The Myth of The Evil Carrot. Which Works Better to Change Behavior...Rewards or Consequences? by Dr. Sherri Singer
You might ask yourself why in the world I should be talking about vegetables with an attitude. I shall explain I talk all the time about rewards and motivating good behavior in children.
I think it’s extremely important that we look at motivation in general, when trying to change behaviors. I have never met the child who doesn’t want to do well or work hard for something motivating.
I am known for constantly telling parents that a good, strong, loving relationship foundation is the crux of seeing good behavior, good self esteem and good results in life for kids, but not all relationships are perfect and we are all human and have our imperfections. So, to me, looking both at improving the relationship and motivating the things being expected are important. When behavior needs to change, getting a start somewhere can make a big difference and doing what works can make an even bigger difference. The tricky part is what works for one may not work for another.
What exactly is the evil carrot? We’ve all heard about keeping the carrot in front of the proverbial horse so the horse goes where we want it to go. It’s a simple concept that gets a lot of bad press in my opinion. We and our children are not horses. That is a given. However, we do naturally have a tendency to need some type of goal oriented motivation. If the goal didn’t exist out there, we would not move. Psych 101. Why do I call it the "evil" carrot? I have coined this term after seeing the intense conflict for years and more recently, about Capitalism. I have written about this topic for many, many years, but it has become more of a hot button topic now, then ever before.
Some parents feel strongly that rewards are much better than consequences when trying to change behaviors. I believe........ Read more of this article
I think it’s extremely important that we look at motivation in general, when trying to change behaviors. I have never met the child who doesn’t want to do well or work hard for something motivating.
I am known for constantly telling parents that a good, strong, loving relationship foundation is the crux of seeing good behavior, good self esteem and good results in life for kids, but not all relationships are perfect and we are all human and have our imperfections. So, to me, looking both at improving the relationship and motivating the things being expected are important. When behavior needs to change, getting a start somewhere can make a big difference and doing what works can make an even bigger difference. The tricky part is what works for one may not work for another.
What exactly is the evil carrot? We’ve all heard about keeping the carrot in front of the proverbial horse so the horse goes where we want it to go. It’s a simple concept that gets a lot of bad press in my opinion. We and our children are not horses. That is a given. However, we do naturally have a tendency to need some type of goal oriented motivation. If the goal didn’t exist out there, we would not move. Psych 101. Why do I call it the "evil" carrot? I have coined this term after seeing the intense conflict for years and more recently, about Capitalism. I have written about this topic for many, many years, but it has become more of a hot button topic now, then ever before.
Some parents feel strongly that rewards are much better than consequences when trying to change behaviors. I believe........ Read more of this article
Glad to help!
Dr. Singer's areas of expertise involve cognitive ways of helping parents with child motivation, processing skills, learning and homework improvement as well as processing based brain training. She does not work with severe Psychological conditions or people with serious Psychological issues. If you feel you have those kinds of issues, you can let Dr. Singer know and she will make appropriate referrals for you to get the type of expert and help you need. If anyone viewing this site or any other of Dr. Singer's social media pages feels suicidal, self destructive or like they could harm someone else, or they know someone in that situation, they need to get themselves or the other person to an emergency room and/or call 911 immediately for help.