Pros & Cons of Corporal Punishment

Like many things, corporal discipline can be looked at through both pros and cons. It can be detrimental to the outcome of the child's well-being. Corporal punishment is defined as a painful, intentionally-inflicted physical penalty administered by a person in authority for disciplinary purposes. This type of abuse is apparent mostly in families. If a child has acted out in a way that the parent or authoritative figure does not like, then the punisher will show the child the consequences of their actions. This form of discipline is shown by striking the child. (Marshall 1)

PRO - Immediate Results:

When any person uses strong physical power upon another, the latter of the two is most always oppressed. This type of result comes from every parent that practices physical discipline on a child. When the authority figure shows the severity of their discontent by using physical force, the youth will become stunned, obeying the person in charge. The immediate compliance of corporal punishment is in full effect. This prevents disobedient children, foul language, and defiance of power. Youngsters proved to be more civilized. (Williams, "Making A Case For Corporal Punishment") For example Elizabeth Gershoff explains that if a young boy wanted a toy that his sister had, he may snatch the toy from his sister as his mother watched. The mother makes sure that the boy understands sharing is a key concept by spanking him, and that grabbing the toy was an inappropriate behaviour not to be done again. (Gershoff, "Pros and Cons of Spanking Your Child)

CON - Continued Rebellion:

Although the young boy mentioned above has learned to share with his sister, he has only learned to share when his mother is around. When the mother is not there to spank the young boy, the boy will act out just as he did before. He has not learned the long-term consequences of taking his sister's toy. He has not been accustomed to the fact that once he is nice to someone, they will do the same to him. (Elizabeth Gershoff, "Pros and Cons of Spanking Your Child) Preventing future unruly behaviour this way is ineffective. The only benefit of this type of discipline is immediate compliance.

CON - Addiction:

If an individual uses physical power to enforce rules and good behaviour, then the child and the parent will learn many things. The first thought that comes to mind is that the adult is in control. The parent becomes dominant, and the child becomes submissive. Corporal punishment is addictive; 63 percent of parents use this discipline on their 1-2 year old children, and 85 percent of adolescents have been a victim of being punished by their parents. The reason that parents hit their child is due to the amount of aggression and lack of obedience from the youth. Mothers and fathers that have used corporal punishment once will often