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The Importance Of Corporal Punishment

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When it comes to disciplining children there are many different schools of thought and beliefs of what is right and wrong. These different opinions have been reviewed, discussed and argued by many different adults including parents, teachers, psychologists, and lawmakers. Every day parents must make decisions on what they believe is ethically and morally right when they discipline their children. Corporal punishment is one such decision. By definition, corporal punishment is “the infliction of physical pain upon a person’s body as punishment for a crime or infraction” (Encyclopedia, 2015). In a more general sense of the term, it refers to the physical disciplining of children.
One of the hardest quantities in discussing corporal punishment is clearly separating it from physical abuse. Much research on the topic is fueled by the substantial base of those concerned with child abuse and the violence that children experience in their own homes (Redman & Taylor, 2006; Straus, 1999). The purpose is not to determine if abuse is ethical under any circumstances, but to determine if physical punishment is an ethically sound way for parents to demonstrate discipline. Corporal punishment can occur in many different forms including: spanking, a flick of the ear, tap/slap on the hand, or a pinch or squeeze to a child’s arm (Oas, 2010). Examples of how these actions may transpire are with the parent’s hand, a wooden spoon, or belt. Oas (2010) describes physical abuse as “non-accidental

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