I think that most of us can agree that punishment is often the most effective way to enforce certain rules. We associate punishment with what is right and good – it is not a selfish act, but a necessary one. What if someone told you there are other motives to punishing a person? In a recent article in the Science Daily, Christine Horne explains that “We punish because we care what people think of us.”
In her book The Rewards of Punishment: A Relational Theory of Norm Enforcement, Horne develops her theory further, finding that the more cohesive the group is, the more likely that bad behavior will be punished.
How can it be that punishment becomes an act of selfish desires? Isn’t punishing a bad act simply the right thing to do? According to Horne, depending on the situation you’re in and the people you’re with you may decide to punish someone, or you may not - even if you think what they’re doing is wrong. For example, you may think that it’s proper to scold someone for using obscene language; but if you’re trying to impress a crowd that tends to use harsher language, you might keep the scolding to yourself.
This is a concept, perhaps, that we don’t all think of right away when talking about punishment. Most would say that punishment is about doing the right thing. Horne says that we punish to create our own self-image. So the next time you impart punishment, think about it: Is it because it’s the right thing to do? Or because it makes you look good?
Comments