icon caret-left icon caret-right instagram pinterest linkedin facebook x goodreads bluesky threads tiktok x circle question-circle facebook circle twitter circle linkedin circle instagram circle goodreads circle pinterest circle bluesky circle threads circle tiktok circle

A Psychologist's Thoughts on Clinical Practice, Behavior, and Life

Grade School, Jail, And When There's No Difference

I recently heard of an odd teacher behavior in grade school: that disobedient students are given a colored sign to wear, yellow or green or another, designating their level of disobedience and its associated punishment (losing recess or something else), this mode of discipline creating tormented chatter and worrywarts.


What underlies this practice is the false but widespread belief that punishment is significant in changing behavior. Which is true for dogs but not cats (trust me, it won't work), and humans of greatly limited intellectual ability since it so simplifies their environment that they will understand what to do. It will work with incarcerated inmates who are not emotionally disturbed since in a prison the administration tightly controls everything, but not after their release. It will not work, more than briefly, for people in general which includes youth.

 

Children will generally follow rules made by adults unless they are hungry, tired, ill, or cannot obey for an unconscious reason making sense to them but not others. Which is how adults behave too. The unconscious is powerful and one must respect its power.

Be the first to comment