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Importance of discipline
AT many places in the Holy Quran there is reference to the universe and its different
phenomena. It invites us to reflect on the working of all celestial bodies and learn
lessons in order to be successful in life.

All celestial bodies are governed by discipline an organised and coordinated

system with an invisible linkage.

We see the daily rising and setting of the sun, the moon appears and shines
according to phases, the seasons change on a yearly basis and the days and nights
occur according to their length fixed in every season.

Similarly on the earth we see green trees, colourful flowers, sweet and delicious
fruits, towering mountains, gushing water channels, animals, birds, bees and insects
and the oceans. All these are bound together by natural laws which allow them to
exist with an integrated coherence.

Within the human body there are several systems, such as the respiratory,
circulatory, digestive, nervous and reproductive systems working according to set
patterns.

By studying all of this one can learn and discover the secrets of nature. Allah
promises that We will show them Our signs in the universe and in their own selves
until it becomes manifest to them that this is the truth. (41:53).

Natural laws are inherent in the working of the entire universe. They are balanced,
well-integrated and divinely enforced ever since the universe was created.

Islam, being a natural religion, has emphasised learning from nature. It has
prescribed community practices like the daily prayers, fasting, Haj and other acts of
worship synchronising with the movement of celestial bodies. Thus we learn many
lessons but the most important lesson one can learn is discipline. It can be regarded
as a major theme, a core value and a great secret of success in any area of human
endeavour.

Every human desires success in life, but success depends on strictly following the
path of discipline. To be disciplined means to follow the teachings of a guide,
whether that guide is a person, an ethic, a community, a historical tradition or a set
of ideas and to organise ones behaviour and attitude according to those teachings,
as per the Encyclopaedia of Religion.

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) spent years in order to change the unruly Arab culture into
a civilised society. Islam encourages Muslims to display responsible behaviour in life.
It disallows drinking alcohol, gambling and other vices which take people towards
indiscipline and laxity. The Holy Quran portrays a vivid picture of the Day of
Judgment characterised by an extreme sense of discipline. It says On the day when
it comes no person shall speak except by His (Allahs) leave. (11:105).

A human in this world is like a student in a school. He has to learn lessons of

regularity, punctuality, mindfulness and attentiveness to what his teachers say.
Discipline makes our lives easy and enables us to realise our goals. Overall, society
becomes caring and law-abiding.

As far as our nations history is concerned, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah

dreamt that Pakistan would be an egalitarian, progressive and peaceful society. He
gave certain ideals like unity, faith and discipline. If the country had been run
according to these ideals the nation would have progressed and would not be in the
mess it is in now.

Discipline is one of the most important requirements if a nation is to progress. It

leads man to the path of success, be it in any field or institution. Without adhering
to a strict sense of discipline, achieving success becomes very difficult.

Discipline differentiates humans from beasts. For example a stray animal leads an
irregular and undisciplined life. It sleeps wherever it finds a place, scavenges
through garbage for scraps of food etc. Animals do not have a sense of right and
wrong, nor a guide or directions to regulate their life. But humans are subject to
discipline and their success lies in adherence to it.

A society without a strong sense of discipline in all areas of life has, time and again
in human history, proved to be well on the way to decay. Unfortunately over the last
many years many state organisations in Pakistan, as well as the public at large,
have ignored the Islamic message of discipline.

For example we often read reports pointing out financial indiscipline in matters of
public funds. Government officers running the public services have become lax.
Major cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad present the worse scenario of
indiscipline. Markets are plagued by rampant encroachments, traffic on the roads is
hugger-mugger, people travel on the roofs of buses without realising the inherent
dangers. Lack of discipline makes our main roads jam-packed causing irritation and
friction on thoroughfares. Illegal parking and crumbling roads make urban life a
nightmare. These are just a few examples.

This state of indiscipline is tied to the overall state of affairs prevailing in Pakistan.

Changing mindsets and the culture of indiscipline is much harder than changing the
law. It needs proper planning with clear indications about where society needs to be
headed. The media and the education system have to play a crucial role in this
regard. As a suggestion, television channels can try and convince people to change
their thinking, attitude and style of working. They can telecast short plays
highlighting core values and Islamic messages based on discipline, regularity,
punctuality and empathy for others. This may persuade people to lead more
disciplined lives.

NEW
THE IMPACTS OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT ON STUDENTS ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE/CAREER AND
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT UP-

Corporal punishment is one of the hazardous aspects in educational course of an

individual/student that is persevering to vacate the roots of personality
development and academic career of the subject students.
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Corporal punishment can be defined as The use of physical force intended to cause
pain, but not injury, for the purpose of correcting or controlling a childs behavior .
(e.g., punching, kicking, burning) are considered physical abuse (Gershoff, 2002:
539-579). Punishing means subjecting a penalty a practice of disciplining in which,
something unpleasant is present or positive reinforces are removed following a
behavior so that it happens less often in future. All these harsh disciplinary
measures adopted by authoritarian/totalitarian parents and teachers to discipline
children lead to anti-social behavior, contribute to academic failure and social
rejection. These conditions further reduce self-esteem and create depressed mood,
which in turn add to the likelihood of delinquency in adolescents (Patterson, 1982).
Many countries such as Norway, Denmark and Finland have banned corporal
punishment in schools, considering it as a source of school violence .Most of the
child welfare organizations have policies opposing the use of corporal punishment.
Many educationists are against corporal punishment because of the affront to the
childs dignity. Graziano stated that if we are legally prohibited from striking other
adults, why is it okay to strike a child? Corporal punishment is being used as a
means of disciplining action against children and students worldwide but as
catalytic action of education, it needs to be planned meticulously and executed with
great sensitivity (. Previous researches pointed out those adults (parents and
teachers), who were physically punished in their childhood, are more supportive of
corporal punishment than those who were not subjected to physical punishment.
However, in contrast, a majority of family physicians and pediatricians argue that
corporal punishment does not work to correct negative behavior permanently
(Bauman, 1998).One explanation is that after living with violence that is considered
legitimate, people expand this to accept violence that is not considered
legitimate.
For example, violent acts that are considered legitimate include maintaining order in
schools by punishing children, deterring criminals and defending ones country
against foreign enemies. The Cultural Spillover theory presented by Rohner (1991:
40-45) proposes that the more a society uses force for socially legitimate ends, the
greater the tendency for those who are involved in illegitimate behaviors to use
force to attain their own ends. Discipline in rising and teaching of children is
necessary if they are to become social, productive and responsible adults.
Punishment is only a method of disciplining and corporal punishment is only one
aspect of punishment (Sanderson 2003). Parents, guardians and teachers, who use
harsh and punitive practices to discipline their children, may succeed in making the
child conform to their standards but resentment will be reflected by the childs
behavior sooner or later. A frequently punished child will be a problematic person

tomorrow because the child being sensitive reacts to the behavior and disciplinary
practices of adults either at school or at home (Kaur, 2005). Corporal punishment, if
very frequent, may become an on going hardship for children and it has greater
potential for producing negative effects (Pearlin 1989). The long-term use of
corporal punishment tends to increase the probability of deviant and antisocial
behaviors, such as aggression; adolescent delinquency and violent acts inside and
outside the school (Straus, 1991: 205-206). Inconsistent or overuse of punishment
in harsh and unskilled ways can have very undesirable, dangerous and long lasting
effects on the children who may develop negative personality traits such as disliking
the punishing person, developing strong fears and anxieties, obstacles with
learning, learning to escape and avoid people, places and things associated with
harsh punishment which stimulates aggression and they imitate the methods of
punishment used by their parents and teachers (Mawhinney and Peterson 1986).
Corporal punishment is physiologically as well as psychologically damaging
childrens lives. Since it affects child by not only inflicting physical pain but also
mental harassment, feeling of helplessness, worthlessness, depression, inhibition,
aggression, shame and selfdoubt, guilt, social with-drawl, feeling of inferiority,
rigidity, lowered self-esteem, stress and heightened anxiety which may reduce
his/her self confidence (Pandey 2001). Corporal punishment has been associated
with a variety of psychological and behavioral disorders in children and adults,
including anxiety, depression, withdrawal, low self-esteem, impulsiveness,
delinquency and substance abuse (McCord, 1991: 190-200). It has been concluded
from several literature reviews that corporal punishment is associated with
increased aggression in children (Radke-Yarrow, Campbell & Burton, 1968;
Steinmetz, 1979; Becker, 1964; Patterson, 1982). Adolescents who have
experienced corporal punishment show higher levels of depression and feelings of
hopelessness as well as an increased propensity to use violence (DuRant et al.,
1994). Harsh punishment, including corporal punishment, has been associated
significantly with adolescent depression and distress (McLoyd, Jayaratne, Ceballo, &
Borquez, 1994). Children with behavior, anxiety, or disruptive disorders are more
likely to report previous harsh physical punishment (Goodman et al., 1998).
Corporal punishment has been discussed and implicated in a variety of studies as a
factor, contributing in delinquent behaviors such as theft, truancy, running away
and school behavior problems and as a factor in antisocial behaviors such as lying,
cheating and bullying (Straus, Sugarman, & Giles-Sims, 1997; McCord and McCord,
1959; Burt, 1925; Gove & Crutchfield, 1982; Hetherington, Stouwie, & Ridberg,
1971; West & Farrington, 1973; Glueck & Glueck, 1964). When teachers and parents
use corporal punishment as an attempt to reduce antisocial behaviors in their child,
the long-term effect tends to be a further increase in antisocial behaviors (Straus,
Sugarman, & Giles-Sims, 1997). The best predictor of adult aggression is childhood
aggression as longitudinal studies show that, by the time a child is six years old, if
patterns of aggressive behavior have been established, they usually persist into
adulthood (Eron, Huesmann, & Zelli, 1991). Children exposed to a high degree of
physical punishment are more likely to be physically aggressive as adults (Carroll,

1977). In one longitudinal study regarding delinquency, boys experiences of a

harsh parental discipline style predicted their arrest rates at ages 17 through 45
(Laub & Sampson, 1995). Another longitudinal study found physical punishment
during childhood to be significantly more prevalent among drug addicts (Baer &
Corrado, 1974). There is a lack of theoretical works to help identify the processes by
which corporal punishment may affect mental health, but coercive discipline
techniques have been associated with decreased confidence and assertiveness in
children and increased feelings of humiliation and helplessness (Baumrind & Black,
1967). In Pakistan, steps have been initiated to discourage teacher against the use
of corporal punishment. The Punjab Education Department announced that
incidents of corporal punishment in schools would not be tolerated and stern action
would be taken against teachers who indulge in it under the Punjab Removal from
Service Ordinance
Impact of CP on childs personality through Eriksons eyes
According to Eriksons psychosocial theory (Coon & Mitterer, 2013), a child
experiences characteristic dilemmas at different stages of life if their psycho-social
needs are neglected, withheld, or they are treated with disrespect like punishment.

In stage one (Birth to 1 year), the attitudes of trust or mistrust are developed. If the
baby is neglected, rejected or punished, in the later life, he would be an insecure
and suspicious individual and will face difficulty in maintaining relationships with
people. In the second stage (1-3 years), child will develop a sense of either
autonomy or shame/doubt. Punishing children may decrease a childs curiosity to
learn and he might doubt his inner potentials and will not be self-confident.

In third stage (3-5 years), child develops courage to take initiative or suffers from
guilt. Initiative is developed when a child participates in recreational activities
through which he learns planning and management. But if the child is demotivated,
punished, or criticized, he will develop a sense of guilt and will refrain from taking
initiative in the later life. In stage four (6-12 years) of industry v/s inferiority.