by Alfie Kohn
• Jan. 1999
A compelling argument that the use of rewards is counterproductive in raising children, teaching students, and managing workers. Kohn (The Brighter Side of Human Nature, 1990, etc.) contends that rewards, like punishments, are methods of controlling people--perhaps a morally objectionable goal--and that, at best, they produce only temporary compliance, and at worst, actually decrease the desired behavior.
Reviewer: Jamie Crowell
Alfie Kohn's book, Punished by Rewards, should be seen as a tool for all employers, parents, and educators. Kohn attempts to chip away at the established theory of Behaviorism and show how ineffective and often detrimental rewards can be. He gives the reader a logical path to follow toward new strategies of motivation in the home, work place, and schools.
Reviewer: George Zee
This is a paperback edition of the 1993 original. All the well-researched arguments against incentives, rewards and even praise, are still just as valid today. Most people may hesitate to use explicit punishment but hold such deep-rooted beliefs in using rewards. "Punished by Rewards" is a captivating title and it shocks people into some awareness of such futile and self-defeating behavior. The author has a fundamental belief in the goodness of the human nature, the intrinsic desire to learn and he attempts to lay a true foundation for democratic attitudes and practices. Praise is all right as feedback, but any external means of control is counter-productive to fostering true learning and community building.
Some may feel he is too utopian. But such a clear-thinking, passionate, challenging and persuasive writer deserves careful study, debate and reflection.
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