Describe three problems that occur as punishment increases in severity

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer includes the following three problems. Because punishment is aversive (painful or uncomfortable), people and situations associated with punishment tend, through classical conditioning, to become feared, resented, or disliked. A second major problem is that aversive stimuli encourages escape and avoidance learning. In escape learning, we learn to make a response in order to end an aversive stimulus. Avoidance learning is making a response in order to postpone or prevent discomfort. For example, children who run away from punishing parents (escape) may soon learn to lie about their behavior or to spend as much time away from home as possible (avoidance responses). A third problem with punishment is that it can greatly increase aggression. Generally speaking, punishment is painful, frustrating, or both. Punishment, therefore, sets up a powerful environment for learning aggression. When spanked, a child may feel angry, frustrated, and hostile and will be more likely to hit another child. The danger is that aggressive acts may feel good because they release anger and frustrations. If so, aggression has been rewarded and will tend to occur again in other frustrating situations. Several studies have found that children who are physically punished are more likely to engage in aggressive, impulsive, antisocial behavior.