Actions or methods used to achieve controlled behavior.

Discipline used as a noun means orderly, controlled behavior. The verb "to discipline" means different things to different people. Most definitions of "to discipline" fall into two general camps: 1) to control, punish, and correct; or 2) to teach, guide, and influence. The majority of studies today show that the second definition is more effective in producing the desired behavior.

The word discipline is often used as a synonym for punishment, but this is incorrect. Discipline is a system of actions or interactions intended to create orderly behavior. There are a variety of disciplinary systems which show varying degrees of success. Some disciplinary systems use punishment as a tool; others shun punishment, believing it is at best ineffective, at worst destructive (or counterproductive).

Punitive systems have been the norm in the West for centuries. Judaeo-Christian religion has traditionally been seen to promote...