Derek likes to bully his little brother Matt. Their mother begins to give Derek the mild punishment of a stern look every time Derek hits Matt. This is sufficient to stop Derek's bullying, and in time, Derek stops bullying Matt even when his mother is not around. According to theories of insufficient punishment, why might this happen?
A) Because there was sufficient external justification for resisting, Derek began to devalue the forbidden activity.
B) Because there was sufficient external justification for resisting, Derek began to place greater value on his relationship with his brother.
C) Because there was insufficient external justification for resisting, Derek began to devalue the forbidden activity.
D) Because there was insufficient external justification for resisting, Derek began to place greater value on his relationship with his brother.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The theory of insufficient punishment suggests that when the external punishment for an undesirable behavior is mild (insufficient), individuals do not have enough external justification for changing their behavior. Instead, they may change their internal attitudes to align with their behavior. In Derek's case, the mild punishment (a stern look) did not provide a strong external reason to stop bullying. Therefore, to resolve the internal dissonance, Derek might have internally devalued the act of bullying, leading to a genuine change in behavior.

Derek Likes to Bully His Little Brother Matt