A young boy was taught to play chess by his grandfather. The boy's grandfather proudly informed his children that his 5-year-old grandson had learned how to play chess. This filled the grandfather with pride. He had four children in total—three daughters and a son. Unfortunately, the son and his wife were envious and malicious individuals.
A few weeks after the 5-year-old boy had learned how to play chess, the grandfather's son paid a visit. The son's wife approached the young boy and invited him to play chess with her. Astonishingly, she defeated him five times in a row. As a result, the young boy's feelings were hurt, and he was discouraged from ever playing chess again.
In the realm of applied behavioral analysis, this incident serves as a prime example of negative punishment.