"Bad behavior" is frustrating, common, and can quickly drive a parent to the end of their patience. Whatever we expect to see is what we are more likely to notice, regardless of how often it is really happening. We are quick to notice when a child is engaging in bad behavior and before long it can become all we notice. In the same way, a child who has a tendency to get in trouble a lot quickly begins to expect to get in trouble. The process can become an unpleasant cycle and can put a strain on a parent's relationship with their child.
In a similar way, there is an effect referred to as "behavioral momentum." It is called "momentum" because the tendency is for an individual to continue behaving in the same manner when they start behaving in a certain way. This is commonly used by effective sales-people to convince customers to agree to things they probably would not have if simply asked upfront. In the case of a child, we can begin to prime a child's behavior to get more good behavior simply by getting the child to change their direction and praising them for it.
These two concepts (the first paragraph and the second paragraph) can be important for parents. When a child begins misbehaving, parents are quick to point it out, which begins to frustrate the child after it has happened a few times. The child quickly gets into a pattern of misbehavior, and the parent quickly gets into a pattern of scolding the child. More scolding is not likely to improve things; indeed, if the parent is having to scold many times, it has already been shown to not work at that time. It can take a tremendous effort, but if the parent deliberately changes direction and begins praising the child for doing relatively simple things correctly, then the child may begin to get into a more positive direction with their behavior too.
This may mean trying to identify the things the child has done right, creating easy requests for the child to make an opportunity to do something right, and trying to focus on the many things the child does right while not focusing on the little things that are done wrong. This process is not simple, but it can make a world of difference for a frustrated parent and child.
Another strategy (the Penny in a Pocket technique) for changing a child's behavior and our own behavior as parents is provided here.
