Book Review: Punished by Rewards

A few weeks ago, I read a book called 'Punished by Rewards' and wrote a detailed review on it. I hadn't thought of posting it here back then, but just this afternoon, I was studying about motivation for my A level psychology exam and could not help but notice the stark contrast between the perspective in my textbook and that of this book. Anyway, I closed my textbook, reread this review, and decided to post it here because the world needs to know more about this.

I would love to hear your comments and feedback about this, so you can leave them below if you wish. I studied the book quite thoroughly (and wrote loads of notes on it) so if you have any questions, feel free to leave them below and I'll try my best to answer them. Here's the review now.

Title: Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise and Other Bribes

Written by: Alfie Kohn - American author and lecturer in the areas of education, parenting, and human behaviour.

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

This book is organized into twelve chapters divided into three parts. The first chapter, ‘Skinner-Boxed’, begins with a discourse on the work and ideas of B. F. Skinner, (American Psychologist, best known for his work on behaviorism). Skinner’s theory suggests that when a reinforcement (aka reward) follows a behaviour, that behaviour is likely to be repeated. This idea, of ‘do this and you’ll get that’, which the author calls ‘pop behaviorism’, has become so widespread and well-rooted in society, that it is difficult for anyone to accept that it is causing any harm. The premise of this book is challenging that notion. 

I found the structure of the book quite impressive; as the arguments progressed they became more and more compelling. Every statement that Kohn makes is backed up with evidence and research, although he does mention, at several points, that people have not given much attention to the studies that show how rewards can be detrimental. 

Given how strongly integrated the carrot-and-stick approach is in society, Kohn raises eye-opening questions of whether it is right and effective to reward. He convincingly argues that the entire institution of rewards is based on the belief that the people who succeed are the ones who worked hard enough - rewards will be distributed fairly and deserving people will be rewarded. This opens up an entire arena of reflection: are the people dying of hunger simply not deserving of food? Are celebrities more entitled to living a comfortable life than those living in slums? A simple musing assures that this is not the case. Then why do we believe that rewards ensure fair treatment? The chapter on ‘Is It Right to Reward?’ discusses how the use of rewards perpetuates a lack of symmetry and benefits the more powerful party - the rewarder - even though they are typically justified as being in the interests of the receiver. Moreover, the use of rewards is based on the assumption that given the choice, the person (often student or worker) will not act in that way of their own accord. Kohn calls pop behaviourism ‘by its very nature dehumanizing’. It should be clear by now, as he mentions often throughout the book, how much rewards can be controlling. 

The question of whether rewards are effective is addressed in a perfectly holistic and in-depth manner. Kohn acknowledges the fact that rewards do increase the probability of doing something. However, they work only in the short term, offering one reason for doing that task which sometimes displaces other motivations, and changes our attitude towards the task. Kohn further shows, through examples and researches, that rewards are actually counterproductive - when people were offered rewards, their performance stopped improving altogether. Rewards were also found to kill creativity. The effectiveness of rewards is summed up brilliantly here: ‘Do rewards motivate people? Absolutely. They motivate people to get rewards.’ 

The book provides five reasons that explain why rewards fail: The first reason is that ‘Rewards Punish’ - lots of people believe that rewards are better than punishments; however, they both stem from the same psychological model that conceives of motivation as the manipulation of behaviour. They are, as Kohn says, ‘... two sides of the same coin. And it is a coin that does not buy very much.’ The second reason for their failure is that they rupture relationships, flourishing in asymmetrical relationships and further perpetuating that imbalance. They also interfere with any sense of collaboration in a group, as people start competing with each other - everyone else becomes ‘a potential obstacle to one’s own success’. Thirdly, rewards ignore reasons, being typically given out when something is going wrong, without paying attention to the reasons that started the trouble in the first place. ‘They are gimmicks, shortcuts, quick fixes that mask problems and ignore reasons. They never look below the surface.’ The fourth reason rewards fail is that they discourage risk-taking. Being driven by rewards leads to a narrower focus; the aim becomes the reward in itself and we lose regard for the task. ‘Risks are to be avoided wherever possible because the objective is not to engage in an open-ended encounter with ideas; it is simply to get the goody.’ 

The fifth reason, for which an entire chapter is dedicated, is that rewards cut down the interest in a task. Being extrinsic motivators, they direct people towards seeing the task as less desirable, a means towards an end. ‘“Do this and you’ll get that” automatically devalues the “this”’. Moving ahead, in the same chapter Kohn provides six practical suggestions to limit the long-term damage of rewards, if they must be given anyway. 

There is an entire chapter about praise. The praise he talks about is not encouragement, rather, verbal rewards that lead to a dependence on external approval. He questions whether praise is something we need to say or that they need to hear. (‘Clearly, it is worth reconsidering the use of praise if it turns out to be something we need to say more than something they need to hear.’) He explains the ways in which praise may impede performance, followed by practical suggestions to blunt their damaging impact.

The book addresses the issue of pop behaviourism all over (Western) society, not just in situations where one has to deal with children. This spreads to the workplace - chapter seven discusses how behaviourism is excessively rampant in the conventional workplace, why it doesn’t lead to ideal results and how it impacts the motivation of employees. The author provides fourteen reasons to explain why rewards fail in the workplace. I found it interesting and could relate to the way their use has led to lots of people being unenthusiastic about their work. It’s important to note here though, that the rewards the author refers to in this context is not pay, but other monetary and non-monetary rewards that are not directly a part of the employee’s salary, e.g. bonuses, incentive plans and so on. The point is not that workers shouldn’t be paid more - Kohn firmly argues that everyone should be paid a reasonable amount for the work they do that is sufficient to fulfill their needs - but that paying more will not lead to increased motivation or better work: money is not a motivating factor. ‘To assume that money is what drives people is to adopt an impoverished understanding of human motivation.’

Similarly, the use of bribes in the classroom is discussed in much depth; how behaviourism has led to students doing whatever they are instructed to, while hating every minute of it. ‘I think we should want children who want to learn, who not only have reading skills but actually read.’ Further on, the author asserts that rewards and punishments only produce temporary compliance: ‘They buy us obedience.’ Ultimately, the use of punishments or rewards can not make someone a good person. 

As this book is written in a western perspective and the author is obviously not Muslim, there were a few places where I noticed a gap, which I felt could be filled if we analyze the same issues in an Islamic context. As the author talks about the detrimental effects of doing something with a reward in mind, he briefly touches on this in religious context - we have a reward in mind, even if it is in the hereafter. (‘We have been taught that ethical conduct will be rewarded and evil acts punished, even if it does not happen in this lifetime.’) Thinking about it, I believe that as that reward has been promised by God, even if it is controlling, it is justified as we are after all, His subjects. 

The last section of the book, ‘Beyond Rewards’, which contains three chapters, talks about what can and should be done instead of using punishments and rewards. Kohn talks extensively about motivation here and clarifies many misconceptions related to it. ‘... the desire to do something, much less do it well, simply cannot be imposed; in this sense it is a mistake to talk about motivating other people.’ If people are not motivated in the work they are doing, it is worth considering whether that work is actually meaningful and makes a difference in society. ‘Right now, a good deal of what students are required to do in school is, to be blunt, not worth doing.’

This section contains many practical suggestions for both parents and teachers. However, the author acknowledges that moving away from rewards, which are ‘quick fixes’ that have essentially become a way of life for many of us, will not be easy and will require enormous amounts of patience and self-restraint. ‘The capacity to call into question one’s long standing ways of thinking and acting, to reconsider an approach so ingrained as to be second nature, belongs at the top of any list of what makes a good parent or teacher.’ The book ends with a positive and hopeful note, making the reader feel empowered and eager to bring the insights learnt into action.