Identifying the Difference Between Discipline and Abuse (Essay Sample)

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Discipline and Abuse
Corporal punishment is often used as a form of discipline. It is another question to determine whether this type of punishment is effective in instilling discipline. Most parents have found themselves getting angry or disappointed towards their children for misbehavior. Such feelings are not always expressed constructively, with most parents ending up administering physical punishment for bad behavior. In comparison, moderate physical punishment is a necessary form of instilling discipline. The understanding of the distinction between discipline and abuse is unclear. The fine line between discipline and abuse is best determined by understanding the scientific, legal, and ethical implications of the extent of administering punishment.
A major controversy in parenting has been the debate on whether to spank or not to spank. Scientific research on discipline and abuse has been used to support or disagree with either discussion side. Research studies have been designed and conducted to determine whether corporal punishment is beneficial to the growth and development of children. Interestingly, an increasingly large number of these studies conclude that corporal punishment is an effective method of disciplining children. Both medical and non-medical studies on the role of corporal punishment on behavioral development deem corporal punishment ineffective and harmful to the physical and mental health of children. A policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (Sege & Siegel 1) insists on the need for discouraging ineffective forms of instilling discipline, including corporal punishment and verbal abuse. The recommendation is based on a survey conducted among pediatricians in the United States. In the research study, an overwhelming majority of respondents held negative attitudes towards corporal punishment as an ordinary parenting skill. Seventy-five percent of the pediatrics disagreed with spanking children, whereas only 6 percent of the respondents supported corporal punishment and verbal abuse as practical means of teaching discipline. Ultimately, the case against physical punishment is supported by scientific research studies associated with adverse cognitive developmental outcomes among children and adolescents (Grogan-Kaylor, Ma, & Graham-Bermann 22). Therefore, scientific evidence reveals that corporal punishment is abusive and not a form of discipline.