Glossary
Imaginary punishment
What is imaginary punishment?
Imaginary punishment asks a person to imagine performing an unwanted behavior in a real-life situation and then imagine an unpleasant consequence.
How it works
The behavior and consequence are both imagined. This historical technique is also called covert sensitization. The intended sequence is action followed by an unpleasant outcome, rehearsed in imagination rather than imposed in real life.
Illustrative example
In a hypothetical exercise, a person pictures interrupting a colleague mid-sentence, then imagines the colleague’s irritation and the awkward pause that follows. The exercise links the unwanted action to its imagined consequence. It does not show that the person will interrupt less.
Evidence and limits
The original BCT Taxonomy v1 definitions specify this as technique 16.1. Naming the technique does not establish that it works. Its defining feature is the imagined sequence; effectiveness needs separate evidence.