Root causes of corporal punishment of children: approaches and mechanisms to confront it

Adult behavior has a profound effect on the personality and habits developed in children. Corporal punishment means the use of physical force to cause pain without injury, to discipline - ' behavior correction or control’- children. Corporal punishment of children can both have short-term and long-term harmful effects on their body and mind. In general, parents’ frequent use of corporal punishment is likely to be due to the fact that they may have experienced depression, drug abuse, alcohol use, quarrels, sexual abuse and adopting an authoritarian parenting style. Also, a high number of corporal punishment cases are reported to have occurred in families with low income and young parents. In addition, children experiencing severe corporal punishment and physical violence receive less love and warmth from other members of the family during childhood. These issues require that corporal punishment and the factors influencing it be discussed and explored scientifically and systematically. In this paper, following an introduction, a literature review of the empirical research on corporal punishment and root causes and experiential factors influencing it as well as the psychological and physical abuse of children will be dealt with. The second part will address theories explaining violence and corporal punishment including the "theory of interaction", "theory of personal ecology", "socio-cultural theory" and "structural approach". The last part of the article, as a general conclusion, offers some suggestions and guidelines.