In October 2014, the movie Whiplash was released. Aside from being an emotional thriller, Whiplash brought to light the idea of praise versus punishment. Terrence Fletcher, an abusive yet talented jazz conductor played by J.K. Simmons spars with his prodigal student, Andrew Neimann, played by Miles Teller. Throughout the movie, while Fletcher is throwing chairs and making students cry, the underlying question lingers in viewers’ minds: is punishment or praise a more effective tool for success? According to Fletcher, “there are no two words in the English language more harmful than ‘good job’” (Simmons). From someone who uses such aggressive motivational tactics, this idea makes sense. But for the average parent or teacher, the question of praise is not so clear-cut.
While Whiplash uses this theme throughout the movie, it certainly did not start the discussion. For years, notable psychologists, authors, and educators have been discussing …show more content…
Their book, “NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children” dedicates the first chapter to the “Inverse Power of Praise” (9). Using various examples and sources, the authors make a compelling story against praise. For example, according to a survey conducted at Columbia University, “85 percent of American parents think it’s important to tell their kids that they’re smart” (Bronson and Merryman 12). Regardless if their children are actually smart, the majority of parents still think they should tell their children they are. This is a fairly concerning statistic. Roy Baumeister, a professor of psychology at Florida State University, believes that “when [parents] praise their kids, it’s not that far from praising themselves” (Bronson and Merryman 19). After all, parents did raise their children so them praising their child is, in effect, praising how they raised their child. This is an interesting explanation as to why parents
While Whiplash uses this theme throughout the movie, it certainly did not start the discussion. For years, notable psychologists, authors, and educators have been discussing …show more content…
Their book, “NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children” dedicates the first chapter to the “Inverse Power of Praise” (9). Using various examples and sources, the authors make a compelling story against praise. For example, according to a survey conducted at Columbia University, “85 percent of American parents think it’s important to tell their kids that they’re smart” (Bronson and Merryman 12). Regardless if their children are actually smart, the majority of parents still think they should tell their children they are. This is a fairly concerning statistic. Roy Baumeister, a professor of psychology at Florida State University, believes that “when [parents] praise their kids, it’s not that far from praising themselves” (Bronson and Merryman 19). After all, parents did raise their children so them praising their child is, in effect, praising how they raised their child. This is an interesting explanation as to why parents