Help! how do I turn down the positive reinforcement?

Positive reinforcement, according to my mini 3rd edition OED -

Positive meaning showing the presence rather than the absence of particular features

and

Reinforcement meaning the action of making stronger

When I did a quick internet search the first thing that came up was animal behaviour, reward your doggy with a treat.  Of course the major use of positive reinforcement is in parenting.  But while society tells us that this is a good method to train dogs and kids how much is too much and should we be carrying this 'good job!" attitude into adulthood?

Concepts like discipline and constructive criticism are so twenty years ago.  I'm pretty sure that if I went back to school now, I could coast, and probably pass the subjects I failed because no one wants to be seen to be failing our kids.  Problem is school may be social hell but the real world won't cosset you.  If you don't turn in those monthly figures your boss requested he won't give you a lolly pop and say well done for trying, he will kick your ass - metaphorically speaking.  He won't give you a hug if you muff that presentation to the Japanese conglomerate, he will fire your ass.  If you fail at something, you either won't bother with it again or it'll spur you on to try harder.  I'll give you an example I hated Latin - with a passion and I had the chance to drop it but my teacher told me in front of the rest of the class that I would be better off dropping the subject as I didn't have an aptitude for languages.  He later told me that it was a calculated criticism on his part because he expected me to rise to the challenge, as the two languages I was studying at the time held their roots in Latin. 

Saying 'I can't fail' is the same as saying 'the earth is flat' nothing is too big or too small to fail.  But failure is also a tool, you can use your mistakes or that wrong answer to the chemistry question to look at another solution.  Think of your first swimming lesson where you sucked in half the pool, or the first time you tried to ride a bicycle.  We're human we make mistakes and its OK to compliment someone on a job well done.  But it you do it every thirty seconds it has no meaning.


http://www.dogmanners.com/posreinforce.html
http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/specconn/main.php?cat=behavior&section=main&subsection=classroom/positive