and sixty five percent to sixty eight percent of the parents of preschoolers in the United States use corporal punishment as a regular method of disciplining their children. Once they have reached middle and high school, almost eighty five percent have been physically punished by their parents (Gershoff, 2010). These takes the form of spanking or smacking, but also include slapping, pinching, pulling of hair, twisting ears, or hitting with an object such as a rod or stick. Of the common types of punishment, spanking on the buttocks is the most common in the US (44%), Philippines (76%), Chile (shaking (68%), punching (45%), and ear twisting (29%).
According to UNICEF, corporal punishment is seen as an act of violence and the wrong way to discipline a child. Sweden was the first country to ban corporal punishment of children over thirty years ago and as a result persuaded other countries to follow suit (Romare, 2014). However it is legal in twenty- two states, although the US hasn’t ban the act, social acceptance has decreased.
Culturally, person’s views of corporal punishment differ. Perception of social norms...

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... the child to engage in desirable behaviours. Our cultural norms have seasoned our minds and hence our behaviours into concluding that the only way to produce desirable behaviour in a child is to enforce physical punishment. There is a general consensus on the belief “that a good cuttail never hurt anyone”. Nevertheless numerous amounts of children are being abused daily based on the justification of “effective disciplining”. Although it produces desirable behaviour immediately after use, it is a short term form of punishment and it does not guarantee desirable behaviour in the future. Children may respond well to spanking in the presence of their parents or caregiver but may not display the same behaviour in a different environment. Furthermore, parents and caregivers should be educated on healthier methods of disciplining to produce a healthier society.

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