Reinforcer 4: Negative punishment

A conventional probability of defined outcomes raises the prospect of certain behaviors if there is a well-established contingency pattern between them. If you know that action A is going to root action B (which already is something you deeply desire) it’s natural for you to follow that particular behavior pattern. Behaviorism is a well-researched but quite a convoluted science. Nonetheless, its practical implications are as lucid as common sense. An action that brings favorable outcomes usually reinforces itself. And behaviors that need to be reinforced get implanted according to the strategies that have been used to cement them. There are several reasons why humans behave the way they do. These ought to be suitably understood to improve conduct. We know the 4 typical behavior modification paradigms:

• Action followed by reward should lead to repetition of that action
• Behavior succeeded by punishment must decrease its frequency
• Deeds that prevent negative consequences tend to get reinforced
• Actions that cease positive outcomes should diminish themselves

Although all seem to overlap, the context of using behavior modification in different situations affects the behavior change that occurs transiently or for evermore.

Deciphering reinforcement

Consider the diversity between different behavior strengthening methods used by parents, partners, employees, motivators, politicians and the whole world at large. Reward is used to motivate, punishment to deter and rules to avoid negative penalties. The essential and smart move besides these 3 is negative punishment. Just like 2 negatives inactivate each other, a negative punishment generates a positive impact.

• If I eat too much I won’t be slim and beautiful
• If I don’t exercise I will not stay hale and hearty
• If I don’t study hard I won’t get into a good college
• If I don’t eat lunch, I won’t get to play in the evening
• If I don’t respect my wife, we won’t be happy together
• If I am lazy at work I won’t get a raise and the promotion

Negative punishment allows for removal of something that’s desirable. Thus the penance really is the absence of something that was coveted.

Positive vs. Negative Punishment

Punishment as a reinforer may involve infliction of pain: in actuality or figuratively. The impact of the pain however may not be long lived. Thus punishment as a behavior reinforcer habitually fails. Children continue to throw tantrums, employees show up late for work and criminality hasn’t come to a close. The removal of pleasure is not synonymous with perpetration of pain. However it does work better because it instills a sense of self responsibility for ones gains as well as losses.

Everyday negative punishment

When used suitably, negative punishment instills accountability; in others as well as oneself. It makes the child realize that he couldn’t go for the play date because he himself didn’t study although he was given the option to. Or the employees got their regular salary but not the promotion owing to shortcomings in their own behavior that prevented company profits. Doing things for gain is good, but committing acts that prevent an inevitable profit is mindless. Understanding negative punishment and applying it rightly is the sole bets method to modify behavior positively. At every age and every stage…