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Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes
Alfie Kohn · 1993
In a sentence
A sweeping indictment of the carrot-and-stick approach to motivation, arguing that rewards—like punishments—fail to produce lasting change and actively undermine intrinsic motivation, quality, relationships, and the development of good values.
Drawing on hundreds of psychological studies, Alfie Kohn dismantles the deeply held belief that the best way to get people to do something is to reward them when they comply. From gold stars and grades in classrooms, to incentive plans and merit pay in workplaces, to praise and bribes in the home, Kohn shows that 'Do this and you'll get that' rests on the shaky foundations of pop behaviorism and reliably backfires. Rewards, he argues, are not the opposite of punishments but two sides of the same controlling coin: both secure temporary compliance while corroding the conditions—collaboration, meaningful content, and genuine choice—under which excellence, learning, and ethical behavior actually flourish. Provocative yet rigorously documented, the book challenges readers to abandon the seductive simplicity of behavioral manipulation and rethink how we manage employees, teach students, and raise children, replacing control with respect, problem-solving, and support for intrinsic motivation.
The four lenses
- Science
- Statistics
- Systems
- Strategy
The model
A causal model expressing how the use of extrinsic motivators (rewards, punishments, praise-as-reward) as design levers operates through perceived control and five mediating mechanisms to reduce intrinsic motivation, damage relationships, and ultimately impair performance, learning, lasting behavior change, and the development of good values. Conversely, conditions of collaboration, meaningful content, and choice support intrinsic motivation and positive outcomes.
Use of Extrinsic Motivators (Rewards/Punishments)design lever
The practice of offering contingent rewards, punishments, grades, incentive plans, or praise-as-reward to control behavior, captured by the formula 'Do this and you'll get that.' This is the central design lever the book critiques across home, school, and workplace.
Perceived Control / Loss of Self-Determinationpsychological state
The extent to which the person on the receiving end of rewards or punishments experiences being controlled, manipulated, or deprived of autonomy, undermining their sense of self-determination over their own actions and destiny.
Punitive Experience of Rewardspsychological state
The mechanism whereby rewards function punitively—being controlling, withholdable, and producing demoralization when not obtained—making the reward experience effectively indistinguishable from punishment over the long run.
Quality of Relationshipspsychological state
The state of horizontal (peer) and vertical (supervisor-subordinate, teacher-student, parent-child) relationships, characterized by trust, openness, willingness to ask for help, and collaboration versus rivalry, flattery, and concealment of problems.
Attention to Underlying Reasonsbehavioral pattern
The degree to which the intervener investigates and addresses the underlying causes of a problem (why a child misbehaves, a student disengages, a worker underperforms) rather than merely manipulating surface behavior with rewards.
Risk-Taking and Creative Explorationbehavioral pattern
The willingness to take intellectual risks, explore new possibilities, choose challenging tasks, and engage open-endedly—as opposed to choosing the easiest path, narrowing focus, and doing only what is necessary to get the reward.
Intrinsic Motivationpsychological state
The desire to engage in an activity for its own sake—because of the satisfaction, interest, and meaning it provides—which is the strongest predictor of quality work and lasting commitment and which extrinsic rewards reliably erode.
Collaboration (Condition for Authentic Motivation)contextual condition
The contextual condition in which people work together cooperatively, sharing resources, ideas, and emotional support, forming a community rather than competing or working in isolation.
Meaningful Content (Condition for Authentic Motivation)contextual condition
The contextual condition in which work or learning tasks are interesting, meaningful, appropriately challenging, and connected to people's real lives and concerns, rather than tedious, decontextualized, or imposed.
Choice / Autonomy (Condition for Authentic Motivation)contextual condition
The contextual condition in which people have genuine say over what they do and how they do it—participating in decisions rather than merely following orders—supporting self-determination.
Quality of Performance and Learningoutcome metric
The outcome measure of how well people perform tasks and learn—especially on complex, creative, or conceptual work—as opposed to mere quantity or speed at simple tasks.
Lasting Behavior Change and Good Valuesoutcome metric
The outcome of enduring behavior change that persists without rewards, and the development of internalized good values, responsibility, and caring—as opposed to temporary compliance that disappears when goodies stop.
How they connect
- use of extrinsic motivators → predicts perceived control
- perceived control − predicts intrinsic motivation
- use of extrinsic motivators − predicts intrinsic motivation
- use of extrinsic motivators → predicts reward as punishment
- use of extrinsic motivators − predicts relationship quality
- use of extrinsic motivators − predicts attention to reasons
- use of extrinsic motivators − predicts risk taking creativity
- intrinsic motivation → predicts performance quality
- relationship quality → predicts performance quality
- attention to reasons → predicts lasting behavior change values
- risk taking creativity → predicts performance quality
- intrinsic motivation → predicts lasting behavior change values
- reward as punishment − predicts relationship quality
- collaboration condition → moderates intrinsic motivation
- content condition → moderates intrinsic motivation
- choice condition → moderates intrinsic motivation
- use of extrinsic motivators − influences performance quality
A candidate measure
Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes — derived measurement candidates
Use of Extrinsic Motivators (Rewards/Punishments)
Presence/absence of incentive or grading systems; Frequency and salience of contingent rewards; Proportion of compensation tied to performance
self-report suitability: high
Perceived Control / Loss of Self-Determination
Perceived autonomy-support vs. control ratings; Reported sense of choice
self-report suitability: high
Punitive Experience of Rewards
Morale/effort change following non-receipt of reward; Reported feelings of being penalized
self-report suitability: medium
Quality of Relationships
Rate of help-seeking behavior; Cooperation indices; Trust ratings
self-report suitability: high
Attention to Underlying Reasons
Frequency of diagnostic/problem-solving responses to problems; Ratio of problem-solving to control responses
self-report suitability: medium
Risk-Taking and Creative Exploration
Task difficulty selection; Independently judged creativity scores; Breadth of exploration
self-report suitability: medium
Intrinsic Motivation
Free-choice persistence time; Reported interest/enjoyment
self-report suitability: high
Collaboration (Condition for Authentic Motivation)
Presence of cooperative structures; Sense-of-belonging ratings
self-report suitability: medium
Meaningful Content (Condition for Authentic Motivation)
Reported interest/relevance; Curriculum/job-design features; Challenge-fit ratings
self-report suitability: high
Choice / Autonomy (Condition for Authentic Motivation)
Number/significance of decisions made by individuals; Perceived autonomy ratings
self-report suitability: high
Quality of Performance and Learning
Expert-rated quality; Performance on complex/creative tasks; Retention and transfer measures
self-report suitability: low
Lasting Behavior Change and Good Values
Persistence of behavior post-reward; Generalization across settings; Self-attributed altruism/responsibility
self-report suitability: low
The story
The reader A parent, teacher, or manager who wants the people they care for or lead to do good work, learn deeply, and become responsible, caring, and motivated.
External problem
The rewards, grades, incentive plans, and praise they rely on aren't producing lasting motivation, quality, or good behavior.
Internal problem
They feel frustrated, even guilty, suspecting that the strategy they default to may be backfiring but not knowing what else to do.
Philosophical problem
It is wrong to treat people as objects to be controlled with bribes and threats when they deserve respect and the chance to be self-determining.
The plan
- Recognize that rewards and punishments are two sides of the same controlling coin.
- Abolish or minimize incentives, grades, and manipulative praise.
- Shift focus from controlling behavior to addressing reasons and building relationships.
- Create the conditions for intrinsic motivation through collaboration, meaningful content, and genuine choice.
- Support autonomy and use problem-solving instead of bribes and threats.
Success
- Employees, students, and children become intrinsically motivated, doing better, more creative work.
- Relationships are characterized by trust, openness, and support rather than judgment and flattery.
- Children grow into responsible, caring, self-directed people who make their own ethical decisions.
- Learning and work become engaging and meaningful rather than chores done for a payoff.
At stake
- A continued cycle of dependence on rewards, with diminishing returns and escalating bribes.
- Eroded intrinsic motivation, lower-quality work, and reluctant, alienated learners and workers.
- Damaged relationships and children who behave only when someone is watching with a goody or threat in hand.
Chapter by chapter
ch01AFTERWORD
In the afterword, the author reflects on the controversies surrounding the use of rewards in motivation, asserting that the harmful effects of extrinsic rewards are often overlooked despite ample evidence against their efficacy.
- Rewards are popular but often ineffective; reliance on them can diminish intrinsic motivation.
- Understanding the qualitative differences in motivation can lead to more effective engagement strategies.
- Those who design and implement reward systems may resist acknowledging their negative effects despite evidence to the contrary.
- The intrinsic motivation of individuals should be prioritized to foster environments of curiosity and creativity.
ch02Appendix A
B.F. Skinner’s life and ideas illuminate a profound tension between individual agency and environmental influences in behaviorism, challenging the very foundation of human selfhood and creativity.
ch03Appendix B
This chapter examines the complexities of intrinsic motivation, defining it as the drive to engage in activities for their inherent satisfaction and contrasting it with extrinsic motivation, which relies on external rewards.
- Intrinsic motivation is defined as the drive to engage in activities solely for their inherent satisfaction, distinct from extrinsic motivation which relies on external rewards.
- The debate on intrinsic motivation challenges current workplace practices reliant on behaviorist views, highlighting a need for deeper engagement strategies.
- Organizations that prioritize intrinsic motivation can cultivate greater creativity and satisfaction within their teams, leading to enhanced performance.
- Relying solely on extrinsic rewards can erode long-term motivation and lead to employee burnout and disengagement.
ch04p01Appendix C (part 1/4)
This chapter explores the complexities of defining and measuring intrinsic motivation (IM), highlighting the challenges of distinguishing between intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence motivation.
ch04p02Appendix C (part 2/4)
This chapter critically examines the complex and often detrimental effects of various forms of praise and feedback on children’s intrinsic motivation and learning outcomes.
ch04p03Appendix C (part 3/4)
This chapter argues that cooperative learning fosters essential social skills and effective educational outcomes, emphasizing intrinsic motivation over extrinsic rewards.
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