Punished by Rewards

Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes

By: Alfie Kohn

Narrated by: Alfie Kohn

Our basic strategy for raising children, teaching students, and managing workers can be summed up in six words: Do this and you'll get that. We dangle goodies (from candy bars to sales commissions) in front of people in the same way that we train the family pet.

Since its publication in 1993, this groundbreaking book has persuaded countless parents, teachers, and managers that attempts to manipulate people with incentives may seem to work in the short run, but they ultimately fail and even do lasting harm. Drawing from hundreds of studies, Kohn demonstrates that we actually do inferior work when we are enticed with money, grades, or other incentives—and are apt to lose interest in whatever we were bribed to do.

Rewards and punishments are two sides of the same coin—and the coin doesn't buy much. What is needed, Kohn explains, is an alternative to both ways of controlling people. Hence, he offers practical strategies for parents, teachers, and managers to replace carrots and sticks.

Seasoned with humor and familiar examples, Punished by Rewards presents an argument that is unsettling to hear but impossible to dismiss.

©1993 Alfie Kohn; Afterword copyright 1999 by Alfie Kohn (P)2022 Tantor

Groundbreaking 30 years ago and sadly also today

Brilliant exegesis on the destructive effects of behaviorism that is pervasive in our society and difficult to unwind. Ideas are important but it is in fact hard to hear it for 14 hours. Still I think it is important listening for anyone with an interest in learning or work performance.

A must-read

There's no doubt the authors views will have attracted many critics over the years, but as a teacher and a parent, I found it hard to refute the overwhelming body of empirical evidence presented by Kohn in his book on behavioural manipulation through the use of rewards and punishments.
While he doesn't offer many particularly useful alternatives to the otherwise ubiquitous application of psychological practices that the majority of us assume to be based on proven science (behaviorism), Kohn goes to some length in repeating and rephrasing his basic thesis that we're all wrong, the system is broken, and the 'correct' way involves a much more radical approach to educating children and leading adults.
I was a little surprised to hear him make reference to (and seemingly endorse) the long-since debunked theory of 'learning styles'. I also would be interested to hear Kohn's perspective on universal basic income, as many of his arguments around the impact of money on motivation would equally support the notion of UBI.
Now 25 years since its publication, it is somewhat sad that so few have taken up the challenge this book presents, as it could lead to a revolution in schools, workplaces and homes if we agreed to drop punishments and rewards, and instead focused on giving bing back control, enhancing autonomy and encouraging authentic collaboration, curiosity and creativity.

Makes you rethink so much

What he says makes sense. I even enjoyed the parts that I don’t want to agree with.

Repetitive, condescending, and at least somewhat out of touch.

The books author spends much less time with data than on condescending diatribes. It almost sounds like a university professor, feeling defensive about the pay structure and incentive structure at universities. It ignores so much of the realities of the real world. And the performance emphasized every opportunity to scarf at opposing points of view.