Positive punishment and things you should know

Positive punishment! Sounds a bit contradictory, right? Why is it aggressive punishment? Is this method of discipline effective? To answer these questions, please follow the shares below.

What is active punishment?

Positive punishment is a method of discipline that aims to reduce an undesirable behavior that continues in the future by adding things that children do not like. For example: After playing, the child leaves the toys in a mess, refuses to clean, so you have decided not to buy toys for the baby anymore.

More simply, you can understand it this way. The child's behavior is negative, the results the child receives is also negative. When two negative things go together, they lead to a positive one.

On what principle is active punishment practiced?

The goal of any punishment is to stop negative behavior. Active punishment is based on the Operantconditioning principle.

The manipulation condition is a learning principle where behavior is controlled by results. In other words, children will learn from the results of that behavior. When you observe the results from the actions you have taken, these results will affect you the next time you take the action.

The main terms used in the operating conditions are reinforcement and punishment.
Reinforce is to encourage good behavior and punishment is to prevent undesirable behavior.

Reinforce using reward (which is a positive thing) to encourage positive behavior. And punishment means a negative outcome for unwanted behavior.

There are two types of punishment: aggressive punishment and negative punishment.

Positive and negative punishment

Positive punishment - adding a child's dislike to a targeted behavior in the child reduces the likelihood that the behavior will continue in the future.

Negative punishment - removing something your child likes after the behavior has happened to minimize the likelihood that the behavior will continue in the future.

The difference between positive punishment and negative punishment

Whatever the nature of the punishment, the aim is to reduce the likelihood that the undesirable behavior will continue in the future.

Some examples of aggressive punishment

1. Children are engrossed in play without worrying about completing homework. Therefore, parents forced the child to sit for an extra hour to complete all the exercises before going to bed. In this situation, sitting for an extra hour is a positive punishment. And the next time, the child will do the homework and then play because he does not want to have to sit for another 1 hour.

2. You pass a red light while on the road because it is going to be late. Unfortunately, you were arrested by the traffic police and asked to pay a fine. This will help you keep in mind so you don't make the same mistake next time.

3. The child does not do homework, so the teacher punishes the child to stand in the hallway. This punishment will help your child understand that they have to do their homework.

4. Two children fought with each other and the principal decided to suspend both children for a week.

5. The 5-year-old child steps on the dog's tail and the dog turns to bite him. The dog's act of biting prevents the child from repeating this unwanted behavior in the future.

6. You are at the supermarket with your child. Suddenly, the child starts to get angry, scream and throw things. You are extremely upset, that's why you told your child, "If he continues to behave like this, we will leave immediately."

In all of the above cases, negative results will be taken to prevent undesired behavior. In addition, aggressive punishment can also occur as a result of a natural process. For example, when a baby touches a kettle that is boiling, reflexively, he will immediately pull his hand back. And this result has helped her understand that not to touch a kettle of hot water.

Is aggressive punishment effective?

Punishment must be used with the goal of eliminating an undesirable behavior within a specified period of time.

The key to achieving that goal is speed and sync. For the punishment to be effective, you must immediately and consistently apply the unwanted behavior of the child.

Timing and tactics will work effectively if they are used correctly.

The “timeouts” or “timeouts” method of taking away something works very well for toddlers. Because at this age, children never listen, so explaining and reasoning with children is in vain.

However, aggressive punishment will not be effective in the following situations:
• Children want to be explained, discussed and negotiated with their parents. For these kids, reason is the best tool for coping.
• Punishment does not necessarily prevent the child from performing unwanted behaviors. In front of you, they may not do it, but they will secretly do it behind your back. As such, this method is not only ineffective but also counterproductive. For example, when you see your teenage daughter smoke, you will force her to stop smoking. Indeed, children have stopped smoking but in fact, children sneakily smoke at times without you knowing.
• When you give your child a punishment, what purpose do you think you are doing: to reduce the child's unwanted behavior or just because you are "too angry"? The best way is to take a few minutes to think and then implement the punishment.

Therefore, when using positive punishment, you should carefully consider both the benefits and the disadvantages it brings.

Is spanking a form of aggressive punishment?

Spanking is something that both parents and babies don't want. This is the last measure that parents use to discourage their children. However, physical punishment can have long-term disadvantages for a child. In fact, it made the situation even more serious.

• The physical punishment of young children and adolescents not only does not provide any parenting benefits but also poses unnecessary risks to the child's development . Therefore, parents should look for more positive penalties to replace them.
• Physical punishment also causes long-term effects such as the child will become more aggressive in the future, affecting the child's psychology….

If you spank your child, remember to give your child love and attention to minimize the disadvantages of physical punishment.

Information on reinforcement

Just like punishment, reinforcement has 2 types: positive and negative.

Positive reinforcement: behavior that follows rewards. When a child has a good job, he or she gets a star (reinforcement) that encourages him to continue doing these things.

For example, you could say to your child, "If you clean up the toy after playing, I will reward you with a bar of chocolate." Post-play (positive behavior) cleaning of toys has been reinforced with rewards.

Negative reinforcement: positive behavior receives negative results. For example, you would scold your child to let him shower before breakfast. And to avoid being nagged by you (negative outcome), your child has finished bathing before breakfast (positive behavior).

Whether it is reinforcement or punishment, your attitude is important. Punishment does not prevent undesirable behaviors, it only reduces the occurrence of these behaviors. Therefore, you need to use it appropriately, combined with love, care and explanation to let them understand that you punish them for wanting to be better , not because you hate them.