The Effects of Using Physical Punishment to Discipline Children

The effects of using physical punishment to discipline children When deciding on how to discipline children you have to ask yourself some questions. Does the discipline stop the behavior? How many times have you received physical punishment for discipline as a kid? How many times have you repeated the bad behavior you received physical punishment for? Physical punishment also known as corporal punishment is defined as a kind of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain for the purpose of discipline. Using physical punishment to discipline children devalues the child, it makes children more aggressive, and it also has bad long-term effects.

When parents use physical punishment it devalues the child. The Childs self-image begins with how they perceive that their parents and others perceive them. Children’s perceptions of the parent’s wishes matter, as some misbehavior may be due to lack of parental clarity. When physical punishment is repeated over and over again it sends a message to the child that they are weak and defenseless. Physical punishment also causes a decreased in quality of the parent-child relationship. This is big issue because most physical punishment happens between 5:00PM and bedtime, which comprises the majority of parent-child time together for most children. Kelli Strand April 15, 2012 Devaluing and Humiliating punishment is defined as “any form of offensive, denigrating, devaluing, stigmatizing or mocking, treatment, carried out to raise or educate children and young people, with the aim of disciplining, controlling or changing their behavior”. A child that receives physical punishment becomes more aggressive.

A child that is physically punished feels wrong inside and this shows up in their behavior. The more they misbehave the more they get physically punished and the worse they feel it’s a cycle. When children receive physical punishment they are more likely to repeat the behavior. Medical journal pediatrics researched 2,500 mothers who used physical punishment. The research results were that it was an increase in aggressiveness which were screaming, bullying, fighting and destroying property. Physical punishment doesn’t work for the child, parents or society. When children are disciplined physically it causes young children to act out and solve problems with violent behavior, because that’s what their parents do. Research shows”

There are numerous predictors of violent behavior among youth, many of which relate to various forms of violence exposure (e.g., media violence, bullying, neighborhood violence, corporal punishment, etc.)”. Researchers also examined “the relationship between young adolescents’ involvement in and attitudes toward violence, parental use of physical punishment, and parental expectations of violence use (both perceived and stated) among youth. The study was conducted with the participation of 134 parents and their children (aged 10-15 years), focusing on both urban and suburban populations. As this study suggests, if parents use negative forms of discipline (i.e., physical punishment), their children are more likely to use violence to resolve their own

Kelli Strand April 15, 2012 Conflicts”. Parents are the most influential role model in their children’s lives, and children’s behaviors are often a reflection of their observations and imitation of their parent’s behaviors. Using physical punishment to discipline children has bad long term effects. Researchers found that children that were raised in homes with physical punishment also used physical violence and it became the accepted norm for these children when they became teenagers and adults. Research shows that adults who received a lot of physical punishment as teenagers had a rate of spouse beating that was four times greater than those whose parents did not physically punish their children. When parents use physical punishment to discipline their children, they teach their children to solve their problems violently. Physical violence is taught and learned not inherited.

When children receive physical punishment it causes a decreased in mental health. Children ages 5 to 8 are most at risk for severe physical punishment, ages at which significant emotional, social, and cognitive development happens. University of Michigan research shows “that parental use of corporal punishment is associated with undesirable increases in outcomes like antisocial behavior, and anxiety/depression among children. These findings are robust–and consistent across many different groups of parents and families”. This study also examined “the associations of 11 discipline techniques with children’s aggressive and anxious behaviors in an international sample of mothers and children from 6 countries and determined whether any significant associations were moderated by mothers’ and children’s perceived normativeness of the techniques. Participants included 292 mothers and their 8- to 12-year-old”.

Kelli Strand April 15, 2012 In conclusion physical punishment also known as corporal punishment is defined as a kind of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain for the purpose of discipline. Using physical punishment to discipline children devalues the child, it makes children more aggressive, and it also has bad long-term effects.

 Works Cited

Gershoff, E. T. Corporal Punishment by Parents and Associated Child Behaviors and Experiences: A Meta-Analytic and Theoretical Review. Psychological Bulletin, 128(4), 539-579 Baumrind, D., Larzelere, R. E., & Cowan, P. A. Ordinary Physical Punishment: Is It Harmful? Comment on Gershoff (2002). Psychological Bulletin, 128(4), 580-589 Holden, G. W. Perspectives on the Effects of Corporal Punishment: Comment on Gershoff (2002). Psychological Bulletin, 128(4), 590-595 Parke, R. D. Punishment Revisited-Science, Values, and the Right Question: Comment on Gershoff (2002). Psychological Bulletin, 128(4), 596-601