More Carrot Less Stick

Praise and reward go a lot further than punishment, as research suggests. These sanctions push the people that they are trying tohelp further into economic difficulty, and do little to change the way that they behave, even going as far as making an individual ashamed and pushing them into retreating further from support. ‘Learning from mistakes is more complex than carrying on in the same way as before’ stated the authors of ‘Why rewards are more effective than punishment’. Imposing these sanctions upon people who are already struggling compounds social exclusion, negatively impacts mental health and can place people at risk of homelessness and other associated consequences.

Sanctions have been shown to offer little deterrent and do not support people in finding alternative ways of acting. Praise and reward on the other hand boost self-esteem, confidence, growth and clearly guide the person towards a more positive social outcome. Despite the overwhelming evidence our society continues to be punishment driven; but when will we learn that we need a little more carrot and a lot less stick.