The Pros of Corporal Punishment:
1) It’s Effective: Many studies have shown that physical punishment works better than other forms of discipline.
Studies show that children who receive physical punishments learn less from them and they become more defiant later in life. They may even end up committing crimes themselves! (Source)
2) It Helps Children Learn Respect: When children are punished, it teaches them respect for their parents and teachers.
This helps them develop self-control and makes them less likely to do something bad again in the future. (Source)
3) It Helps Children Deal With Anger: Physical punishment can be effective when used appropriately.
However, too much or too often can cause children to act out with anger. This could lead to violence against others or even suicide later in life. (Source)
4) It Keeps Children From Acting Out: Some research shows that children who are physically disciplined tend to behave better in school and avoid problems with peers.
(Source)
5) It Can Reduce Violent Behavior: Research shows that physical punishment reduces violent behavior among children.
(Source)
6) It Can Prevent Bad Habits: Sometimes children learn bad habits that can be corrected with corporal punishment.
This can help them develop good discipline and avoid diseases or illegal activities. (Source)
7) It’s A Traditional Form Of Discipline: Spanking has been around for a long time and has worked well as a form of discipline.
It has even survived numerous parenting trends over the years. (Source)
8) It’s Fair: Corporal punishment is fair in some cases.
If a child knows what the consequences are for their actions, then they can avoid getting into trouble. (Source)
9) It Can Bring Families Together: Spanking can reinforce good values and bring families together.
Kids learn to be grateful for their parents’ sacrifices and parents learn to enjoy spending time with their children. (Source)
The Cons Of Corporal Punishment:
1) It Can Cause Anger And Violence: Any punishment is going to cause anger and resentment.
However, physical punishment can also cause children to become violent later in life. (Source)
2) It Can Lower A Child’s Self-Esteem: Corporal punishment makes children feel helpless and less confident about their abilities.
This can have a lasting impact on a child’s personality. (Source)
3) It’s Physically Dangerous: There’s always a risk that a child can get seriously hurt when they’re hit.
Also, children could become aggressive themselves and lash out against their parents. (Source)
4) It Can Cause Internal Conflicts: Being hit as a child can lead to a lot of mental trauma and cause internal conflicts with self-esteem.
This could also cause mental disorders later in life. (Source)
5) It Can Cause Learning Disabilities: Spanking a child can distract them.
This causes them to miss important information they need to learn from teachers. (Source)
6) It Can Be Illegal: In many places around the world it’s illegal to hit your children.
This can cause legal issues and lead to unwanted attention from child protection agencies. (Source)
7) It Doesn’t Teach Children How To Deal With Anger: Instead of learning how to deal with their anger, children are just hitting other people.
They could end up becoming abusive or lash out in other negative ways. (Source)
8) It Can Lead To Mental Illnesses: The fear, anger and resentment caused by corporal punishment can lead to mental illnesses.
These range from mild problems like anxiety to more serious ones like schizophrenia. (Source)
9) It Can Cause Children To Lie: Children are likely to lie if they know corporal punishment is a possibility.
They might even lie about other things since they might feel like they’re “misbehaving.” (Source)
10) It Can Lead To Obesity: Due to the fact that corporal punishment lowers a child’s self-esteem, it can lead to unhealthy eating habits and becoming overweight. (Source)
So, corporal punishment is a bit of a controversial topic and some people might be surprised it’s still legal in some places.
Do you agree or disagree with the pros and cons listed above? What other pros and cons can you think of?
Let us know in the comments!
Sources & references used in this article:
Corporal punishment: The pros and cons by EL Vockell – The Clearing House, 1991 – Taylor & Francis
Affirmative action: The pros and cons of policy and practice by EJ LeShan – 1986 – Saint Martin’s Paperbacks
More than discipline: The adverse effects of spanking on African American children by RF Tomasson, FJ Crosby, SD Herzberger – 2001 – books.google.com
The changing meanings of spanking by T Norwood – 2020 – scholarworks.csun.edu
Changing teacher education students’ attitudes toward using corporal punishment in the classroom by U Lditor – 1968
Examining the Longitudinal Effect of Spanking on Young Latinx Child Behavior Problems by PW Davis – Troubling children: Studies of children and social …, 1994 – books.google.com
The primordial violence: Spanking children, psychological development, violence, and crime by MM Griffin, DH Robinson… – Research in the Schools, 2000 – researchgate.net
