Discussion: Public Humiliation as Punishment
Friday August 25, 2006
A forum member writes: The notion that public humiliation of anyone will induce them to behave better goes against human psychology. A parent or a teacher who humiliates a child does not get improved attitude, but initiates the development of an anti-social attitude. Just ask yourself how many times you have been humiliated, accepted the humiliation as fair, and reformed yourself. Is there anyone out there with such a story who is willing to share it with us?
Embarrassment seems to play an important role in people’s moral sense — more often than not, they “do the right thing” so as not to experience shame in front of people they know. In today’s fractured society, however, it is much easier to remain anonymous and, therefore, easier to “do the wrong thing” without having to experience shame. You can do something wrong at home without co-workers knowing; you can do something wrong at work without friends and family knowing. Thus, “going public” with crimes can serve to reintroduce the factor of shame and embarrassment. Read More...
Comments
People make try to public humiliate others not to make them change, but to make an example out of them. Plus, in our society the more people you get participating in the behavior the more O.K. it seems to be. It also gives the person who started the hate in the first place a way to hide.
public punishment is actually helpful in a lot of cases, i read an article saying that out of 58 shaming cases a judge used, only 2 of them were arrested again.
It’s a bit different I guess, but in My line of work, public humiliation is often sought out by My clientele. I contribute this to the fact that, as the author says, so much happens behind closed doors! I think the boys who come to Me seeking to be publicly ‘outed’ are seeking restitution for the bad things that only they know they have done.