Aggression Is The Most Severe Consequence Of Corporal Punishment
Introduction
Corporal punishment is a form of punishment involving slapping, punching, pinching, dragging, twisting and hitting an object. Two out of three children in the United States are physically abused by their parents or legal guardians. While I personally have never been a victim of corporal punishment, I have always thought about what most affects the victim. I've always believed aggression as the most serious consequence, but I am keen to research what other consequences are, comparing their impact and how to overcome them. For my research, the countries chosen are USA and India.
In India, 77% of mothers interviewed had spanked their children. Half of these spanked their child once in the past week, and one in six of these mothers spanked their children at least six times in the past week. The authors of the study concluded that the frequency at which the child is punished is linked directly to negative interaction and unstable child attachment. In a survey with 1,700 fathers and mothers in Mumbai, 29 percent of fathers beat their children. Of the 61% mothers who used corporal punishment. 9% of the mothers were housewives. The study also revealed that 80 percent of these parents were themselves beaten by their parents in childhood. Which meant that there was a strong possibility that the victims present would use also corporal punishment, creating problems for the future generation.
Corporal punishment is banned in schools in 128 countries and is permitted in 69 countries (35%). Three industrialized countries continue to sanction school corporal punishment: Australia, the Republic of South Korea and the United States. In Australia, school corporal punishment is banned in five of its 8 states and territories, while public schools in 31 of its 50 states are prohibited in the United States. In the United States, corporal punishment is currently legal in 19 states, and more than 160,000 children experience corporal punishment per year in schools. In India, as per the Right to Education Act, 2009, corporal punishment could be classified as physical punishment, mental harassment, and discrimination. Section 17 of the Act forbids physical punishment and mental exploitation of the child. It also notes that no child will be subject to physical punishment and mental harassment.
In Spite of this it seems to be prevalent because
Nothing else seems to work: When children frequently misbehave, parents can feel like they're at the end of their rope and don't know what else to do. In these circumstances, parents might say, 'Nothing else seems to work.' Some might’ve tried methods but not giving them enough time which results in them hitting their child and feeling nothing else works.
Adults believe that not hitting their child spoils them: Some parents firmly believe that children who are not spanked will grow up to be spoiled. Also because they feel that it is an important, effective, and useful tool in teaching kids how to behave.
Adults have experienced it and don’t view it negatively.
According to me, the most common cause is that parents feel that parents have experienced it and dont view it negatively. Because I think they practise it because they feel they were hit and turned out to be fine. But they don't know what effect it might’ve had on them because i think that a person doesn't know about hisher issue unless heshe is told about it.
Consequences
Aggression
Several studies have shown that any form of corporal punishment can lead to aggression. Teenagers who were more likely to fight, threaten and harass others indicated that their parents used corporal punishment as a form of discipline. Early experiences of corporal punishment can shape and legitimize many types of violence throughout a person's lifetime . In fact, in a longitudinal study, the use of physical punishment by parents in childhood was the strongest predictor of teenage violence 8 years later, while tolerant parenting was not a significant predictor. Children understand that aggression is an appropriate answer to a trigger, so start doing it on their own.They act out in school also by becoming bullies, because they also want to feel powerful at least somewhere Also because of aggression, kids develop antisocial behavior. They may gradually stop interacting with their parents. Although violence is frequently paired with antisocial behavior to produce so-called external behavioral problems, antisocial behavior such as theft is non-violent and can be correlated with physical punishment in ways other than aggression. This can only lead them to sustain a duty-bound relationship with their parents, as opposed to a relationship based on affection, relationship, communication, confidence and care.
Aggression can also lead to anger issues which may lead to some of the short and long-term health problems like; headache, digestion problems, insomnia, increased anxiety and depression. As per WHO, the highest levels of stress in India are higher than anywhere in the world.Stress leads to anger, road rage, office spats, and disharmony in the relationship. Statistics say that 80% of Indians are angry. Indians have lacked anger management skills since a very long time. A 2010 study at an American university found a 50% increased risk of aggressive behavior in young children two years later. who were beaten more than twice in the month before starting their studies. Research in the United States indicates that children who were spanked by their parents were more likely to react directly to the demands of their parents, were also more aggressive, displayed less ability to control violence, and had poor mental health in the long term. The problem seems to be that children who are disciplined for bad behavior will be more likely to change their behavior for external purposes than to internalize the standards of good behavior for their own sake.
Mental Health
The painful nature of corporal punishment can cause feelings of fear, rage and depression in children. If corporal punishment causes children to avoid their parents, that avoidance can in turn, undermine the bonds of trust and closeness between parents and children. It is not surprising that corporal punishment in school is linked to mental punishment and behavioral problems in children. While physical abuse is a visible trauma, the mental state of the child is bound to be disturbed. Adolescents slip into identity crises and develop mental disorders. They will live in fear of authority and will become prey to bullies.Harsh physical punishment in the absence of child maltreatment is associated with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abusedependence disorders and personality disorders in the general population study.
Among adults in the US, 2 to 7% of cases of mental illnesses, including severe depression, anxiety disorder, and paranoia, are due to childhood physical punishment. A survey was conducted in 2005 and information was extracted from more than 34,600 US adults ages 20 and older. Around 6% of participants said that often, fairly frequently, or very often in childhood, they experienced these types of physical punishment. Those with physical punishment were 59% more likely to have alcohol dependency, 41% more likely to have depression, and 24% more likely to have panic disorder than those without physical punishment. Child Rights Cell and the State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) which is an organisation India received 382 complaints, out of which, 84 children had received serious injuries, 28 of these displayed suicidal tendencies.
A case study in Tamil Nadu India reveals that a child committed suicide because of corporal punishment; 'My son Shanmugham, who is a class 11 student, went to school one day without his uniform because his only uniform was wet. On that day, the Physical Education Teacher and three other school staff beat up my son for not wearing his uniform. Physical education teacher shouted at my son saying, 'He should consume poison and die instead of going to school without a uniform.' After this incident at school, my son came home for lunch. In the afternoon, my son went to school, called all the teachers and told them he had been humiliated by them and had been poisoned by depression due to corporal punishment. He drank the poison in front of the teachers and students, and died before he entered the hospital.
Possible Solutions
Beating children for misconduct sends a mixed message. Your child may wonder why it is okay to be hit by parents but not if they hit their brother. Time off can be a much better alternative. When done correctly, time off teaches children how to calm down, and they learn to regulate themselves, express their emotions appropriately, and make other decisions for the future.
Children also benefit from learning how to solve problems, manage their emotions, and make compromises. When parents teach these skills, behavior problems can be significantly reduced. Most websites say corporal punishment is still prevalent in India, in rural and backward areas.
Evaluation of Sources
I did use different kinds of sources including research papers, publications and newspapers. but many websites(source 1, 15 and 31) had very similar content which made their claims and points reliable and credible. I found two research papers(source 6 and 24) on corporal punishment and found them very useful because it proved me with a lot of information required for the topic I chose. The data from the first research paper (6) was from 15 to 30 years ago, but after cross checking it with data from other sources like 11 and 14, the data was still reliable and could be used. I found all the surveys(source 2 and 8) to be in depth and helpful and done on a huge scale. I also used information from newspapers like Times of India and Indian Express as they are reputed and well known new publications and less likely to have really strong head on biases or any prejudice. I also took information from other credible and reputed sources like Harvard (3) and UNICEF (19).
Personal Reflection and Conclusion
Looking back, I’d never thought that I would be so serious and attached to this particular topic. At first I chose corporal punishment because I know a few people who are victims of it, I wanted to know what they went through and how it had affected their lives. But what I never thought was to attain emotional connection to the consequences and to the victims. While seeing videos, reading blogs and research papers my viewpoints always seemed to change and become more tilted towards the victims and consequences. And I honestly believe that because if and Iever become a parent, I will know not to enforce corporal punishment only because of my indiviual report for Global Perspectives.
To conclude, after doing my research I think mental health is the most severe consequence. The statistics say both are harmful and bad but mental health is more important as aggression is also a by-product of bad mental stability. I feel that if you’re mentally stable, then aggression can be better dealt with. At first, I thought only to find the most severe consequence but it is just not about consequences for me anymore. Corporal punishment is ineffective and affects children mentally, developingly and psychologically. Corporal punishment does not teach children what is right or teach them good conduct. It induces fear and rage in children, traumatizes them, leads them to confidence problems, and teaches them that assaulting others is acceptable[26]. So all in all, it should be banned and not practised!
