Discipline concepts and applications

Corporal Punishment

It seems that everyone holds an opinion on what they call "corporal punishment," and everyone seems to know exactly what they mean by "corporal punishment. Technically, corporal punishment means "the infliction of punishment on the body" (Benatar, 1998), meaning that everything from one swat on the behind of a toddler to torture to death by electrocution or lethal injection is "corporal punishment. However, when parents or researchers talk about the corporal punishment of children, what they usually mean is spanking, a form of discipline used by many parents. Benatar (1998) defines it as "the infliction of physical pain without injury" (Benatar, 1998), but that definition is also broader than spanking.

Once corporal punishment is narrowed down to spanking, it should be easier for researchers to talk about the practice with some precision, but often that is not the case. Because the topic is so emotional, articles and studies often refer to actions most would call physical abuse, such as beatings, punching and kicking (Author not given, 1966). In addition, many studies do not distinguish between limited (one or two swats with an open hand) spanking of toddlers and corporal punishment of teenagers. To make it even more unclear, within schools, corporal punishment often means using a wooden paddle. If parents spanked their children with wooden paddles they might be accused of child abuse. The language regarding this topic is often unclear and confusing even when speakers know exactly what they themselves mean by the terms they use.

The publication Family Policy looked at the available research on corporal punishment, finding over 150 articles. However, 83% were opinion pieces, not research. They also noted that most of the research studies had significant flaws. Some combined the effects of abuse with the effects of spanking while others included all ages from small toddler to adolescents. In Family Policy's opinion, the best-done studies actually supported the use of corporal punishment (Author not given, 1966). This publication concluded that "The critical issue is how spanking (or, in fact, any punishment) is used more than whether it is used. Physical abuse by an angry, uncontrolled parent will leave lasting emotional wounds and cultivate bitterness and resentment within a child. The balanced, prudent use of disciplinary spanking, however, is an effective deterrent to aggressive behavior with some children."

An examination of some research and other writing on the topic of corporal punishment confirmed Family Policy's view that personal opinion influenced discussions as well as research, and showed that researchers did often fail to adequately narrow their parameters to get credible results. Strauss's report on the current research (Strauss, 2001) demonstrates the blending of age groups in research. Strauss reported that only about half as many parents "hit" teenagers as they did about thirty years ago. However, hitting and spanking are not the same thing. Since Strauss did not clarify the terms, it is hard to know whether he was talking about angry abuse or spanking. Then Strauss goes on to report that about 94% of parents of toddlers use spanking, the same percentage who did in 1975. With these two statements, Strauss went on to combine wide age ranges. In addition, using the term "hit" in a discussion of spanking is pejorative and shows that even in research, researchers can allow personal feelings or emotion to color their conclusions.

Other studies claimed that their research demonstrated that corporal punishment causes an increase in antisocial behavior among children spanked (Bauman, 1996). Strauss examined a number of articles and found a correlation between spanking and antisocial behavior. However, he then went on to call this an effect. The research did not demonstrate that the corporal punishment caused the antisocial behavior. It seems equally likely that children who show antisocial tendencies are more likely to be spanked than children who do not show those tendencies. The saying that "correlation is not causation" applies in such situations. Once this correlation was found, highly focused and detailed research might have identified the relationship between the two events, but it was not accurate to assume that because the two events correlated, one had to cause the other. It could have been the reverse, or it could have been caused by some effect not considered in the research.

Strauss emphasized his interpretation by saying, "Corporal punishment... was associated with an increased probability of a child assaulting the parent a year and a half later. Thus, while it is true that corporal punishment teaches the child a lesson, it is certainly not the lesson intended by the parents." (Strauss, 2001). The assumption that corporal punishment "taught" the children to assault their parents may not have been valid either. Perhaps these children were already prone to such behavior, and the parents used corporal punishment in an failed attempt to turn the child's behavior around. Another study cited by Strauss correlated corporal punishment with dating violence later, while fourth study used children of mothers seen hitting their children during interviews (Strauss, 2001). Once again the important issues were blurred. Hitting and spanking are not the same thing.

One of the criticisms of corporal punishment is that it "is not used merely as a last resort, but is inflicted regularly and for the smallest of infractions." (Benatar, 1998) Such statements demonstrate once again the lack of focus when talking about corporal punishment. Few people would agree with using corporal punishment for "the smallest of infractions." It would be helpful if researchers would define the issue narrowly so more confidence could be given regarding findings.

It does not make sense for parents to use corporal punishment on teenagers, who are independent enough and big enough to apply corporal punishment back at the parent. While it is known that corporal punishment of teens causes resentment and bitterness,(Author not given, 1966), any teen can tell researchers about the kind of resentment that non-corporal punishment can trigger as well. Teens frequently resent any type of consequences applied to their behavior. In order to talk about corporal punishment sensibly, researchers and others need to talk more precisely. They need to specify the age group for whom they oppose or support corporal punishment. Many parents who would give a toddler a swat on the behind with an open hand for running into the street would not dream of attempting to spank their 15-year-old. One obvious difference between the two is that the 15-year-old is old enough to discuss whatever behavior it is that the parent did not like. Toddlers, on the other hand, need to be taught not to run into the street. It is important, potentially life-saving education.