CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
Punishment Theory
It is the act of punishing where the subject undergoes suffering, pain or loss that serves as retribution. It is a fine against the wrongdoer through judicial procedure. It is a severe, jagged or disastrous treatment. Some pain or penalty in the light of law, imposed on a person as a result of a grave misconduct or for the commission of a criminal act punishable by law (Lectric Law Library, n.d.).
It is important to note that an attempt to define punishment is not invitation to justify it. Again, punishment is administered by institutions who in turn define the ways in which punishment on offenders is to be carried out. In this case therefore, to justify the practice of punishment is not tantamount to justifying the act of carrying out this punishment. Either the practice of punishment or the act of punishment should be in tandem with certain set of guidelines such as prescribed laws, rules, standards, and fundamental moral principles. All these set of guidelines become the frame within which practice of punishment or act of punishment may be implemented or justified.
Punishment can take different modes, for example, it can mean to inflict pain on someone like in the case of corporal punishment in schools or a parent thwarting her children or police flogging a group of demonstrators on illegal mass protests et cetera. It can also mean to deprive of someone certain fundamental needs, for example, food, water, air, or conjugal rights just to mention a few. The punishment widely accepted is the one under law. In fact, punishment today is associated with legality. The judicial system is seen as an institution to punish offenders and further to this as an institution that should state what punishment for what offence is to be undertaken.
Parenting Styles
Transitively speaking, corporal punishment must proceed from an agent. Therefore, it is important to understand the nature of the agent it is argued in Latin that nemo dat non quod habet to mean that one cannot give what she does not possess. A parent cannot give love to the child if she does possess or value love a parent cannot confer discipline to the child if she is not disciplined or a parent cannot promote peace and cohesiveness in the family if she is not peaceful et cetera.
So, it is expected that the kind of parenting style there is in a family underscores the kind of punishment the same parents will accord to their children. For instance, there are parents who are very authoritarian such that they never let their children express themselves to them. In such a case, there is tension among the children such that they fear their parents very much. Of course, with such parents, there is expected uncontrolled discipline, even beating the children unnecessarily, or what one would call arbitrary punishment.
Some parents are very authoritative and democratic. They give their children a chance to express themselves to them. They do not value much in punishing their children every now and then. They prefer dialogue and only confer punishment when it is really necessary. On the contrary, there are parents who are so much absorbed in their everyday duties such that they never get to monitor the growth of their children. They are too permissive, so to speak. Such parenting style ignores the importance of controlling and guiding the childrens behavior even, at least, punishing them by use of a cane.
Purpose of Corporal Punishment
Those opposed to corporal punishment of children are a bit concerned of its extensive use and the severity accompanied with it. They note that corporal punishment is rarely used as a last resort, but is conferred regularly and for the smallest of infractions. They actually take note of the exaggerated harshness of many instances of corporal punishment. This seizes to be effective punishment and as such becomes child abuse. Literally speaking, corporal punishment involves infliction of pain on the body of a person. It can also entail forced labor and mutilating torture (Benatar p.238). He writes further that his main focus is how corporal punishment can involve infliction of physical pain without injury. Corporal punishment can be characterized by beating, hitting, spanking, paddling, swatting and caning. As mentioned earlier, corporal punishment takes place in different settings like in school or homes. In both cases punishment is by and large, inflicted without formal trials and in most cases for nonstatutory offences, that is, offences that are ordinarily perceived as moral wrongdoings.
From a consequentialist point of view, corporal punishment acts as a deterrent or reform, while on the contrary, retributivists uphold that punishment is justified if is deserved. Unlike the utilitarianists who will be more concerned with the end results of punishment, the retributivists will regard the means of punishment as more fundamental.
As such, corporal punishment should never lead to abuse, degradation, psychological torture, should never occasion the wrong lessons, should never jeopardize the relationship between the child and the parent and so on and so forth. Punishment, as such, should be an amicable way that parents or elders use to correct their children.
The essence of punishing the children must be that one wants them to grow in the right direction. Despite the kind of punishment that a child will go through, she must always feel that she is loved and all her needs are adequately met. The best way is to make sure that punishment be accompanied by dialogue. For instance, a parent can explain to the child why she got punished and the value attached to it. It is bad and offensive when parents injure their children in the name of punishment. For instance, a parent can break the hand of the child in the cause of punishing her. Therefore, one must always pay attention not to hit the child to the point of injuring her. It can happen that parents discriminate whenever they are punishing their children. When child X errors she receives more punishment compared to child Y. This is wrong There should be a fair and neutral way that parents use to discipline their kids at all times. It should not be a case where males receive much of the punishment and females get less of it.
Corporal Punishment versus Family Relationship
It can be argued and justifiably so that corporal punishment can enhance family building or it can destroy it. The aim of punishing the children is actually to make them feel that they are loved. Any feeling that they do not belong to their parents or they are not loved by their parents is unfortunate. Practically, there are children who fear their fathers in their entire life because of the punishment they got from them. They are not free to share their problems, or even chat. This is terrible Out rightly there is no cohesion and trust between the child and the parent. Such undesired outcomes are what make corporal punishment less valuable and useless.
Children should intuitively grow more in love and trust towards their parents in the event they receive some punishment. Please take note of the term intuitively. This is because a child cannot be forced to trust her parents or family members she will nurture that feeling herself. She can detect that hisher parents want the best out of her, yes they can intuitively capture that truth. They must grow more intimately towards their parents share their problems with them at no costs.
Parents will argue that they need to punish their children for the sake of putting discipline in them. It is however important to understand the system of discipline it circumvents within those boundaries of parenting behaviors that facilitate the parent child relationship, reaffirmation or reinforcement of positive behaviors, and reduction of undesired behaviors. All the three aspects mentioned are required for effective discipline in the childs behavior. It is pointless to work in a system of discipline that fails to honor the three components (Howard p.809).
What children need are good role models, whom the children are concerned about and intend to copy and please, mainly their parents. Therefore, before a parent picks up a cane or a whip on the child, she must evaluate hisher behavior. Is it portraying a good example It is pointless for a parent who comes home drunk and does not care about the children especially their basic needs, to punish the children whenever they go wrong. It is true that she has a duty to foresee the growth of the children, but on the other hand, she is not portraying a good example to them. It will be a contradiction to punish the children considering hisher status.
Children will respect and obey their parents not because they have been punished, but because their parents are well-behaved only if this is met that the children will value the punishment. Parents should always be closer to their children, talking to them more about life, helping them discover their inner strengths and potentialities, and above all reinforcing their positive behavior. A parent who rewards for good work done by the child as well as punishes for wrong doings, is a good and just parent. She can be sure that the children are finding it positive whenever they receive any form of punishment from her. It is important to reiterate that undesired behavior in the children should never go unpunished. Parents should never love their children more, that they cannot even discipline them for their wrongdoings. As mentioned earlier long, permissive style of parenting is not the best as parents will let their children do what they want.
Spanking as a form of punishment just teaches children that by hurting others are the best and effective in changing their behavior. One can think that by hurting children by hitting them is conferring discipline no, it is the opposite. This just nurtures in them a feeling that by hurting others, they will change their behavior. What is worse They will respond the same to their parents. For instance, they could return blows and kicks in those situations that their parents hurt them.
The Impact of Corporal Punishment
There are studies to show that corporal punishment has affective, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes (Oddone, p. 197). There are controversies as to whether corporal punishment should be outlawed or maintained as a form of punishment. In Canada and United States, the controversy still persists regarding the value and right of parents to use reasonable force in nurturing discipline in their children. Notably, Sweden and five other countries have instituted non spanking laws again, Canada and Germany are contemplating outlawing corporal punishment (Straus Paschall, cited in. Oddone, p. 197).
It is believed that use of reasonable force by parents which does not constitute abuse or neglect can effectively and necessarily be a discipline practice. Corporal punishment is beneficial if it proceeds from emotionally supportive parents who also spend some of their time interacting with their children. However, physical practices of disciplining fabricate harmful, instant, and long-lasting emotional, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes on children. Such situations spur a deformed personality with no value for social interaction.
There impact of corporal punishment is both short-term and long-term on its object. It can damage the self-esteem of the child especially in the case where they grow up in fear. There is a greater potentiality of depression occurring in the children, even in their adult life especially due to unpleasant memories of the punishment they underwent in their childhood. Fear of punishment only attracts unpleasant environment which the children will struggle to get rid off. In instances that they cannot evade such unpleasant situations, feelings of learned helplessness and eventual depression suffice. Again, corporal punishment may make the child grow to be a very selfish person what one would call egocentrism as opposed to altruism. When a parent constantly punishes the child, the message she is sending is that the child should be concerned with avoiding hisher pain. This blocks her capability to think about others and caring for them.
Recommendations
Parents should always strengthen their affective bond with their children inasmuch as they would punish them for their wrongdoings. The punishment should be constant and close to the behavior needing change the child must somewhat intuitively perceive it as fair it should be developmentally and temperamentally suitable and it should nurture a desire for self-discipline.
Normally, virtue is in the middle, one should avoid the extremes at all times. Whereas corporal punishment is seen as constructive, it can also be destructive. This happens if the parents do not exercise caution and prudence. As mentioned above, authoritarian style of parenting is dangerous permissive style of parenting is equally dangerous. It is good to settle for an authoritative style of parenting where parents value communication through dialogue. They will sit with their children and explain to them why it is not good to do this or that. In moments when they intend to thwart their children for wrongdoings, they will do it with a lot of love and affection, moderation and without discrimination.
There are better ways to punish, for instance, time-outs, where the parents can prevent their children in doing what they like most. For instance, one can be made to stay without watching TV for sometime as a form of punishment.
Conclusion
I believe that every person today cherishes a moment when she got punished by hisher father or mother due to some wrongdoing. There are those punishments that we received that make us grateful to our parents on the contrary, there are those that make us feel that we did not deserve or it was unfair. I believe that what we remember most is when our fathers came back from work and eventually, punished us with their belts. This was never easy. This only makes sense if one feels that it changed a bad habit one had. Personally, I would have grown being a TV maniac but after some few thwarts here and there from my loving dad, I changed and today I exercise moderation when it comes to such entertainment. I believe that my passion for studies would have been at jeopardy today, if my dad left me to watch TV uncontrollably. Today, am more close to my dad than anybody else. He is my hero
I believe that corporal punishment can be good, and indeed, it is good. It should not be abolished either what is important is to make sure that parents use it not to scare their children but to make them feel more loved and cared for. It should be a uniting factor and not a dividing factor in the family.
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