Controversy Surrounding The Dichotomy Of Corporal Punishment

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Our culture is indubitably conflicted in regard to childrearing. There are incongruous conceptions of childrearing that can be seen across society, as some individuals are advocates for corporal punishment, while others are critics of the use of corporal punishment in raising children. Whereas some individuals view corporal punishment as a method of punishment that enforces discipline, others regard it as child abuse. Some individuals see corporal punishment as a necessity in disciplining children, whereas others consider it as an inappropriate punishment that leads to feelings of worthlessness, aggression and dislike of authority. This dichotomy in principles can be traced back to thousands of years ago, when these ideologies originated with …show more content…

Thomas Arnold and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Corporal punishment is not merely a relic of the past, as it has made its way to our modern day culture and society. John Wesley, who was the the founder of the Methodist movement in the eighteenth century had asked his mother, Susanna Wesley for an “account of her educational precepts” (Cleverley & Phillips, 1986, p. 28). Susanna's first responsibility of childrearing happened to be the restraint of self-will in the child. As per the reading, “Good habits were developed under a strict regime of controlled sleeping, fasting between meals, whispered requests for food at table, regular family prayers, and the judicious application of corporal punishment.” Susanna seems to be adamant in terms of corporal punishment and being that she enforced discipline and her overall control, John Wesley came to adopt her …show more content…

Thomas Arnold, who was a famous educator. Arnold claimed that he perceived “evil hearts in boys” (Cleverley & Phillips, 1986, p. 31). Accordingly, Arnold established three educational standards that were to guide the eviction of evil, namely chapel, expulsion and corporal punishment. It is clear that Dr. Thomas Arnold saw corporal punishment as a crucial facet of governing within a school setting. In essence, although Dr. Arnold was unarguably a proponent of corporal punishment, he felt that the younger boys could be inspired by virtue. In terms of the preceding principle of expulsion, we still see that in our present day society, with children displaying unfavorable behavior being expelled from school, which is quite synonymous with the term