The Effectiveness of Punishment in Children

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The Effectiveness of Punishment in Children

Love and Limits: The Difference Between Discipline and Punishment | by Erica Komisar, LCSW | Thrive Global | Medium 

     Punishment is something that has long been used by parents and teachers as a way to correct negative behavior in a child. However, do we ever stop and think about how effective this course of action might actually be? Psychological research conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) shows that punishment can work if done effectively (Hamilton, 2015). In general, there are two umbrellas that a punishment might fall under. Positive punishment is when an undesirable consequence is added following a behavior. An example of this could be the child receiving extra chores. Negative punishment is essentially “punishment by removal.” An example of this is taking away a child’s toys or video games in an attempt to decrease the likelihood of the negative behavior from occurring again. 


A study done by the APA (same article cited above) looked into the effectiveness of compromising, reasoning, and punishment in an attempt to fix a negative behavior in children. The study found that punishment did indeed show to be effective in reducing defiant or aggressive behaviors. However, reasoning and compromise proved to be more effective for milder misbehavior. It is important to note that in some instances, techniques such as compromise actually led to a worsening in children's behavior over time. The article overall suggests that while punishment is effective, it is best to use a combination of techniques depending on the child. 


For more information on positive and negative punishment: https://mentalhealthcenterkids.com/blogs/articles/positive-punishment-vs-negative-punishment


Works Cited

Hamilton, A. (2015). Punishing a Child Is Effective If Done Correctly. Https://Www.apa.org. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2015/08/punishing-child

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