🌱 Note! Please reach out to me if you notice any mistakes or inconsistencies as I don’t want to spread misinformation. Besides, I’m here to learn so letting me know would only be of help! With that said, happy reading!

Source: Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Sommers, S. R. (2021). Social psychology (Tenth Global Edition). Pearson Education Limited.

Severe punishment and its (lack of) effect

Let’s get straight to the point: Punishing aggression to get rid of it? No-no. Bad approach. Ineffective approach. While threats of immediate and harsh punishment may stop the undesired aggressive behaviour short-term, it won’t get to the roots of the issue. The reason the person acted out in the first place still isn’t dealt with. Despite the punishment, their aggressive values remain (and might even turn more extreme!) Besides - especially when it comes to raising children - severe punishment is a way for the punished person(s) learn that 'oh, if I'm tired or frustrated with someone it's okay for me to scream at them and grab them', which, Yikes.

Harsh punishment (screaming, threatening, getting physical, extensive negative consequences, etc.) -> Target is likely to respond with anxiety and/or anger (not increased cooperation or a change in their internal values)

Physical punishment (punching, hitting, grabbing, spanking, hair-pulling, etc.) ->  Increased risk for development of low self-esteem, depression, and violent behaviour. Target is likely to become even more aggressive and antisocial over time

In sum, we shouldn’t use severe punishment because:

Aggressive values that caused the behaviour in the first place remain; No long-term effect

Teaches the punished person that the punishing behaviour is okay, e.g., ‘ It’s okay for me to hit people if they’re being unreasonable’

Only teaches the person who behaved aggressively what they shouldn’t do, not what they should do instead; Doesn’t present them with an alternative; No constructive feedback to promote change 

Will bring about a heap of negative consequences unrelated to the act that’s being punished, e.g., low self-esteem

So no punishment? At all?

Does this mean that no punishment whatsoever works? Is punishing someone always wrong? No, not necessarily. An alternative that seems to work better is mild punishment. Even a punishment just powerful enough to stop the behaviour in question (e.g., giving someone a stern look) is more likely to make the behaviour stop long-term than severe punishment is. The psychological principles behind this method are quite interesting, actually. I’ll keep it short and concise, but basically what happens is that when you refrain from acting the way you want to act without sufficient external factors to explain why you’re restraining yourself, your brain tries to find the ‘why’ and comes to the conclusion that ‘hm, maybe I didn’t want to do that thing that much after all’. It does this in an attempt of reducing the discomfort you feel when you’re resisting a temptation. In a situation like that it simply makes us feel better to have some sort of justification, such as thinking ‘I didn’t really wanna do that anyway'.

अमेरिकी अभिनेता एडम ड्राइवर ने रविवार को कान्स फिल्म फेस्टिवल में टेलीविजन श्रृंखला गर्ल्स के सेट पर आक्रामक व्यवहार के आरोपों को खारिज कर दिया। अभिनेता से उनके हालिया संस्मरण में फिल्म निर्माता लीना डनहम की टिप्पणियों के बारे में पूछा गया था, जिसमें उन्होंने सेट पर एडम के कथित आक्रामक व्यवहार का विवरण दिया था। कास्ट सदस्य एडम ड्राइवर 17 मई, 2026 को कान्स, फ्रांस में 79वें कान्स फिल्म महोत्सव की…

अमेरिकी अभिनेता एडम ड्राइवर ने रविवार को कान्स फिल्म फेस्टिवल में टेलीविजन श्रृंखला गर्ल्स के सेट पर आक्रामक व्यवहार के आरोपों को खारिज कर दिया। अभिनेता से उनके हालिया संस्मरण में फिल्म निर्माता लीना डनहम की टिप्पणियों के बारे में पूछा गया था, जिसमें उन्होंने सेट पर एडम के कथित आक्रामक व्यवहार का विवरण दिया था। कास्ट सदस्य एडम ड्राइवर 17 मई, 2026 को कान्स, फ्रांस में 79वें कान्स फिल्म महोत्सव की…

For years it has been very common for aquariums and pondewpers, to report how turtles in their care have attacked their fish, sometimes causing fatalities or severe disfigurements. Usually the responses posted online, seemingly denounce the mixing of fish and turtle species, or suggest that the ony fishes that will be 'safe' around turtles, are those too fast to be caught - although this argument admits a real risk of predation on the fish! I do not treat sentient animals in this way, and the argument is based on maintaining the fish as a population, not the safety of anyone fish as a living and feeling animal, living in the shadow of a dangerous carnivore.

Fortunately most of the problems and ignorant responses, are preventable with some knowledge of animal behaviour Some.attacks on fish are outright predatory atracks, when the culprit is a species like the New World snapping turtles. Some such predators can inflict vicious injuries should the fish manage to.swim away. But some other predators, like the South American matamata and the Austraasian snake necks, are limited by their own suction feeding means of prey capture, as to the size of the fish or other prey they can take. In reality most complaints that turtles have molested fishes, so not report the telltale marks of predation attempts. In any case, the animals cohabiting should be so sized, that the possibility of predation be ruled out of consideration.

Much more common is the conflict that arises, from aggressive competition for the same food items. The most common culprit in our ranks andonds, is probably the red eared slider, whiskies ubiquitous in aquariums and ponda. This species is an omnivore that starts out more carnivorous, before turning more vegetarian with maturity. The reason these turtles not infrequently bite the faces and gills of goldfish and koi, is because they consume the same foods as these fish. If feeding time results in injuries, the s species must be separated at feeding times.

Other wounds result from motivations unrelated to feeding behaviors. It has been noted that softshells are particularly prone to assaulting catfishes such as plecs, as they rest upon wood or stone. During these confrontations, the more aggressive of the two animals, is aiming to dislodge the other from a desirable spot. Generally softshells have a 'black legend' as regards their suitability for mixed species ponds, home aquaria, and zoo exhibits. It is by now clear, however, that trionychids vary as to their suitability, with some species like the Lissemys flapshells, not being particularly probematic around other species. The Chinese softshells, Pelodiscus sinensis, are now commercially farmed, in ponds shared with fishes, that are also the subject of aquaculture.