By the Way... Dangling the Carrot

Surely you've heard of the principle of the "carrot or the stick." It's a phrase that describes two ways to make a stubborn donkey move forward. Either dangle a sweet, delicious carrot in front of his face - in which case he'll move forward to get it - or briskly apply a stick to his behind - in which case he'll move forward to get away from it. The carrot, or the stick, works on people, too, We've used them on others. And others have used them on us. In just about every situation where people want others to do things, a close examination will reveal some type of juicy carrot or ugly stick, or both, nearby. For instance, if our parents want us to do some chores around the house, they may promise us an allowance for getting chores done. Or they may deny us the privilege of going out with our friends for not having the chores done.

Please click the above PDF icon(s) to view or download the full Magazine Article in PDF format.

Searchable HTML version coming.