Corporal Punishment: Ryeu Angelo SJ. Pike Grade 10 - St. James The Greater
Corporal Punishment: Ryeu Angelo SJ. Pike Grade 10 - St. James The Greater
Corporal Punishment: Ryeu Angelo SJ. Pike Grade 10 - St. James The Greater
Pike
Grade 10 – St. James the Greater
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
Corporal punishment is a discipline method in which a supervising adult deliberately inflicts
pain upon a child in response to a child's unacceptable behavior and/or inappropriate
language. The immediate aims of such punishment are usually to halt the offense, prevent its
recurrence and set an example for others. The purported long-term goal is to change the
child's behavior and to make it more consistent with the adult's expectations. In corporal
punishment, the adult usually hits various parts of the child's body with a hand, or with canes,
paddles, yardsticks, belts, or other objects expected to cause pain and fear.
Research on corporal punishment has shown that it may be harmful. Many other methods of
discipline are effective in promoting self-control, eliminating undesirable behaviors and
promoting desired behaviors in children. There are people that recommend non-violent
methods of addressing inappropriate behavior in schools, such as behavior management and
school-wide positive behavior supports.
Corporal punishment signals to the child that a way to settle interpersonal conflicts is to use
physical force and inflict pain. Such children may in turn resort to such behavior themselves.
They may also fail to develop trusting, secure relationships with adults and fail to evolve the
necessary skills to settle disputes or wield authority in less violent ways. Supervising adults
who will-fully humiliate children and punish by force and pain are often causing more harm
than they prevent.
2. School corporal punishment – (within the school), when students are punished by
teachers or school administrators;
The main advantage to corporal punishment is that it is quick and relatively inexpensive to
administer. The offender learns to associate pain with the bad behavior. In time, hopefully the
negative reinforcement will stop the bad behavior. The punishment is also quickly
administered as paddling, caning, and other types of corporal punishments used all over the
world typically are executed quickly.
Another advantage is that the punishment is simple and transmits the message that the
offending behavior is unacceptable. Small children who do not grasp the ability to use reason
can associate pain with an action and avoid the action in the future. Corporal punishment may
also be used to keep others in line as others do not want the same punishment to happen to
them.
Ryeu Angelo SJ. Pike
Grade 10 – St. James the Greater
The disadvantages outweigh the advantages to corporal punishment. The person may not
associate the punishment with the action and he/she may start to either fear or hate the
punishment administrator. Some offenders may commit the offense anyway as the pain of
corporal punishment is often temporary. Corporal punishment can also cross the line into
abuse.
The corporal punishment might be applied in the classroom in front of other students or
privately in the principal's office. Though some abhor the use of corporal punishment in
schools, there are still many people who believe that corporal punishment has a rightful place
in the educational system.