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Unit IV Literature Review

Jonathan Jones – 277288

Columbia Southern University

Literature Review Parental Methods of Child Discipline

INTRODUCTION

Child discipline can be defined as the process of parenting that influences a child’s motivation and moral standing. The process includes the operation of parenting, teaching, and regulating. The discipline is carried out through behaviors exhibited in different settings such as home, school, religious institution, and community. Traditionally discipline has been fulfilled through physical punishment such as spanking, but today, parents use other methods to carry out discipline, including anger management or teachable moments. Parents use different methods of discipline based on their cultural beliefs, norms, values, and ideas. This paper examines the effectiveness of parenting techniques in teaching children right from wrong and proper behavior.

Parents may use different methods of child discipline to teach the right and wrong things and educate their children. In some instances, corporal punishment or hitting is used. Corporal punishment, otherwise called physical punishment, is the act of hitting someone to harm them to communicate disapproval towards certain behaviors. It is seen as an efficient method of instilling discipline in children as it has been around for a long time. Corporal punishment was widespread throughout the world and accepted as a proper way of disciplining children by parents up to the late 1900s. However, over the years and with changes in society, some countries considered corporal punishment an inappropriate way of disciplining children, leading to more dispute on whether it is a practical discipline. Some see corporal punishment as a means of inflicting damage on the child. In contrast, others believe that it is merely an expected form of punishment for breaking the rules and is hardly brutalizing.

Corporal punishment, however, can have negative consequences for children, such as an increase in risky behavior, aggression, and violence. According to research, corporal punishment is associated with an increase in aggressive behavior among children. It is also reported to affect children’s verbal learning ability and social competence, which includes trustworthiness, cooperation, and self-control. There are positive and negative effects of corporal punishment on children. Therefore, parents should consider using alternative methods for child discipline to ensure their child’s safety and well-being. The use of corporal punishment as a method of child discipline has caused adverse effects on children, such as anxiety, stress, depression, low self-esteem, and poor academic performance.

Literature Review

It has been argued and debated whether physical punishment is the best way to discipline children. Corporal punishment is done by hitting the child to cause pain or injury to arouse fear and gain control over their actions. The use of corporal punishment in disciplining children is founded on parents’ responses to their child’s unacceptable behavior that will influence how their children grow up into adults (Trickett & Kuczynski.,1986). Corporal punishment leans more on how parents react towards their child’s unacceptable behavior resulting from their attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs. Parents have different expectations for their children; therefore, they respond differently based on their expectations due to different backgrounds and beliefs. According to research, children tend to develop other behavioral characteristics due to their parents’ discipline. For instance, physically punished children are likely to be aggressive (Lansford & Deater‐Deckard, 2012). Each child has a different personality, and parents have different perceptions and perceptions of their actions due to their religious background, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic status, and education.

Several studies suggest that spanked children may be more likely to be aggressive and rebellious than those who are not spanked. When their parents hit children as punishment or discipline, they tend to develop aggressive responses to protect themselves from further pain; disobedience is seen as an evasion of punishment (Trickett & Kuczynski.,1986). Children learn from parental disciplining methods that they can avoid being punished by avoiding adverse behavior or by more effective ways of discipline such as self-discipline, therefore, encouraging good conduct. Corporal punishment is a form of coercion in which parents use physical force to control their children.

Corporal punishment can affect children psychologically, physically, and socially. Many pieces of research show how corporal punishment affects children and results in negative consequences that may potentially affect their future actions as adults. It is known that “children who experience physical punishment are more likely to be aggressive as adults (Lansford & Deater‐Deckard, 2012).” Children raised in families where corporal punishment is used on them will likely engage in negative behavior such as aggression and non-acceptance of authority (Becker, 1964). In addition, they will also have less self-control and poor relationships with peers. Child outcome studies compare those raised in families that use corporal punishment with those who do not.

Overall, there is evidence that corporal punishment has a significant negative effect on children by affecting their learning, development, and well-being. It can damage the children’s emotional capacities resulting in lower satisfaction levels in relationships with others or their family members. Corporal punishment is associated with many behavioral problems in children. According to a study, children who are frequently spanked have lower levels of self-esteem, more aggression, and higher levels of anxiety (Grusec & Goodnow, 1994). Corporal punishment is also linked with other psychological issues such as depression and lower academic achievement. However, research shows that corporal discipline has specific positive effects, such as reducing delinquent behavior such as theft and property destruction. It also reduces the likelihood of future repetition of anti-social behavior by lowering the tendency towards a social behavior in the future.

According to research, there is a relationship between corporal punishment and negative attitudes toward the child’s family members and authorities (Becker, 1964). Punishment can help change behavior because it puts the fear of consequences that can result from it. This can have a limited effect because children develop their plan to eliminate the punishment by escaping or receiving less physical punishment as they grow older. There are adverse effects of corporal punishment that are not negligible; however, parents should be aware of disciplinary measures to change their children’s behavior. There are positive effects, such as boosting self-esteem and the emotional health of children upon attaining a specific goal.

CONCLUSION

Corporal punishment has been proven to harm children; it does affect not only their physical health but also their emotional well-being and self-esteem. Parents can use other educative methods in disciplining their children. The use of corporal punishment should stop to protect the well-being of children and allow them to grow into better adults.

References

Becker, W. C. (1964). Consequences of different kinds of parental discipline. Review of child development research, 1(4), 169-208.

Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. (1998). Guidance for effective discipline. Pediatrics, 101(4), 723-728.

Grusec, J. E., & Goodnow, J. J. (1994). Impact of parental discipline methods on the child’s internalization of values: A reconceptualization of current points of view. Developmental psychology, 30(1), 4.

Lansford, J. E., & Deater‐Deckard, K. (2012). Childrearing discipline and violence in developing countries. Child Development, 83(1), 62-75.

Socolar, R. R., Savage, E., & Evans, H. (2007). A longitudinal study of parental discipline of young children. Southern Medical Journal, 100(5), 472-478.

Trickett, P. K., & Kuczynski, L. (1986). Children’s misbehaviors and parental discipline strategies in abusive and nonabusive families. Developmental psychology, 22(1), 115.

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