Why isn’t punishment an effective behavior guidance strategy?
Punishment is a penalty for wrongdoing, imposed on purpose by someone in power who intends it to be unpleasant (Coloroso, 1995). It may come in the form of reprimands (e.g., “no hitting”) or mild punishments (e.g., time out) following the form (e.g., hit) of the behavior. Little time or attention may be given to observing behaviors, particularly the events and information surrounding behaviors. Research has shown that these punishment approaches may be effective temporarily but in the long-term have negative effects on children (Sobsey, 1990). One long-term effect of punishment is that it could cause the child to have a negative relationship with the person who delivers the punisher. A second negative effect of punishment is that it could cause the child to act out the behavior on other children. A third negative effect of punishment is that it can cause the behavior to increase rather than decrease. As researchers learned the negative effects of punishment, they began studying alterna
