Mothers’ Perceptions and Experiences on Corporal Punishment within the Family Systems Approach Framework

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine mothers’ perceptions and experiences of corporal punishment during interactions with their children according to the Family Systems Approach. Interviews were conducted with 19 mothers of 5–6 years old children living in a small town, Anamur, on the Mediterranean coast, in the province of Mersin, Turkey. Collected data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis, and analysis revealed participating mothers exposed their children to corporal punishment and considered some situations acceptable. Typically, mothers used physical force to prevent or manage children’s unwanted behavior, express their anger, and/or re-establish their authority. Participating mothers perceived corporal punishment as unacceptable when it involved children’s physical needs and/or safety. According to the Family Systems Approach, these mothers failed to meet their children’s needs of individualization due to their role organizing the family’s daily routine. Mothers’ overly-excessive proximity to their children, both emotionally and physically, increased the tendency to be intrusive in the children’s lives. Thus, problems of hierarchy and extremely permeable boundaries between family members seemed to form the basis of corporal punishment.