The views about physical discipline among the middle and lower socio-economic class are different. And even within their class, some of them have different beliefs when it comes to physical discipline. In the United States, most people in the middle class believe that such discipline is unnecessary and that punishments should be handled by time-outs and grounding. Majority of middle class parents believe that raising your hand against your children is very abusive and that it should be punishable by law, while some believe that some amount of physical discipline.
In lower class families, physical discipline is not unusual.Most parents in this class resort to physical discipline due to a number of reasons. One reason is because of the lack of education. Some parents did not afford to finish school and thus, proper parenting was not much instilled n them. Another factor is stress; on the lower class both parents are working and when they get home, they are so tired and when they can’t handle all these pressures – they resort to physical discipline when dealing with their children. Physical discipline may also be socially accepted in some cultures.
It is even reinforced in some countries and they believe that this for of discipline is the best.They do not understand the gravity of this form of discipline and the damage that they may cause to their children not only physically but also psychologically. This is mostly because they are less educated than the middle class, and they resort to such methods of discipline. Discipline is a cycle; the method that your parents used when you were a child is most likely the method you would use when you become a parent. This may also be one of the reasons why there are differences in opinions about physical discipline. But for me, I think education is the best explanation for the differences in the opinions of the two groups.
