Punishment and Rewards as a Behaviour Modification Technique on the Learners

Abstract

School Psychologists believe that severe physical punishment defeats its own purpose by modeling aggressive or physical behaviour, the very behaviour it is often attempting to correct. The work examines punishment and reward as a behaviour modification technique on the learners. Studies have shown that violent punishment can produce aggressive, anxiety, fear, paranoia, apathy, hatred, depression, delinquency and self-destructive behaviours. Adults who were punished violently as children display an increased likelihood of criminal activities, domestic violence, and suicide. Most current promoters of punitive discipline in Nigeria and the United States, however, espouse nonviolent forms of control, or "mild" punishments such as time-out, scolding and disapproval, natural and logical consequences, and penalties (restricting television viewing for example). This work therefore recommends that school psychologists, counsellors, teachers should be trained on use of improve ways of punishment and reward such as token economy, time-out, cognitive behaviour technique, solution focus brief therapy and self management as well as modeling technique be used to readdress problems such as depression, aggression, anxiety and phobic condition of learners.