Often Discipline Children With Physical Punishment? Psychologist Calls Not The Right Way To Improve Behavior

JAKARTA - Professor of the Faculty of Psychology, University of Indonesia Prof. Dr. Rose Mini Agoes Salim M.Psi said physical punishment is not necessarily suitable for all children in an effort to change their behavior.

"Because what happens a lot now parents do their children's physical punishment remains unchanged, it means that this punishment does not deter children and changes their behavior, maybe it should be with another approach," said psychologist who is usually called Romi, as reported by ANTARA.

He said there are many reasons why children commit violations. Usually because they do not know or do not have an understanding of the applicable rules, they want to seek attention around them or are forced to commit violations due to certain situations.

Physical punishment such as hitting cannot be used as a tool to change children's behavior. In the process, children must know the consequences of committing these violations and know the benefits of not doing things that violate the rules.

Romi also said that changing children's behavior must be seen from the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor side, which is called sharing or shaping behavior.

"It can be in various ways, so providing information on understanding first, cognitive, affective, new psychomotors so that in the process of behavior he understands that this is for his good, maybe he will not do bad things again," he said.

Romi explained that parents can provide understanding through cognitive communication and see the impact of their emotions if they do not commit violations. From this way psychologically the child will stop this bad behavior. Understanding about consequences also needs to be given so that children understand why they should not do things that violate the provisions.

According to him, punishment should not always be given if the child makes a mistake. However, it should also not be too spoiled with gifts as a sign that children obey their parents' wishes because they can damage their mental state and always expect rewards.

"If it can be taken as the last step, if you can still talk to your child, you can still provide information to your child why he committed the violation, advice with sound volume is still not too high, so the child is not afraid of parents," he said.

Children who are often given punishments, said Romi, can make them pedestrians or rude outside the home because they see what their parents treat them. Children can also become depressed, insecure, full of low self-esteem because they are humiliated. So that punishing children has many psychological impacts and

should not hit, do physical punishment, or verbal punishment.