Punished Chapter Summary

In his book Punished by Rewards: the trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and other Bribes, Alfie Kohn confronts conventional “carrot-and-stick” psychology motivational efforts. This book is an in-depth criticism of motivational psychology that is often practiced at the home, in schools and the office. Kohn’s states that the "Do this and you'll get that," (Kohn, 1993, p. 3) is the sum total prevailing strategy for teachers addressing students, parents training their children, and managers trying to raise office morale. Kohn argues that parents, teachers, and managers suspend “goodies” like movie time, sales commissions and pretty stickers in a similar way that a pet owner would “bribe” a dog into submission. Kohn discredits

this logic with his argument that the use of rewards to manipulate individuals may hold ground in the short run, this practice will eventually prove ineffective and can even be harmful. Kohn draws his conclusions from several studies involving children, workers and students to state that people do work that is inferior when they are incentivized by grades, money, candy, or any other reward. His argument is that the more a person is bribed into doing well, the more a person will lose interest in what they are being bribed to do.
The first six chapters of Kohn’s book are grouped under the section title “The Case Against Rewards”, and outline the pivotal component of Kohn’s argument.

In Chapter 1, He maps out the traditional behaviorist philosophy as well as pop behaviorism and its notable presence in today’s Western society and why this so (Kohn credits orthodox economic theory and pragmatist belief systems). Chapter 2 refutes known arguments of moral or logical obligation to reward and that it is a naturally intrinsic desire to reward a person. From Kohn’s perspective, the issue does not lie with compensation, but with the use of monetary funds as a reward (offering more money for whatever the case might be). According to Kohn, there are five issues with rewards and the work place: rewards punish, rupture relationships, they ignore reasons, discourage risk-taking, and rewards undermine interest. Kohn argues that the closer the amount of money received is linked to achievement, the more damaging the reward is. Chapter 3 is primarily focused on practical consequences and also summarizes researched evidence supporting the idea that rewards do not translate to enhanced performance of lasting behavioral changes; often these rewards agitate the existing negative behavior. Kohn gives the reader a five-pronged rationale as to why rewards fail in chapters 4 and 5. In chapter 6 Kohn scrutinizes verbal praise, a reward most Americans would not consider negative or damaging. Kohn emphasis that a person must be careful and consider how a person should praise a person, why a person praise should praise a person, and be aware of the effect the praise ha son the person receiving the

praise.
The latter portion of Kohn’s work is sectioned off under the title “Reward in Practice”. This half of the book observes the actual effect of rewards and promoting alternatives. This portion of the book focuses on three key environments that Americans are very familiar with: employee performance, student learning, and child behavior. This part of the book is formatted in a particular way so that should a person only be interested one of the three environment topics covered, that person will not have to read through Kohn’s philosophies on the other two.
Issues in the workplace are covered in chapters 7 and 10. Kohn’s opinion on educational issues are located in chapters 8 and 11, and children’s behavioral issues can be located in chapters 9 and 12.Kohn advocates the three C’s of motivation, which are apparently choice, collaboration and content. Kohn defines choice as people participating in deciding what it is they do. Collaboration is explained as people being able to work together in teams (teams that are effective). Kohn defines Content as the job or task itself. "To do a good job, people need a good job to do" (Kohn, 1993, p. 189).
Kohn has authored an unconventional challenge to more traditional thinking. Many may find the evidence in Kohn’s work unsettling, however the current state and condition of American institutions does prompt a thorough reconsideration of applied motivational methods. Kohn’s work is a helpful aid for any person, who wishes to explore all the possible avenues of motivation, but it was most likely intended for persons involved in Student Affairs at a university or college institution as well was administration or organizational leadership. Teachers and instructors may come to find his book as a helpful guide to constructing a positive classroom experience for student of all ages. Kohn’s work heavily emphasis that the American society has greatly suffered for implementing pop behaviorism in our fundamental institutions; Kohn feels that there is a chance people can turn it around and do better.