Natural consequences allow people to make associations between actions and their inherent consequences
Natural consequences are not about simply the discomfort the actor may experience, but rather that through operant conditioning they develop an understanding of cause and effect, can make predictions, and are able to understand their own ability to impact their environment. If you spare people from experiencing natural consequences, they are robbed of making the connection between their actions and what happens due to their actions. As a result, they’ll see that they have the agency to impact what happens in their life—negatively and positively.
Living with the consequences of their actions helps to motivate them to be more responsible and proactive next time. This gives them the chance to cope with a manageable disappointment and/or to take action to rectify the situation, says Dr. Pressman. This type of experience may cultivate resilience that they can draw from when other unfortunate things happen down the road.
References
- Vanbuskirkj, Sarah. (2022). What Are Natural Consequences? When and How to Use Them: Verywellfamily: https://www.verywellfamily.com/natural-consequences-as-a-discipline-strategy-1094849.
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Type:🔴 Tags: Psychology Status:☀️