The problem of efficient parenting has been the subject of a widespread discussion throughout human history. The approaches have evolved, and recently, the social learning theory has been dominating the common understanding of the question. There are two frequently mixed up concepts: reinforcement and punishment. Each of them has its own goals, so their effective combination can contribute a lot to a young individual’s behavioral practices.
To begin with, it is vital to define the notions under discussion. Firstly, reinforcement can be understood as a technique to increase the presence of one’s desirable behavior using stimulus (Leijten et al., 2019). It can be positive and negative, depending on whether a caregiver gives or eliminates a stimulus in order to encourage specific behavior (Leijten et al., 2019). As for punishment, it is a vice versa model of parenting aimed to decrease some behavioral practices: it can also be either positive or negative (Leijten et al., 2019). Speaking of the parenting approach’s choice, it seems that sticking to just one is not enough as punishment and reinforcement target different objectives: desirable and non-desirable behavior. As studies claim, educational outcomes depend on the rational mix of the two techniques (Arrastia-Chisholm et al., 2020). In other words, a combinative approach appears to be the most efficient path to follow in parenting.
To conclude, various strategies are influencing specific behavior: despite common misinterpretation, they do have substantial differences. While punishment is used to decrease the presence of a caregiver’s presence to eliminate, reinforcement does the opposite, namely, encourages behavior. As demonstrated above, none of the techniques appears to be sufficient when used alone. Parenting is supposed to include introducing and promoting favorable practices and limitations of destructive or socially unacceptable behavior. Thus, the main goal of bringing up an individual is an efficient combination of reinforcement and punishment.
References
Arrastia-Chisholm, A., Alvis, A., & Miah, M. (2020). Vicarious reinforcement and punishment among the children of the incarcerated: Using social learning theory to understand differential effects of parental incarceration. National Youth-At-Risk Journal, 4(1).
Leijten, P., Gardener, F., Melendez-Torres, G., Aar, J., Hutchings, J., Schulz, S., Knerr, W., & Overbeek, G. (2019). Meta-analyses: Key parenting program components for disruptive child behavior. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 58(2), 180 – 190.