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Corporal punishment: Normative data and sociological and psychological correlates in a community college population

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Abstract

Community college students (N=170) were surveyed regarding the intensity and frequency of methods of corporal punishment they have received and the persons administering the punishment. Results indicate that corporal punishment is a normatively used method of behavioral management. Males reported receiving a greater amount of corporal punishment, especially from their fathers. Overall, those who received a high amount of corporal punishment reported lower grades and a significantly greater number of problems, such as aggression, delinquency, depression, and anxiety. These findings are cause for concern and intervention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Middlesex Community College, Bedford, Massachusetts

    Janice Westlund Bryan (Associate Professor of Psychology and Coordinator of the Mental Health Program, Faculty of the Radcliffe Seminars Program) & Florence Wallach Freed (Professor of Psychology)

Authors
  1. Janice Westlund Bryan
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  2. Florence Wallach Freed
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Additional information

Received Ph.D. in psychology from Tufts University. Main research interests are sex-role development and personality development.

Received C.A.S. in counseling from Harvard University. Main research interests are battered wives and incest.

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Bryan, J.W., Freed, F.W. Corporal punishment: Normative data and sociological and psychological correlates in a community college population. J Youth Adolescence 11, 77–87 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01834705

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01834705

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