The paradox of persisting self-punitive behavior

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Animal Behavior Studies

Background:

• The paradox of

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the paradox of self-punitive behavior in animals.
• To evaluate theories explaining actions leading to aversive consequences.

Main Methods:

• Examined prototypical data from infra-human experiments.
• Evaluated stimulus-response and cognitive theories of self-punitive actions.
• Assessed two major conceptions of punishment in self-punitive studies.

Main Results:

• Neither traditional nor cognitive theories adequately explain self-punitive actions due to a lack of criteria for aversiveness.
• A relativistic view of aversiveness emerged, where noxiousness and attractiveness are relational properties.

Conclusions:

• Current definitions of punishment are insufficient for understanding self-punitive behavior.
• Aversiveness is not an absolute but a relational property of events.