NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT: WHAT IT CONSISTS OF AND EXAMPLES - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

The positive punishment is one of the four basic techniques encompassed within the operant conditioning. It is a tool that is used to reduce the frequency with which a person carries out a certain behavior. To do this, the basic technique consists of providing a stimulus to the person who is considered negative. For example, putting a negative point on a child when he misbehaves is considered negative punishment, since it is something unpleasant.

Along with negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement, and negative punishment, this tool was one of the tools that BF Skinner created as the basis for his theory of operant conditioning. This is based on the idea that we can change the way a person behaves by giving them rewards or punishments when they carry out certain behaviors.

Positive punishment has been one of the most used techniques throughout history in disciplines such as education and psychotherapy. This is because it has been shown that adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior is much more effective than reinforcing one that we want to be repeated.

However, in recent times positive punishment has begun to be limited at the professional level, because it has been discovered that in the long term it can have certain negative consequences. In this article we will see exactly what this technique consists of and how it works.

What is negative punishment?

At a conceptual level, and within the scope of operant conditioning, a punishment is a learning process by which a behavior that is considered undesirable is followed by a consequence that aims to reduce the probability that it will be repeated in the future. In the long term, punishment seeks to eliminate the behavior entirely.

The concept of punishment was first introduced by BF Skinner, one of the most important psychologists of the 20th century and the creator of operant conditioning. This theory affirms that our way of acting is determined by the positive and negative consequences that we suffer when we behave in a specific way.

Skinner said that you could change the way someone else acts simply by adding favorable or unfavorable consequences to their behaviors. This is done both by reinforcement and by punishment.

Positive and negative punishment

In operant conditioning, there are two basic techniques for eliminating behavior: positive and negative punishment. Both provide a negative consequence when a person carries out the behavior to be attacked, but they do it differently.

At first, talking about "positive punishment" may seem somewhat contradictory. However, in the realm of conditioning, "positive" has nothing to do with something good. Rather, it is related to adding something, while "negative" refers to the subtraction of an element.

Thus, positive punishment works by adding a stimulus that the person considers aversive when he or she carries out a behavior that is to be eliminated. The most common example of positive punishment is the use of physical force; For example, if a child was misbehaving in the past, her parents or teachers could spank her so that she would not act in the same way again in the future.

However, positive punishment goes far beyond simple physical blows; And although it is no longer used so much at the institutional level, it is still present in many areas of our lives.

Various studies have shown that positive punishment is the operant conditioning technique that causes faster changes in most people. However, it can cause quite a number of psychological consequences, which is why experts recommend using positive reinforcement as a healthier alternative.

Examples

Here are some real-life examples where positive punishment is used to modify different behaviors.

1- Yelling at a child when he misbehaves

Nowadays, the fact of applying physical punishment to a child is something very frowned upon on a social level. For this reason, many parents and educators have changed this tool for other similar ones that do not imply using violence.

One of the most common reactions in adults when a child misbehaves is yelling or scolding him. In this way, a negative consequence is being added in the hope that the child will not act the same again in the future.

2- Add extra work to students who do not complete their assignments

Positive punishments do not have to be used only with children. Adolescents and young adults are also frequently exposed to this technique, especially in the student environment.

For example, when a young university student does not turn in a mandatory assignment on time, he will usually have to complete an extra task in order to pass his subject. This is a form of punishment, as the consequence of your actions is unpleasant. The same happens when a student fails a subject and has to take make-up or repeat it the following year.

3- Traffic fines

At the social level there are also many examples of the use of positive punishment to decrease the frequency with which people carry out certain behaviors. Fines are a tool that are completely based on this concept, since they seek to avoid actions by adding a very negative consequence to those who do them.

A very common example is that of traffic tickets. When a person respects the speed limit when driving their car, many times they do it simply to avoid having to pay a financial penalty if they are discovered by a police officer or a radar.

4- Jail sentence

At an even more extreme level, jail serves as a positive punishment for all those who have committed some really serious crime. Imprisonment is a very negative consequence whose simple threat decreases the frequency with which individuals are willing to break the law or break some rule.

conclusion

As we have seen, positive punishment is present in many different ways in our daily lives. However, it should be remembered that this technique does not have to be effective in all areas, much less recommended. The examples shown in this article are simply intended to explain how this tool works.

References

1. "Positive punishment and operant conditioning" in: VeryWell Mind. Retrieved on: November 08, 2019 from VeryWell Mind: verywellmind.com.
2. "12 Examples of Positive Punishment & Negative Reinforcement" in: Positive Psychology. Retrieved on: November 08, 2019 from Positive Psychology: positivepsychology.com.
3. "What's The Difference Between Positive and Negative Punishment?" in: North Shore Pediatric Therapy. Retrieved on: November 08, 2019 from North Shore Pediatric Therapy: nspt4kids.com.
4. "What Is 'Positive Punishment'? Definition and Real-World Examples ”in: Care. Retrieved on: November 08, 2019 from Care: care.com.
5. "Positive Punishment" in: Psychestudy. Retrieved on: November 08, 2019 from Psychestudy: psychestudy.com.