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Do you think shame is an effective form of punishment?

Do you think shame is an effective form of punishment? Like what if your school or work decided that everytime you were late you had to wear a sign around your neck or a dunce cap or something like that.

Or I was just reading this article online (published a few years ago) about a town that, in attempt to eliminate prostitution, wanted to post the faces of men caught paying prostitutes on buses or billboards.

So, what do you say? Does it work? Why or why not

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Answer #1

depends… on whether you actually feel shame… people brought up in collectivist cultures may have had this used more often (because they’re brought up to think about others more and to see themselves in relation to others more, so shame has more of an effect), so really depends…

Answer #2

The Japanese government uses this quiet effectively.

Answer #3

your example of the dunce cap isn’t so much shame as it is public embarrassment. I’m not ok with public embarrassment as a form of punishment. those times seem to be the times you member hurting the most.

it’s supposed to work…because if you’re embarrassed enough by the punishment, you won’t do it again…because you care about what others think of you. but what about those kids that don’t care what people think?

so…it may be effective, but I think it causes more harm in the long run.

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