Due to the drawbacks of physical punishment, such as causing children to fear their teachers and try to avoid school, most schools in the United States have banned corporal punishment.

Google

Using physical punishment on children has significant disadvantages. It can instill fear not only of the punished act but also of the person administering the punishment. Furthermore, it may lead to increased aggression and antisocial tendencies, as children may model the aggressive behavior they observe in their parents or guardians.

Drawbacks of Physical Punishment

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

A significant drawback of punishment is its potential to teach fear. For instance, a child punished for a specific action may develop a fear of the situation associated with the punishment. More problematically, the child may also become fearful of the person who delivered the punishment, such as a parent or teacher, which can lead to avoidance behaviors like trying to skip school.

Fear as a Consequence of Punishment

Physical punishment can lead to increased aggression and antisocial behavior in children. When children observe parents using physical force out of anger or frustration, they may learn to model this behavior. As a result, they might resort to similar aggressive actions, such as hitting peers, when they experience their own feelings of frustration.

Aggression as a Consequence of Punishment

Based on the provided scenario, identify two likely unintended consequences of the disciplinary method being used and explain how they relate to established findings on this form of punishment.

Analyzing a Disciplinary Approach

Analyze the following scenario and explain the likely psychological reasons for the child's subsequent behaviors.

Behavioral Outcomes of Disciplinary Actions

Banning of Corporal Punishment in Schools

If a child is spanked by their parents when the parents are angry about misbehavior, the child may model this aggressive behavior. For example, they might start hitting their friends when they won't share their toys because they learned to resort to physical aggression when angry and frustrated.

Learn Before

Related