The Case Of Adrian Peterson: Punishment Or Discipline?

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The Case of Adrian Peterson: Punishment or Discipline? Angela Babadjanian ID: 25062092 Maral Aghvinian ID: 24812172 Dr. Lewis Psychology of Violence University of California, Irvine Background: Minnesota Vikings National Football League (NFL) star, Adrian Peterson, was indicted in September 2014, for beating his four year-old son as a form of punishment for his alleged unruly behavior. According to media reports, Peterson’s son pushed his sister off a motorbike while playing a video game inside their home. In order to educate his son for his wrongdoing against his sister, Peterson grabbed a branch from a tree and whipped the young child several times, repeatedly. Reports indicated that the child suffered multiple …show more content…

Peterson’s lashing out and beating of his son was not his first experience with abuse. In fact, Peterson himself had been subjected to strict beatings of the same nature, using tree branches or “switches” and belts, by both his parents throughout the course of his entire childhood (Gregorian, 2014). Peterson grew up in Palestine, Texas, where corporal punishment was not only allowed, but used plainly in school districts throughout the state. A childhood friend of Peterson, David Cummings, recounts a day while they were in elementary school where Peterson’s father beat him with a belt in front of 20 other classmates for misbehaving in school (Gregorian, 2014). Adrian’s mother, Bonita Jackson, who also agreed entirely with her husband’s view on corporal punishment, would also whip Adrian for misbehaving (Gregorian, 2014). His father continued to beat him well into his teens, until he was arrested for money laundering for a crack ring, causing him to spend several years in prison (Gregorian, 2014). When asked about these experiences, Peterson responded: “I have always believed the way my parents disciplined me has a great deal to do with the success I have enjoyed as a man.” Evidently, there is support that Peterson modeled the same techniques his parents used on him with the intention of disciplining his son. Social learning theory holds that victims of such abusive …show more content…

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