Watkins 1

Mikah Watkins

Mrs. Cramer

Comp Pd. 4

4 Oct. 2018

Disciplinary Methods Changing Children

“Effective and positive discipline is about teaching and guiding children, not just forcing

them to obey,” (US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health). Appropriate

behavior is a term that can be defined in numerous ways. A debatable topic of how and whom by

children should be taught appropriate behavior has become a controversial idea. Throughout the

years the term “appropriate behavior” has changed. What would be accepted as appropriate

behavior nowadays, was not necessarily always acceptable. The habits of the people during the

time of the nineteenth century were undergoing a change—a revolution—marked by growth in

strictness of manners (Quinan 1). In the twenties, the “flappers” came about. They were women

who popularly represented a greater freedom among other women. James R. McGovern of the

University of West Florida said that the revolution in female behavior during the 1920s can be

traced back to the changes that occur in the progressive era (McGovern 1). The change in

behavior that was initially introduced in the 1920s, has affected the way people act today—

including children. Since the strictness of behavior has dulled throughout the years, it is a

difficult task to teach children right from wrong. Although people generally agree children need

to learn appropriate behavior, the method corporal punishment or verbal punishment is debated,

as well as whose responsibility it is to teach it.

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First and foremost, corporal punishment is a type of punishment, used to control child

behavior, that still exists in homes and schools worldwide. This type of punishment is usually

considered to be a slap, spank, grab, hit or push, which is used to instill fear and sculpt

“appropriate behavior” in children. Violence permanently impacts a child’s mindset throughout

their entire lives. Adults that suffer from chronic physical and mental disorders as well as

emotional instability, have been exposed to abuse at some point during their childhood. It is

possible that intuitively, children suppress their emotional and mental needs because they fear

they will be reprimanded. This can be the cause of under-diagnosis of mental disorders in

children (Nijhara, Bhatia, and Unnikrishnan 405). Corporal punishments have negative impacts

on children that should not be taken lightly. The effects of the children are not only weighty to

their health but can affect them throughout their entire life spans. This method is used frequently

so that it has become a part of the norm of raising and teaching one's child appropriate behavior.

The Journal of Marriage and Family has similar information on corporal punishment. The

Journal mentions that using the proportion of the frequency and severity of punishments,

children tend to experience rejection. With a sample of 349 youths, ages ranging from 9 to 16, in

St. Knitts, West Indies, a structural equation modeling analysis shows that corporal punishment

alone makes a significant, direct, and negative affect to children’s psychological adjustments

(Rohner, Kean, and Cournoyer 681). Corporal punishment negatively impacts a child’s physical

and mental health.

In addition to corporal punishment, there are more methods of punishment that parents

apply to children to curb behavior, such as verbal punishment. Verbal punishment is a type of

disciplinary punishment that is delivered in the form of words. It is an effective way to discipline

children when used properly. When verbal punishment is used infrequently and targets specific
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behavior, it becomes effective. However, if it is used frequently and indiscriminately, then it will

lose its effectiveness. In fact, misuse of this method could reinforce undesirable behavior due to

the attention that verbal punishment provides the child with. For this method to be of help, the

verbal reprimands should refer to the inappropriate behavior and not “slander” the behavior of

the child (Committee on Psychosocial 725). Verbal punishment is also commonly used as a

discipline method. Verbal punishment can have a few negative effects on the child. Verbal

punishment, when used incorrectly, can quickly become verbal abuse. Compared to those who

did not experience verbal abuse, children who did experience it are more than three times as

likely to develop borderline, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive, and paranoid (PDs) during their

early adulthood (Johnson 16). Often, the case is that verbal punishment is misused. Verbal

reprimands have a significant amount of value when attempting to sculpt acceptable behavior

into a child. Parents often use verbal reasoning with their child to attempt to explain why their

behavior was inappropriate.

More often than not, the reinforcers of corporal and verbal punishment are the parents or

guardians of the child. Parents are not the only people who attempt to teach children appropriate

behavior. Pediatricians are often asked to advise parents who struggle to manage oppositional

behaviors in their young children. Pediatricians provide counseling for parents about

developmental and behavioral issues. They are often parents’ initial contact with concerns about

their child’s development or behavioral issues. Pediatricians are a common choice when parents

detect an issue in their child, especially during the toddler to preschool years because this is

when parental concerns are commonly raised. For any type of disciplinary method to be

effective, there must be positive interactions between the child and the parents. Pediatricians

encourage these positive interactions before they recommend other disciplinary strategies. They
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also commonly recommend strategies that include ignoring mildly inappropriate behavior, using

positive incentives for appropriate behavior, and using time-out from positive reinforcement to

punish the child’s aggression, or other inappropriate behaviors (Blum et al 336). Teachers are

also somewhat responsible for the behavior of children. School administrators are held

accountable for reducing behavior issues. Several schools use the process “The Leader in Me” to

transform education. The program teaches Steven R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective

People principles. The Mechanics Grove School in the Mundelein School District in Illinois is

one out of the 1,500 schools that utilize the process of “The Leader in Me.” Steven R. Covey

finds the life principles can be applied to any individual in any situation. Teachers try to integrate

the 7 Habits into whatever they are teaching. “The Leader in Me” has significantly increased

student engagement and decreases behavior referrals (Miller 97). Parents, pediatricians, teachers

and school factuality all influence how a child is taught appropriate behavior.

In short, children must learn appropriate behavior, but how and by whom this behavior is

taught is debated. Corporal punishment and verbal punishment are both common disciplinary

methods that have unintentional effects on children. Corporal punishment can affect children by

causing them to have mental health problems. Verbal punishment can be effective if used

properly and can even have negative effects if used incorrectly. Both methods are used and

recommended, depending on the situation. Pediatricians often deliver parents with

recommendations and advise other strategies. Parents that report to pediatricians about their

parental concerns, use these methods or take them into consideration. Teachers are also

responsible for child behavior development. The process of “The Leader in Me” assists teachers

in teaching the children how to use appropriate behavior. Appropriate behavior is generally

defined as suitable actions, but the meaning, as in what is and what is not, of the word “suitable”
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varies. Children should be taught and guided towards appropriate behavior rather than being

forced to obey.
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Works Cited

Blum, Nathan J., et al. "Disciplining Young Children: The Role of Verbal Instructions and

Reasoning." Pediatrics, vol. 96, no. 2, Aug. 1995, p. 336+. Student Resources In Context,

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Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.

Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. "Guidance of Effective

Discipline." Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, vol. 101, no. 4,

1998. Google Scholar,

pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/101/4/723.full.pdf. Accessed 20 Sept.

2018.

"Discipline and Punishment." Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law, edited by Jeffrey Wilson,

2nd ed., vol. 1, Detroit, Gale, 2006, pp. 609-14. Student Resources In Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2588700117/SUIC?u=pl1949&sid=SUIC&xid=095189

0d. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.

Gardner, Frances E.M., et al. "Parents Anticipating Misbehaviour: An Observational Study of

Strategies Parents Use to Prevent Conflict with Behaviour Problem Children." The

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Discipline, vol. 40, no. 8, 1 Nov.

1999, pp. 1185-96. Google Scholar, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-child-

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Johnson, Jeffery G., et al. "Childhood Verbal Abuse and Risk for Personality Disorders During

Adolescence and Early Adulthood." Comprehensive Psychiatry, vol. 42, no. 1, 2001, pp.

16-23. Google Scholar,

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Morals." The Journal of American History, vol. 55, no. 2, 1968, pp. 315-33. Google

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Miller, Kathleen. "Transforming Schools through 'The Leader in Me': Incorporating Covey's '7

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