When delivering training in relation to anti-bribery and corruption I always ask the trainees to raise their hands if (1) they’ve ever taken a bribe, and (2) whether they’ve ever offered a bribe. I then watch a roomful of people look at me with a combination of surprise, confusion, and anger when I raise both my hands … and then I ask all those who are parents to raise a hand before asking the first two questions again.
The point is: Our lives are substantially built upon incentives and compromise. We offer rewards to children for good behavior and, subsequently, our children offer good behavior in return for a reward. It is a natural process; there is nothing malicious involved—but boundaries are imposed, and there are times when bad behavior is dealt with by way of a sanction, which may include the deprivation of a prior reward or some fun time.
