Corporal punishment in the family: A systems perspective

Abstract

While studies have revealed the widespread use of corporal punishment in families, it remains an area of some controversy among parents and professionals. When corporal punishment becomes an issue in a family, such as in suspected child abuse, the involved professionals have tended to view the situation in a linear, cause-effect fashion. This paper proposes that a family systems perspective of corporal punishment can cast the behavior in a more comprehensible light and offer some fruitful directions for educational or therapeutic help. Some case examples and different kinds of interventions are presented.