Cristofer Martinez 

Boyle 

ENG 170 

21 March 2022 

 

Is Corporal Punishment Okay as a Form of Discipline? 

 

Corporal punishment is when an adult spanks, hits, or causes any physical pain to a child in response to the child displaying unacceptable behavior. It has been normalized in many homes and cultures as an acceptable form of discipline as it is considered by some to be beneficial to children. We live in a day and age where enough studies and research have been conducted to conclude that physical discipline does not benefit children but instead the opposite. Corporal punishment is an issue to this day because it is still allowed in 19 states. The purpose of my research is to back up the fact that hitting is not good for children and to inform not only parents but any adult that supervises kids that it is not okay. I also want to educate parents on the detrimental effects it can have on children as well as alternative methods of discipline that can be more beneficial. Corporal punishment is not okay and is unethical. 

Corporal punishment has been a form of discipline that has been used all throughout history. It is still used commonly by parents to this day. And although it is used by many parents in order to correct a child’s behavior, enough studies have shown that it is ineffective and harmful to the development of that child. The main reason corporal punishment is ineffective is that it involves inflicting physical pain. “Hitting, by its nature, causes physical pain, and it can be confusing and frightening for children to be hit by someone they love and respect, and on whom they are dependent.” (Gershoff). More often than not children are hit without being told what they have done wrong in the first place. The lack of communication can be very harmful to the child’s feelings. This can be very frightening due to the fact that they do not see it coming. On top of that being hit by someone who you trust and love at such an early age can have long-lasting effects on that child’s behavior and damage the relationship with said parent/adult. It can result in a system of fearmongering as well. If a child is angry or upset, they could simply fear the idea of their parents hitting/spanking them without having the chance to express their feelings. Because the child is young, and they are still developing a personality, it can affect them negatively and can result in a variety of mental health issues later in life. 

One of the ways that corporal punishment can affect a child’s behavior is that they themselves might develop aggression and the habit of hitting others. When a parent or trusted adult hits a child, it can make them think that whenever they want someone to stop what they are doing they can just hit them rather than communicate verbally. Children look up to adults, so they need to lead by example. “Spanking consistently predicted increases in children’s aggression over time, regardless of how aggressive children were when the spanking occurred.” (Gershoff). Corporal punishment makes children aggressive over time rather than reducing their aggression as adults would expect. Although it is a quick fix in order to get a child to stop what they are doing it will affect the child’s anger in a negative way long term. Another way that children are affected by corporal punishment is that they can develop depression and anxiety. A child’s mental health can deteriorate due to corporal punishment. “In particular, the more frequently or severely children are spanked or hit, the more likely they are to have symptoms of depression or anxiety, both at the time they are corporally punished and in the future.” (Gershoff 44). Children are put into distress when they are hit, causing them to have mental health issues down the road. The correlation between adults having mental health issues and having been physically disciplined as a child is strong and very real to this day.  

A major risk of corporal punishment is that it can escalate to child abuse. When a child is spanked, they are most likely being spanked on their bottoms, but studies have shown that children get hit on the head and around the face area as well which can be considered child abuse. “Given the acknowledged dangers of hitting children on or about the head, it was concerning that relatively large numbers of all age groups and both genders in this study reported that children are smacked or hit on or around the face, head and back.” (Dobbs). Not only does this show a child that it is okay to do that but hitting a child in the head can affect their developmental growth. It is when corporal punishment crosses the line into child abuse that it becomes a major problem, so it is much better to not run the risk at all. The second corporal punishment crosses the line into child abuse is when it becomes a very serious problem that requires the attention of authorities.  

The good news is that corporal punishment has been frowned upon over the years. This is because of the studies conducted and data collected over the years that prove it is not beneficial for a child. “. . . spanking is associated with an increased likelihood of important mental health and behavioral problems in adulthood.” (Afifi). Some of these effects include depression, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. The long-term effects of inflicting pain on a child can be very detrimental to them. There is a strong correlation between hitting someone during their early childhood and it results in the person struggling with mental health issues. Numerous studies were conducted regarding this topic, and it shows that there is also a strong relationship between corporal punishment and substance abuse. “On the basis of the CFA findings and the associations of spanking and suicide attempts, moderate to heavy drinking, and street drug use in adulthood, spanking should be considered as an additional childhood adversity that has the potential to negatively affect mental health outcomes.” (Afifi). Having children face such adversity at an early age causes these substance abuse issues down the line and the data/statistic these studies provide proves that.  

The question at hand now is what are alternative methods in which an adult can discipline a child? What we need to do is educate parents and those who supervise children so that they have the skill set in order to safely discipline a child. Corporal punishment is a quick fix for adults to get children to stop what they are doing wrong but it can result in long-term goals being slowed down.  A healthier approach would be more beneficial to a child. An article published by England: Pulsus Group Inc delves into how parents/adults can deal with behavioral issues without the use of corporal punishment. “If children are sad or angry, respect their feelings. Try to understand why they are sad or angry.” (Pulsus Group Inc 44). Communication is essential not just between parent and child relationships but in all relationships. If parents just resort to corporal punishment without attempting to communicate with the child, it can leave them confused and it could damage the relationship. Simply trying to understand why they are acting out and acknowledging their feelings will go a long way and it will be more beneficial in the long run. Another way parents can discipline their children without the use of corporal punishment is through the use of positive reinforcement. “Always look for opportunities to praise your child for good behaviour.” (Pulsus Group Inc 44). The use of positive reinforcement can be beneficial to a child because when they are praised for doing a good job at something or for behaving well it will make them want to continue that behavior. Sometimes parents do not praise their children because they think that the child should act like that regardless of approval or not, but it is important to do so. Using kind words and being warm to your child on a consistent basis will impact the relationship between child and parent juristically in a positive way.  

Corporal punishment is not okay and is unethical. We need to treat our children better and use alternative methods of discipline. Using physical force on a child is not worth running the risk of that child having to deal with mental health and substance abuse problems down the road. It is no longer an acceptable form of discipline and we as a society should provide warmth and structure as an alternative. This is not an easy task due to how normalized spanking is, but change is possible. If parents, teachers, daycare workers, or anyone else that works with children educate themselves on the appropriate methods on disciplining children I do believe that it will result in positive effects rather than the negative ones that result in corporal punishment. We have enough data today to conclude that physical discipline is not okay and is unethical.  

 

Reflection: 

After completing this research paper, I felt a sense of relief. I know that I would have had a more enjoyable experience if I had gotten the chance to write about something that I am passionate about. My topic is a very touchy but important one since corporal punishment is still a method of discipline that is seen often and is very prominent even in today’s day and age. It is a problem that needs to be solved and that parents need to be educated in. Overall, I had a good experience writing this paper. My favorite part was going into detail on the alternative methods to corporal punishment. My strongest point was organization. I felt that I wrote about things in the correct order. I could have done better in explaining the long-term effects and maybe going more in-depth into that because it is very complex, and I could expand on it.  

 

Works Cited 

 

Afifi, Tracie O., et al. “Spanking and Adult Mental Health Impairment: The Case for the Designation of Spanking as an Adverse Childhood Experience.” Child Abuse & Neglect, Pergamon, 23 Jan. 2017, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213417300145. 

 

Dobbs, Terry. “What Do Children Tell Us about Physical Punishment as a Risk Factor for Child Abuse?” Ministry of Social Development, https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/journals-and-magazines/social-policy-journal/spj30/30-children-physical-punishment-risk-factor-child-abuse-p145-162.html. 

 

Gershoff, Elizabeth T. “MORE HARM THAN GOOD: A SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON THE INTENDED AND UNINTENDED EFFECTS OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT ON CHILDREN.” Shibboleth Authentication Request, 2010, https://www-jstor-org.ucd.idm.oclc.org/stable/20568146?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=ballygalley%2Bneolithic%2Bsite&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dballygalley%2Bneolithic%2Bsite&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A93f531b034ab3cf8d086c27844b9bee8&seq=1. 

 

Gershoff, Elizabeth T. “Spanking and Child Development: We … – Wiley Online Library.” SRCD, 10 July 2013, https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdep.12038. 

 

“Effective Discipline: A Healthy Approach.” Paediatrics & Child Health, vol. 9, no. 1, Pulsus Group Inc, 2004, pp. 43–44, https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/9.1.43.