Corporal Punishment

By definition, punishment is a process whereby a consequence is added to a particular behaviour in an effort to weaken that behaviour (Huitt & Hummel, 1997). Corporal punishment in turn refers to actual physical punishment to correct behaviour. There are two main institutions within which children are disciplined, namely, the home and the school. Sociologists describe the home as the primary socializing agent as such the home expectedly has the most far reaching impact. The school, as a secondary socialization agent will either reinforce or de-emphasize those values taught within the home. One common feature between the home and the school is that in some cultures, corporal punishment is often utilized within the two with the hope that children will be better individuals. The issue of effective child rearing is a very important one it may be argued that for this to be achieved corporal punishment is needed to instill discipline in children. This discipline is based on the rule of consequences and these consequences include reinforcements and rewards which allow for introspection, this ideally results in better choices, not just in its immediacy but over the long term. It may be argued that by doing this children are given the freedom to choose actions and by extension their consequences. It is hoped that children will be smarter in their choices and thus have improved life chances. For the purposes of this paper, the impact of corporal punishment on children will be explored with the use of evidence based research, personal views will also be highlighted and recommendations provided.
The two main arenas in which children may receive corporal punishment are within the home and the school. The home for many can be described as the mitochondrion of wider society. It represents that entity which greatly moulds individuals, with the support of other such institutions. Values thought within the home have proven to be significant since the household is the first place...