Chapter 7 Punishment I

The evidence shows that punishment such as fines, long prison terms, yelling and spanking are not the good ways to get id of undesirable behavior. Although sometimes punishment is effective, there are many reasons on why punishment may fails. The key for punishment to work is the consistency of the punishment. For example, a study of one of the criminal records from the past suggest that punishment can deter some young criminals from repeating their offences. After a few of given arrest, punishment did reduced rates of subsequent arrest. In addition, the type of punishment really made no difference. 

There is many reasons of why punishment might fail. People often administer punishment inappropriately or mindlessly. For instance, when we angry at someone for doing a mistake, we often blindly rage at them or shout things we don't mean. This situation could lead to another reason which is the recipient of this harsh punishment often responds with anxiety, fear or rage. These negative emotional reactions can create more problems than the punishment solves. For example, a teenager who severely punished may run away from their home.

Another reason on why punishment fails is because the effectiveness of punishment is often temporary, depending heavily on the presence of the punishing person or circumstances. For example, a person will likely to speeding when there is no presence of an officer. What also important is that the absence of immediate punishment, may also make the punishment not as effective.

The last evidence shows that an action intended to punish may instead be reinforcing because it brings attention. So punishment can backfire if we're not using it carefully. One study shows that children who are physically punished ten to become more aggressive and antisocial overtime (Durrant & Ensom, 2012).

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