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My passion and philosophy.
Here are the philosophical underpinnings of OutSourceNJ.
I'd love to see positive reinforcement used more often. I understand the necessity of defending ourselves when threatened, but I prefer reward as a method of first choice, and punishment only when necessary. Here's some definitions, concepts and examples from behavioral psychology.
Reward is a stimulus that follows a behavior and makes that behavior more likely to occur in the future. Punishment is a stimulus that follows a behavior and makes that behavior less likely to occur. You can only know if you have rewarded or punished someone by measuring future occurrences of that behavior under similar circumstances. A reward for one person may be punishment for another. Here are some examples:
1). A parent and toddler enter a convenience store. The child says he wants some gum and starts whining. To avoid a scene in the store, the parent buys him the gum. This is the first time it has happened in the store, but during the next two visits, he repeats the whining. Therefore, the whining behavior is positively reinforced by the gum stimulus from the parent.
2). A teenage boy goes to a high school dance wearing eyeliner. This is the second time he has done this. His friends tease him about it. He doesn't wear makeup to any more dances. The teasing is a punishment.3). A teenage boy goes to a dance wearing eyeliner. His friends tease him. He wears makeup more often at the dances. The teasing is a reward.
Perhaps in example two he seeks acceptance and in example three he craves attention. The same consequence (teasing) is reward for one and punishment for another. Next, people often attempt to squash a behavior but unwittingly reinforce it:
4). A teacher interrupts her lesson to tell a child to stop calling out. If this calling out behavior happens more often, then we know that the attention from the teacher is a reward, even though she is trying to stop it. If the child's calling out stems from a need for adult attention, then the teacher should ignore the behavior. If she ignores it consistently over the long term, then extinction of the behavior will occur. When the girl raises her hand instead of calling out, the teacher should praise her, thus reinforcing an alternate behavior.5). A hate group has a web site slandering homosexuals. They are a group that craves confrontation. Hoping to stop this, several gay newspapers publish their web link and email. The haters are bombarded with angry emails and watch the multiplication of hits to their site. They are so excited by the nerve they struck that others they know start similarly hateful web sites. All other things equal, we then know that the angry response from the gay community is a reward.
So we don't want to reward unwanted behavior, but why avoid punishment? Well, yes, by definition, the method reduces the frequency of a behavior. But there are side effects. People have many reactions to punishment including fight or flight and rebellion or withdrawal. I am not just talking about gay issues here. I believe that excessive punishment inflicted by parents, priests, judges, police, and teachers accounts for so much of today's aggression, rebellion and retaliation. It is also responsible for much of the escapism we see in the form of drug and alcohol abuse. Where do we draw the line between punishment and abuse? (See B.F. Skinner in The Technology of Teaching.)
Punishment isn't necessary when we can reward alternate, incompatible behavior. Teenagers cannot paint graffiti and play basketball at the same time. Give them a YMCA membership or a part time job, and the graffiti is reduced. The policy should be away from punishing graffiti painters and toward providing enriching experiences. Send them to jail, they return as expert criminals educated by fellow inmates.
This can be a very tough approach. I advocate withholding reward when it reinforces unwanted behavior. I support boycotts of unfriendly establishments when we "BUYcott" supportive firms who offer similar services or products. This way we remove cash reward and redirect it to a logical substitute.
We should only reward when it is welcomed. Some people view attempts at reinforcement as a threat. Sometimes teenagers are embarrassed by praise in front their classmates. In effect, it becomes punishment. It is often better to praise them individually. It pays to ask, "do you want a reward, and what specifically would you like?"
While punishment angers and offends, reward sparks love and appreciation. Those punished turn to the weaker and punish them. Those rewarded return the favor. It is an aura, an infectious gift. Release it to the universe and it returns when least expected.
This is why I publish the names of the gay-friendly businesses, professionals, churches, and organizations serving NJ consumers. I want to show the neutral straight people that we are OK after all, that there is something to be gained from supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. I also want to thank those in the list for their friendship and hope that our gratitude increases the chance that they support us in the future.