Social Exclusion Essay

“As they watched me pick, sweep, and mop [spilled orange juice and broken glass shards], I understood how parents could hit their kids” (Berger, 2014). In a heated moment of frustration or all out anger, parents often forget, or perhaps have never considered, the developmental impact words and actions have on their children. Physical punishment such as spanking is a quick action to temporarily cease whatever unfavorable behavior a child is displaying. Psychological control serves to recruit a child’s emotions, both positive and negative, to render a favorable behavioral outcome. Social exclusion, or “time out,” is a tool usually intended to provide a child time to reflect on their inappropriate behavior. Each form of discipline has some effect

In fact, time-out is the most often used disciplinary technique in North America (Berger, 2014). Perhaps the mountains of data resounding the stand against corporal punishment and psychological control leave many to simply view social exclusion as the least objectionable form of behavioral modification. Whatever the rationale behind its use, if this seemingly discreet tool is to be used in child rearing, it is worth the effort for parents to investigate its possible side

This form of discipline typically utilizes the corner of a room, a specific chair strategically placed out of the normal flow of foot traffic, or the child’s bedroom, ideally followed-up by a parent-child discussion about what the child did wrong. The idea behind social exclusion is to remove the offending child from those things the child enjoys, such as playing with a sibling or friend, to consider the offense he or she has committed. At times though, parents use this as a method of removing the child from sight until the parent’s anger subsides. If not wielded correctly, for example yelling at a child as he is shoved into a corner, social exclusion may produce an outcome similar to corporal punishment: an angry child who feels rejected for something he or she did (Berger, 2014). Because this is obviously not the intended outcome (rejection vs. correction), some parents may be more conscious to control their emotions while implementing a time-out. However, anger may be