Social Isolation.
Sensory Deprivation.
Loss of physical freedom.
Provoking emotional stress and humiliation.
When we apply these things in the interrogation of a terrorist, we call them torture. So why is it that these are the favored tools of parents who claim to abhor violence towards children?
Anybody?
In case the parallels aren't clear:
Time out=Social isolation
Loss of TV/Radio=Sensory deprivation
Grounding /Sending to their room=Loss of physical freedom
"You're disappointing me." or "You're hurting my feelings." or "You're making me sad."=Emotional stress.
I'm serious about this. I can remember when I was a kid, and I would rather take a spanking from my dad than to hear him tell me I'd disappointed him. A spanking hurts for 5 minutes; feeling like you've failed the most important people in your life lasts a lot longer.
Posted by Rich at January 10, 2008 1:04 AM | TrackBackI really don't think that 5 minutes in a rocking chair in the living room equates to the social isolation of prisoners. Losing tv or iPod doesn't take away ALL sensory input. They are still a part of the world around them. Birds singing, fresh air blowing on the skin, etc.
Posted by: Cathy on January 10, 2008 10:22 AMTo a child, 5 minutes can seem like forever. It also teaches them that in order to have social contact, they must conform to social expectations. I'm all for that, but place the methods in a different context, and now you're talking about behavior modification, psychological coercion,etc.
It's only a matter of the degree of coercion.
My point is that the new "preferred" methods of child rearing are very potent psychological tools, and that they are wholly based on the application of force the same as the more traditional methods.
Which fades first, the red mark on the bottom, or the scar on the soul?
Posted by: rich on January 10, 2008 1:22 PM