Chapter Six

Extrinsic reinforcement and punishment is never ideal. In general, intrinsic motives are more stable and longer lasting. Beyond that, extrinsic motivation and punishment are sometimes necessary as a means to an end. Behaviors, reactions and actions need to be learned somehow and this technique has worked in the past. Even though I believe that extrinsic reinforcement and punishments sometimes need to be used, I believe that they need to be used sparingly. Expectations need to be set clearly, early on and they need to be consistent. In regards to the response(s) to the behaviors – both negative and positive – there must some form of reaction which is either a negative response to reduce the occurrence of the action or a positive one to increase the action prominence. In addition, these responses need to be timely, consistent and expected; ones out of left field may be lost in translation.