Logical consequences are the natural result of behavior, while punishment is outside the consequences. Using logical consequences instead of punishment helps children understand the next logical step when making good or bad choices. Punishment-based discipline is ineffective with many adults, and programs that help offenders understand the consequences of their actions have been shown to be more effective.
In parenting, and in many other aspects of life, there is a stark difference between punishment and consequences. Logical consequences are the natural result of behavior. For example, if you decide to rob a store, there are several logical consequences. One consequence is that one breaks the law, another is that the store is robbed. The punishment is outside the consequences. The thief who is caught faces punishment for his actions. They are not the natural consequences of his actions, but instead are additional things, such as time in prison, that he may face as a result.
In parenting, many child development experts now say that helping correct behavior through understanding consequences is a far cry from punishing children in the hopes they will behave in the future. A child who refuses to do homework may be forced to do homework as a logical consequence. A child who loses privileges for not doing homework is punished. Forcing a child to do homework is not a punishment. Removing television privileges is not a consequence.
Some parents, however, try to define some punishments as consequences. For example, a house rule might be to do your homework before watching TV. So the consequence of not doing homework could mean that the child cannot watch TV. This quickly becomes a punishment if other privileges are also taken away, or if the child is given time-outs or restricted. To stay within the logical consequence model, a clear relationship must be established between the behavior and the consequences of the behavior.
Even more logical is to ask the children to clean up after themselves. Again, the consequence of a child messing up her room is that he has to clean it. This is not a punishment. A punishment for a child who trashed the room would have nothing to do with the actual act. A child whose toys are taken away for messing up his room is not witnessing the consequences of his behavior, but is being punished for his behavior.
The theory behind the use of punishment rather than consequences is that punishment quickly ends an undesirable behavior. Those who advocate discipline using logical consequences however suggest that using consequences instead of punishment helps a child figure out the next logical step when she makes a good or bad choice.
Theorists argue that as children naturally realize that the result of completely messing their room is spending a lot of time cleaning it up, they will gradually start to think before acting. The child who is reluctant to do homework will realize that she has to do it even if there is an argument about it. Also, he won’t be able to watch TV until it’s completed.
Using logical consequences rather than punishments is a gradual process. Not all children can learn to look before they leap. Indeed, some children may be motivated by negative attention to continue misbehaving. If every time the child has a nice chat with the teacher or parent, then this can actually reinforce the behavior, because the chat is a consequence. Some logical consequences are clearly very dangerous, like allowing a child to get too close to an oven so they learn it’s hot.
However, it is also clear from the overpopulation rate of prisons that punishment is not always effective in stopping people from committing more crimes. The reoffending rate in prison is frighteningly high, leading many to believe that punishment-based discipline appears to be ineffective with many adults. Some programs in prisons help deal with the consequences of behavior. For example, victims or relatives of victims can sit down with a person who hurt them and help them understand how the crime affected them. These programs have been shown to stimulate thought and sometimes change the lives of people who have committed serious crimes, simply by showing them the consequences of their actions.
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