I kNOW I shouldn't have

Operant Conditioning is a learning process in which the probability of response occurring is increased or decreased due to reinforcement or punishment.

When I was in high school, I gave my parents a rough time. If I can go back and change the fact that I never listened to them, I would.

There was this one night, where one of my old friends were having a house party because both of her parents were away. I told my mom after work that I was sleeping at this friend’s house and that she was having a party. My mom begged and begged for me to not go and she kept saying I wasn't allowed to go. She said she had a bad feeling and didn't trust the friends I had. I decided to invite my two cousins that she trusted a lot and then I was allowed to go.

At the time I had a job that paid you each time you worked. I had about $200 and my iPod touch. As soon as I got to her house, I put my belongings in her room, since I was sleeping there.

My friend and I only invited a couple of friends but somehow A LOT of people showed up - people we never even met.

I drank a lot that night since I didn't have to go home. Later on that night, her uncle showed up and stopped the party. My friend was in shock and in a lot of trouble. My cousins ended up taking me home to their house.

When I got to their house, I realized my money and iPod touch were stolen. I started to cry hysterically and was disgusted that people can do that. The next day I found out that, not only did they steal from my bag they also stole money and jewelry from my friend’s house.

My aunt made me go home and tell my mother what had happened. My mom was extremely upset with me and angry with me.

From this experience, not only did I learn to listen to my mom, I also learned not to bring all my belongings with me. I also feel like from that day I have grown a lot and know my limits. I regret going there when I know I shouldn't have gone, although it could of have turned out way worse than it actually did.

As punishment for what had happened, my mom didn't let me out as much anymore and I had to be home at most of the time for a while. Every time I worked, she let me give her my money to hold onto till I "deserved" it. I wasn't allowed out until she trusted me again. “Like reinforcement, punishment can work either by directly applying an unpleasant stimulus like a shock after a response or by removing a potentially rewarding stimulus, for instance, deducting someone’s pocket money to punish undesirable behavior.”

Rosetta