Glorifying Corporal Punishment: Harming Young Minds

Today one might find it fascinating to learn that young adults and the preceding generation in the Naga family unit grew up accustomed to what we call ‘corporal punishment’ as a method of discipline, and an even shocking revelation would be that it was and still is considered a byproduct of love, or as one delicately calls it, “tough love”.

Corporal punishment is the act of physically creating an uncomfortable situation in response to a particular behavior that is deemed undesirable. By introducing physical negative obligations (punishments) as a response to particular behaviors, the subject in question is subsequently discouraged from continuing the same. Many young Naga adults have experienced, to some extent, some kind of corporal punishment growing up. The effectiveness of this method is highly debatable, while research has concluded that it does have its fair share of positive results, the longevity of the effects are very short lived and more than often comes with its own set of baggage; both mental and physical.

The justification for corporal punishment is that parents or elders resort to certain physical punishments in order to discourage their children from harmful behaviors as nobody would desire to encourage someone they care for, indulge in seemingly harmful activities, that they are punishing them out of love, and so when a justification such as this forms the basis of the action, the debate on whether corporal punishment is a humane and efficient means of learning becomes very ambiguous. 

The prevalence of corporal punishment seeps through, from the family unit, to the academic structure as well. It is very common to hear incidents of corporal punishment carried out in school, usually seen in the elementary classes. I remember a time when parents would encourage the teacher to “beat” their children if they are not behaving as desired.  This is an indication of the Naga learning culture predominantly being motivated by the philosophy of punishments. Teachers patrolling the school with a tailored “stick” specifically for correctional purposes was a very common and an almost welcomed sight for our parents a decade ago. Today the same scene would be frowned upon. So then, if the scene of corporal punishment is in decline why does this article stress heavily on the same? Like most readers and observers we tend to overlook the underlying issue with corporal punishment. The prime concern with physical correcting procedures with the objective to induce learning lies not in the physicality of the act itself but the kind of effects the act produces and the forms it now prevails in. 

 With the decline of corporal punishment in the Naga families and academic institutions, can we truly say that the effects of punishments are no longer existent? If we look at the learning situation from the light of corporal punishment it has visibly taken a more positive stride with time but we are still very much in the midst of a thriving punishment induced learning culture. In the pursuit of perfection parents are quick to point out mistakes their children make, and this is because many of us confuse the ability to recognize mistakes and problems rather than actual perfection, which in its own is a myth; an unattainable goal. 

When parents form the habit of pointing out the errors in their children and making sure they know that they have made a mistake instead of communicating with them why their actions are wrong, the guilt of committing an error becomes a punishment for the child, a punishment of self-esteem, a punishment for not living up to expectations. This guilt creates the sense of dread and insecurity in their children and as a result they end up living their lives walking on eggshells, chasing external validation and usually neglect their actual needs.  Even in the academic institutions it is observed that trivial errors are brought into light, of course without malicious intent, but still with adverse outcomes, while small achievements such submitting an assignment on time or not missing classes are not acknowledged. This in turn produces the opposite effect where students would rather stick to obvious tasks that they know they can complete instead of exploring their creativity and innovating new ways, or give up trying altogether if they feel that they do not see a future where they can complete the expected task.

 In simple terms negative actions are punished religiously but positive actions are scarcely rewarded. This is the essence of ‘tough love’. If one were to ask a random young Naga adult if they express their love for their parents verbally the chances of the idea itself being uncomfortable would be very high, this of course is a result of the age-old tradition of tough love. Tough love functions on the principle of punishing the “errors” while simultaneously donning on the mantle of the expression of love and care. Since the act of punishing takes the place of showing concern and affliction the actual expression of emotions are neglected. A skewed but an unfortunately painful reality.

The Naga lifestyle is riddled with the consciousness of the society and while it is necessary to integrate with the surrounding, living our lives in pursuit of external acceptance is something one must realize is unhealthy and destructive. “Naga students are very reserved” or “Naga students need to speak up more” or “if you don’t voice out, you will never be ahead of the competition.” and similar voices are far too common phrases that one would regularly come across in the state’s educational field, and we must wonder, if we truly care about the future, why it is so.

This article does not pretend to be a guide on how to educate or how to parent nor does it feign ignorance on the delicate intricacies of the process of parenting and educating. It is merely a physical expression of humble observations; it is merely a degree of thought.

Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editorial team includes Chubamenla, Asst. Professor, Dept. of English and Rinsit Sareo, Asst. Manager, IT, Media & Communications.

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