Physical Punishment in Childhood

Providing a wide spectrum of views, the authors explore the fine line between normalized physical punishment and illegal or unacceptable physical and emotional abuse of children. It builds on the emerging field of research that provides opportunities for children to speak for themselves about their views and experiences. Provides observations from children, professionals and several generations from within individual families Discusses the power of language used by parents, professionals and the media to describe physical punishment Reflects upon the status of children in societies that sanction their physical punishment, motivations and justifications for its use, perceptions of its effectiveness, and its impact Presents a combination of personal, social, legal, and language factors which provide significant new insights and suggest ways to move forward

Acknowledgements ix 1 Introduction 1 2 Childhood and physical punishment in historical perspective 11 3 Legal responses to physical punishment 25 4 Conducting sensitive and ethical research with children and adults 49 5 Experiences of physical punishment at home, at school and in public places 63 6 Public and professional perceptions of the effectiveness of physical punishment 93 7 The subjugation of children through language and physical punishment 119 8 The effects of physical punishment 141 9 The persistence of physical punishment 165 10 The morality of physical punishment 203 11 An ideal childhood 229 References 235 Index 261