How to Use Rewards and Punishments to Get What You Want

One of psychology's few unchallenged verities is behaviorism: You get more of what you reward, less of what you punish. There are nuances to make it more effective while remaining ethical. I describe them in my Psychology Today article today.

Behaviorism at Work

Behaviorism is among psychology’s most robust principles. Per B.F. Skinner, the principle is that you get more of what you reward, less of what you ignore and especially punish.

Behaviorism is widely used with challenging behavior, for example, with children with developmental disabilities. In the workplace, it's often referred to as Organizational Behavior Management (OBM.)

Manuel “Manny” Rodriguez  is the Executive Director of the Organizational Behavior Management Network and its former President of the Board. My interview with him is my PsychologyToday.com article today.