Punishment in every culture is usually associated with a negative stigma, but it is not always a bad thing. Inherently, it is a process of consequences and a form of discipline that leads to a certain behavioral change in a person subjected to punishment. It can be executed with negative or positive intentions, but it always has consequences based on desired outcomes. So, in my opinion, punishing someone in an effective manner can ideally result in transitioning an unwanted behavior into a desired positive behavior.
For instance, if a student in the classroom speaks out of turn and the instructor penalizes the student for his/her unwanted behavior, the punishment would have a positive effect on the student. This form of punishment will lead a student to learn how to behave ethically in the classroom causing him/her to change undesirable habits. Moreover, informing a student and punishing him/her such as they will be required to miss the recess time can result in the reduction of undesired behavior (Busienei, 2012).
Negative reinforcement, on the other hand, takes away the desirable motivation from the “receiver” of the punishment. For instance, if the teacher rebukes the student in the above case or shouts at the student when he/she speaks out of turn again, it may result in the student feeling rejected and alone. If the same undesired behavior occurs promptly after the punishment and the student misbehaves consistently even after the punishment, further shouting or whooping at the student would lead to a change in behavior that would negatively affect the entire class (Bauer et al., 1990).
In a nutshell, I personally oppose and discourage the idea of negative reinforcement because a student may feel dishonored. Thus, I opine that effective punishment can be a necessary part of life and a classroom environment as it can lead to behavioral correction which reduces the likelihood that the unwanted behavior will occur again in the future.
References
Bauer, G. B., Dubanoski, R., Yamauchi, L. A., & Honbo, K. A. M. (1990). Corporal punishment and the schools. Education and Urban Society, 22(3), 285–299.
Busienei, A. J. (2012). Alternative methods to corporal punishment and their efficacy. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 3(2), 155–161.
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