This paper is a review on a Journal Article entitled "Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors and experiences: a meta-analytic and theoretical review" by Elizabeth Gershoff.

Essay by mobguitarCollege, Undergraduate April 2004

download word file, 5 pages 3.4 1 reviews

Downloaded 173 times

Corporal Punishment: Positive or Negative

We often hear on the news of incidents involving child cruelty. Cases where parents have stepped over the lines of proper corporal punishment and have abused and beaten their children seem to be becoming more and more common. We also hear how many people, such as criminals, become what they are as a result of how they were punished as children. Corporal punishment, or physical punishment such as spanking or slapping, is rarely talked about in a positive way. However, we hear all about the negative effects in extreme cases where parents have gone too far. Many people argue that corporal punishment can be too harsh, and that you should never inflict your child with pain. Yet, others strongly support it because it aids in correcting and controlling your children. It also teaches them the difference between right and wrong and the punishment and pain they can receive for doing what is wrong.

For my journal article review, I reviewed an article from the Psychological Bulletin entitled, "Corporal Punishment by Parents and Associated Child Behaviors and Experiences: A Meta-Analytic and Theoretical Review." The article is by Elizabeth Thompson Gershoff and explains the lines of corporal punishment and its relation to eleven associated child behaviors. Gershoff presents most of her information in the form of a meta-analysis, which is a combination of data from several studies to produce a single estimate. She begins by explaining how corporal punishment differs from physical abuse. In the article, she uses Straus's definition of corporal punishment that says, "Corporal punishment is the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain but not injury for the purposes of correction and control of the child's behavior (540)." To deviate this from physical abuse, Gershoff...