Punished by Rewards
- Downloads：5195
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-25 09:55:28
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Alfie Kohn
- ISBN：132845052X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Updated and revised for the twenty-fifth anniversary of publication。
The basic strategy we use for raising children， teaching students， and managing workers can be summarized in six words: Do this and you'll get that。 We dangle goodies （from candy bars to sales commissions） in front of people in much the same way we train the family pet。 Drawing on a wealth of psychological research， Alfie Kohn points the way to a more successful strategy based on working with people instead of doing things to them。 "Do rewards motivate people？" asks Kohn。 "Yes。 They motivate people to get rewards。" Seasoned with humor and familiar examples， Punished by Rewards presents an argument unsettling to hear but impossible to dismiss。
The basic strategy we use for raising children， teaching students， and managing workers can be summarized in six words: Do this and you'll get that。 We dangle goodies （from candy bars to sales commissions） in front of people in much the same way we train the family pet。 Drawing on a wealth of psychological research， Alfie Kohn points the way to a more successful strategy based on working with people instead of doing things to them。 "Do rewards motivate people？" asks Kohn。 "Yes。 They motivate people to get rewards。" Seasoned with humor and familiar examples， Punished by Rewards presents an argument unsettling to hear but impossible to dismiss。
Reviews
Jill
，
This has been in my audible library for way too long and I finally found time to listen。 There are so many valuable tips throughout this book and although my boys are teens， I can see how there are things we can do to encourage them to find their own motivation。
PatrickPhaff
，
A really insightful book With loads of examples of why we need to revisit the way we think and how we address people in life using rewards or punishments。 It kind of makes you hesitate to give out a compliment or to ever use a reward
Linda Vituma
，
Tas bija šī gada sākums， kad piedzīvoju neizturamu sajūtu - nespēju izturēt melus。 Visvairāk melus sevī， sev。 Šī grāmata ir kā vāciņš podiņam。 Pilnīgi un galīgi neesmu gatava kaut ko darīt AR cilvēkiem - motivēt， apbalvot， regulēt， dresēt， kontrolēt。 Esmu gatava darīt tikai kaut ko KOPĀ - atklājot， piedzīvojot， izprotot， eksperimentējot。 Varam - varam， ne - ne。
Deepak
，
Auther has mentioned pros and cons of rewards we offer in various forms。 I could relate the consequences of rewards to my surrounding。 Things mentioned are true to my observation。 Only trouble thing is some content is repeated。 Book could have been little shorter。 Still recommended。
Wesley Morgan
，
I never planned to read anything by Alfie Kohn。 In my university classes on adolescent development， I just knew him as the "no homework" guy。 They showed us a private school where students could do whatever they want， including play video games all day， which was supposedly based on Kohn’s theories。 Well， this book was on sale at a used bookstore， and I am so glad I bought it。 I have experienced a huge shift in the way I think about teaching and parenting。 I think it will appeal to anyone who li I never planned to read anything by Alfie Kohn。 In my university classes on adolescent development， I just knew him as the "no homework" guy。 They showed us a private school where students could do whatever they want， including play video games all day， which was supposedly based on Kohn’s theories。 Well， this book was on sale at a used bookstore， and I am so glad I bought it。 I have experienced a huge shift in the way I think about teaching and parenting。 I think it will appeal to anyone who likes books on popular sociology & behavior like Freakonomics or Malcolm Gladwell （though， ironically， I think Kohn does not like those types of writers）。 This book is 300+ pages of academic content， but the first 3/4 of the book are all on the same theme: that rewards for behavior （which can include praise） do not work。 Here are some of the research findings about rewards:-They kill creativity， causing people to make safer decisions and not take risks-They promote quantity over quality， as people will do the minimum effort to get maximum output-They cause people to lose interest in or resent the original task they have to do to get reward， especially once the reward is removed-They aren't something you can wean someone off of， instead you usually have to increase the bribes to get people to continue complying-They discourage teamwork and encourage cheating， as outcomes matter more than processes-They are equivalent to punishments， since there is always a threat of withholding them-They create a power imbalance， dehumanizing people who may feel controlled like animals-They make people less likely to ask for help or feedback from those who are in charge of them-They are subjective， usually unfair， and almost never based on rigorous research-They ignore the underlying reasons for someone's behavior， and do not teach the real reason a task is being assigned-They are too simple， ignoring the complex nature of human motivation， and not helpful for any high-level taskIn the last three chapters， Kohn makes the positive case for what to do instead of rewards， for businesses， schools， and families。 He says that we need to stop asking "how to motivate people" and instead ask "how people are motivated。" You could think of this as a shift from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation， though he does have an appendix on why those terms an be misleading。 Kohn uses "three C's" as advice for all leaders:1。 Content - Is what we are asking people to do reasonable？ Could we make it more appealing or help people see why it is necessary， rather than just "I told you so" or "it builds character"？2。 Collaboration - Can people work with others to share ideas and come up with solutions to problems？ Here he references the work of Piaget， and I think Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory of Learning would also be helpful。3。 Choice - Are we letting people have as much autonomy as possible？ Can we give them real choices so that they don't feel controlled， but take more ownership of the situation？These questions have made me think a lot about what I can do as a teacher to give my students more freedom and think deeply about the purposes of tasks。 As a parent， I've found myself trying to explain more to my kids why I am asking them to do something， and when they are older I will focus on making sure they explain their motivations to me as well。Now， I do still wonder about some things。 Kohn says that "natural consequences" are sometimes a euphemism for unnatural punishments。 But we do need teach our kids consequences for actions。 Likewise， he is very critical of praise。 I can see that it can be manipulative or disingenuous， but we do need to give some feedback to help children know what good behavior and effective work look like。 Even he admits that as a parent， these distinctions can be hard， and he says what matters most is that we are thoughtful。On the other hand， when it comes to teaching， he doesn't seem to like gradual progress， with things like Standards Based Grading， which are meant to be more thoughtful than traditional grades。 He is dismissive of these efforts， but I think he needs to show what a system based on his theories would look like， otherwise people will assume he is advocating for the structureless schools I referenced at the beginningAnd， even if I am not 100% on his side on everything， I do agree that Behaviorism is evil。 Its founder， B。F。 Skinner， treats people like animals， and does not believe in free will， which is totally contrary to everything I have been taught in my religion。 So， I like how Kohn has made me think， and I'll have to read his other books on teaching and parenting and see if I agree with his proposals。 。。。more
Fiona
，
No rating because I didn’t read the whole thing， only the chapters that relate to child behavior。 As I’m reevaluating the way I work with kids， this book has affirmed my suspicion that while behaviorism shows quick results， external motivators don’t foster in children the lasting values of community and greater good。 Next I’ll be looking for a book that details more specific ways to work with kids collaboratively， where this book mostly demonstrated the need to do so。“For the anthropomorphic vie No rating because I didn’t read the whole thing， only the chapters that relate to child behavior。 As I’m reevaluating the way I work with kids， this book has affirmed my suspicion that while behaviorism shows quick results， external motivators don’t foster in children the lasting values of community and greater good。 Next I’ll be looking for a book that details more specific ways to work with kids collaboratively， where this book mostly demonstrated the need to do so。“For the anthropomorphic view of the rat， American psychology substituted a ratomorphic view of man” -Arthur Koestler 。。。more
Meghan Owenz
，
Good research， if belabored a bit。 Good alternative strategies。
John Whaley
，
So， here’s the short-story deal for this essential read: it’s long， filled with academic studies， and quite a bit redundant。 This sounds like a *negative* review; on the contrary， the lengthy， teeming-with-research， and ad nauseum assurances that pop-behaviorist Skinnerian understandings （and justifications） of business practices， educational pedagogies， and parenting are *off-base in almost every possible way* are why I would consider this a personal Bible for me…and should be for you。 He has c So， here’s the short-story deal for this essential read: it’s long， filled with academic studies， and quite a bit redundant。 This sounds like a *negative* review; on the contrary， the lengthy， teeming-with-research， and ad nauseum assurances that pop-behaviorist Skinnerian understandings （and justifications） of business practices， educational pedagogies， and parenting are *off-base in almost every possible way* are why I would consider this a personal Bible for me…and should be for you。 He has culled the receipts， as they say， and only those who bathe in willful ignorance or are outright authoritarian-minded would have any reasons to dismiss and discount Kohn’s tome to fostering agency， autonomy， altruism， and—Hades help us—“intrinsic motivation” in the peeps in our stead。 There is just far too much I’ve learned to discuss in a book review。 But I was illuminated， corrected， encouraged， and justified by its meticulous and multitudinous musings on how we almost wholesale get the idea of “carrots and sticks” wrong， in that both punishments *and* rewards are counterproductive to what we all （supposedly） most desire… It’s really hard， what the result of reading this text requires: a seismic shift in what and how we “do” what we do every single day as workers， teachers， parents， and people。 But it’s necessary… and， if heeded and acted upon， its own reward。 #alfiekohn #punishedbyrewards #teaching #parenting #bible #teachersofinstagram #antiracisteducation #abolitionistteaching #cultivatinggenius #bookstagram #readorelse #motivation #intrinsicmotivation #lifechanging #bookreview 。。。more
Diana
，
Mesajul cărții este unul foarte bun: recompensele de orice natură nu conduc întotdeauna la comportamente dezirabile， iar când acestea încetează， comportamentul care trebuia „corectat” revine。 Fenomen prezent atât în educație cât și la locul de muncă。I-aș fi dat un rating mai mare dacă autorul nu s-ar fi lungit atât de mult pentru un subiect care ar fi putut fi rezumat într-un articol de vreo 20-30 de pagini care să evidențieze punctele tari ale părerilor sale。 Nu-mi place prea multă vorbărie。 :）
Bondarenko Sofia
，
Для тех，кто знает，что наградами и наказаниями ничего не добьешься -читать не стоит，ничего нового，по работе с коллективом особенно。мы и так знаем，про смысл，сотрудничество и выбор。 В части мотивации детей есть интересные предложения，но ничего особо конкретного и нового。 Если думаете，что кнутом и пряником можете чего-то добиться - стоит прочесть，возможно о чем-то задумайтесь。
Bjorn Martensson
，
The content of this book is 5-star， but the writing style / organization is 2-star。Starting with the content: the book explains why rewards are counterproductive in many circumstances， and gives some ideas of what to do instead。 It forms a cohesive model for how to （and how not to） encourage intrinsic motivation。The writing style / organization: at least 50% of the book seems to be a rant against anyone that dares think that rewards can work。 I also found the organization confusing and had to ta The content of this book is 5-star， but the writing style / organization is 2-star。Starting with the content: the book explains why rewards are counterproductive in many circumstances， and gives some ideas of what to do instead。 It forms a cohesive model for how to （and how not to） encourage intrinsic motivation。The writing style / organization: at least 50% of the book seems to be a rant against anyone that dares think that rewards can work。 I also found the organization confusing and had to take many notes to be able to make sense of how it all hangs together。 。。。more
Abdul Haseeb（Void Cakes7613）
，
this book was just revolutionary for me
João
，
Too dated。 Couldn’t finish it。
Michael Moore
，
Listened to the audiobook。This was a passionate and convincing argument that external rewards tend to lead to extrinsic motivation。 I'd heard that idea （in broad strokes） elsewhere， but this book outlined that so much of our social infrastructure is built in a way that causes this shift。My sole criticism is that it provides no hope for products of this system: how can one reclaim a sense of intrinsic motivation once it's gone？ The author seems pessimistic that such a thing can be done。Did it cha Listened to the audiobook。This was a passionate and convincing argument that external rewards tend to lead to extrinsic motivation。 I'd heard that idea （in broad strokes） elsewhere， but this book outlined that so much of our social infrastructure is built in a way that causes this shift。My sole criticism is that it provides no hope for products of this system: how can one reclaim a sense of intrinsic motivation once it's gone？ The author seems pessimistic that such a thing can be done。Did it change me: Yes， it helped me to understand myself better， and how I got here。 It also will affect how I raise a child。 。。。more
Tatiana
，
What a completely eye-opening book。 If you're willing to listen to what the author has to say， despite it flying in the face of all conventional wisdom， it will completely change your perspective on almost everything。 I think anyone who wants to become a parent or a teacher should read this book。 Another example of how there are so many things in society that function just because we say they do， and not for any particular reason。 What a completely eye-opening book。 If you're willing to listen to what the author has to say， despite it flying in the face of all conventional wisdom， it will completely change your perspective on almost everything。 I think anyone who wants to become a parent or a teacher should read this book。 Another example of how there are so many things in society that function just because we say they do， and not for any particular reason。 。。。more
Crissy Brounce
，
Made me feel better about my parenting skills lol
Deann
，
I read this over a decade ago and didn't like it much。 The main points are good， but the writing style and droning on annoyed me。 Here I am though， giving it a try again。 I read this over a decade ago and didn't like it much。 The main points are good， but the writing style and droning on annoyed me。 Here I am though， giving it a try again。 。。。more
Polina Eistrikh-Geller
，
Отличная， но， кажется уже немного устаревшая книга。 Понравилась основная мысль， рассуждения на тему и доказательства， советы для работы в классе。 Не понравилось обилие воды и повторение одной и той же мысли очень много раз， кажется книгу можно сократить раза в два。 Кроме того， автор в конце книги пишет про воспитание детей и работу с особенными детьми и там， кажется， есть только рассуждения （и осуждение）。 На деле， на мой взгляд， во всех поднятых вопросах， а особенно в воспитании детей， факторов Отличная， но， кажется уже немного устаревшая книга。 Понравилась основная мысль， рассуждения на тему и доказательства， советы для работы в классе。 Не понравилось обилие воды и повторение одной и той же мысли очень много раз， кажется книгу можно сократить раза в два。 Кроме того， автор в конце книги пишет про воспитание детей и работу с особенными детьми и там， кажется， есть только рассуждения （и осуждение）。 На деле， на мой взгляд， во всех поднятых вопросах， а особенно в воспитании детей， факторов слишком много， чтобы можно было однозначно сказать что хорошо， а что плохо， в контексте применения поощрений。Точно надо читать， если вы препод и вас смущает постоянное оценивание и звёздочки за задания и усердие。 Точно не надо читать， если вы уже и так знакомы с коллаборативным обучением， правилами здорового фидбека и результатами мета анализов в "видимом обучении"。 。。。more
Shahla hajatnia
，
I started teaching when I was 20 and by 21 I had classes for children and grownups and all I can say is that "IT IS DIFFICULT"。 and I hate to admit it but it really got to me when people said you need more experience because deep down I knew it to be true！ but I couldn't afford the time and I couldn't sacrifice my reputation just to get experience by making mistakes。 I had tried everything in the bag to attract their attention to class。 but I just couldn't get through to them。 no matter what I d I started teaching when I was 20 and by 21 I had classes for children and grownups and all I can say is that "IT IS DIFFICULT"。 and I hate to admit it but it really got to me when people said you need more experience because deep down I knew it to be true！ but I couldn't afford the time and I couldn't sacrifice my reputation just to get experience by making mistakes。 I had tried everything in the bag to attract their attention to class。 but I just couldn't get through to them。 no matter what I did after a while they just got tired of trying so hard and gave up。 so one day while I was trying to sedate my pain as a failed teacher with shopping books， I found this one。 I am ashamed to admit that it was gathering dust on my shelves for a long time because I was so afraid of hearing that I had failed or that I was simply a bad teacher。 but I told myself do want to be a bad teacher after 2 years of working or 10？！ and that was the push I needed！reading this genre was new to me but I enjoyed taking it slow and experimenting through the journey。 I started seeing things as a student and I built a bridge to their subconscious over time。 I still have a long way to go but feeling the progress gives me the energy to keep trying。 we have so many wrong traditions and errors in our ways and we just follow them because there are no better alternatives。 all I want to say is that this writer could have a field day in my country with our educational system or our careers for that matter。 I am still an "amateure" but I feel like managers and teachers must read this book with ardor and focus。 to put it simply we have a lot to do and this book could be the first step on the road to improvement。 。。。more
Merie
，
Chapter 11， specifically
Mikala
，
While focused a lot on parent or guardian， there are plenty of implications for adult interactions。 I’m revisiting these thoughts since so many are working from / learning from home / training at home。 Switching to almost entirely intrinsic motivation I suspect has been by turns painful and liberating this past year。 I’ve seen many universities move away from standardized testing for admissions， giving credence do the concepts here。 Offices were filled with lots of mini-rewards smiles and nods， While focused a lot on parent or guardian， there are plenty of implications for adult interactions。 I’m revisiting these thoughts since so many are working from / learning from home / training at home。 Switching to almost entirely intrinsic motivation I suspect has been by turns painful and liberating this past year。 I’ve seen many universities move away from standardized testing for admissions， giving credence do the concepts here。 Offices were filled with lots of mini-rewards smiles and nods， invitations to lunch， acceptance and approval from peers and supervisors。 Obviously if you’re lucky enough to still have gainful employment， you will receive fewer rewards now。 But I’m not sure many feel this makes our work seem more valuable and rewarding。I will say， I strongly disagree with the author harping on the @bookitprogram ！ I ate a lot of free personal pan pizzas when I was a kid and would fully support an adult version！ 。。。more
Megan S
，
The ideas in this book are subversive and captivating。 They will change how you view every interaction and relationship you have had in life。 Behaviourism is thoughtfully deconstructed by Kohn in a way that has yet to hit mainstream in any of the three domains he describes: the workplace， the school and the home （parenting）。 I even found corresponding habits of rewarding “good” behaviour and attempts to control in my marriage！ The pernicious nature of behaviourism and rewards makes this book abs The ideas in this book are subversive and captivating。 They will change how you view every interaction and relationship you have had in life。 Behaviourism is thoughtfully deconstructed by Kohn in a way that has yet to hit mainstream in any of the three domains he describes: the workplace， the school and the home （parenting）。 I even found corresponding habits of rewarding “good” behaviour and attempts to control in my marriage！ The pernicious nature of behaviourism and rewards makes this book absolute gold and a rewarding （pun intended！） read。 However it is rather long and somewhat repetitive。 For parents especially， I think reading Kohn’s Unconditional Parenting will cover all the same ground and it is a more focussed book。 I really appreciate this book。 Leaving behaviourism behind leaves space for a belief in the basic goodness of human nature。 This is a hard right turn for our culture， the view of the basic badness （or sinfulness， of religious） of humanity is so pervasive。 There is a lot to learn in this book and these ideas。 I hope it is widely read。 。。。more
Liz
，
It's a philosophical argument that he makes with a zillion repetitive arguments。 Unsubtle， but he makes the point。 It's a philosophical argument that he makes with a zillion repetitive arguments。 Unsubtle， but he makes the point。 。。。more
Sarah
，
I gasped when reading the afterward and found out this book came out in 1994！ I wish more teachers would read this book
Chris
，
This book made me reconsider my “behavioral economics”/behaviorist approach to my life， my teaching， my counseling practice， and my view of government。 It’ll take me a while to digest all of the research’s implications， making this a valuable book that will linger in my mind for a long time。
Shivanath M
，
"Extrinsic rewards decrease intrinsic motivations"Summary of the book:Chapter 1: Skinner is bad， who thinks humans are primitiveChapter 2: It is not right to reward as rewards are controlling。Chapter 3: They aren't effective either。 They are short-term and do not induce long term behavioural changes。Chapter 4: 4 reasons why rewards fail - the common senseChapter 5: Another more devious reason why rewards fail - they decrease/kill intrinsic motivation。Chapter 6: Praise， being a softer reward， als "Extrinsic rewards decrease intrinsic motivations"Summary of the book:Chapter 1: Skinner is bad， who thinks humans are primitiveChapter 2: It is not right to reward as rewards are controlling。Chapter 3: They aren't effective either。 They are short-term and do not induce long term behavioural changes。Chapter 4: 4 reasons why rewards fail - the common senseChapter 5: Another more devious reason why rewards fail - they decrease/kill intrinsic motivation。Chapter 6: Praise， being a softer reward， also fails。What to do？ Well， reward others but be more careful in avoiding the negatives。 Dont get me wrong， the book had /some/ very good ideas。 But redundancy is quite intolerable。 Overall 8。1/10 。。。more
Alison
，
5 stars awarded on the basis that it changed how I see everything and everyone probably forever。 A little longer than it needed to be， but that’s forgivable。
Ronit
，
This was a very tedious book for me to work my way through。 The strict behaviorist lifestyle that Kohn is arguing against is not something I grew up with， nor did I encounter it at school （granted， I was homeschooled）， but I don't really remember it being prominent anywhere after high school either。 I guess by that time I may have been immune to it's demotivating influence。 Due to my personal experience， it felt like Kohn was fighting a straw man。 This was a very tedious book for me to work my way through。 The strict behaviorist lifestyle that Kohn is arguing against is not something I grew up with， nor did I encounter it at school （granted， I was homeschooled）， but I don't really remember it being prominent anywhere after high school either。 I guess by that time I may have been immune to it's demotivating influence。 Due to my personal experience， it felt like Kohn was fighting a straw man。 。。。more
Frank Clark
，
Totally changed my perspective。
Gabi
，
Un de ces livres qui changent la vie， qu'on a envie de donner à tout le monde ！！ Un de ces livres qui changent la vie， qu'on a envie de donner à tout le monde ！！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Punished by Rewards
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Punished by Rewards&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Punished by Rewards&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0