What do children learn from being smacked? Messages from social science theory and research.A.B. Smith, Childrenz Issues, v.8, n.2, 2004, pp.7-15. This volume of Childrenz Issues has the theme of 'Perspectives on Physical Punishment'. The first paper is a review of around 500 research articles on family discipline. The author concludes that physical punishment teaches children to fear their parents, that inflicting pain is an acceptable way of influencing other's behaviour, and that their parents may not love them. Physical punishment of children is associated with aggression and antisocial 1. denoting behavior that violates the rights of others, societal mores, or the law. 2. denoting the specific personality traits seen in antisocial personality disorder. an·ti·so·cial (  n behaviour, poorer cognitive development, mental health issues, less moral internalisation and diminished child-parent relationships. The paper also discusses the principles of effective discipline: authoritative parenting style; parental warmth and involvement; clear communications and expectations; induction and explanation; rules, boundaries and demands; consistency and consequences; and context--structuring the situation. The author argues that there is no reason to use physical punishment since effective means of discipline that don't involve corporal punishment corporal punishment, physical chastisement of an offender. At one extreme it includes the death penalty (see capital punishment), but the term usually refers to punishments like flogging, mutilation, and branding. Until c.1800, in many parts of the world, most crimes were punished thus, or by such practices as confinement in the pillory or stocks, which combined physical chastisement with the humiliation of an individual possible in a relatively small, cohesive are available.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion