Willow's mother took away her television privileges as punishment for missing her curfew, when the punishment could have been much more severe, such as being grounded for a week and losing access to her cell phone. Why is Willow's mother using insufficient punishment, according to dissonance theory?

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According to dissonance theory, if a person is punished too severely for a behavior, they may experience insufficient external justification for their actions and begin to change their attitudes to justify their behavior. However, if the punishment is not severe enough, there is insufficient external justification for their behavior and they may continue to engage in the behavior. In this case, Willow's mother is using insufficient punishment, which may actually lead Willow to continue to miss curfew because the punishment is not severe enough to deter her from doing so again.

Willow's Mother Took Away Her Television Privileges as Punishment for Missing