What is the discipline of superior force?

The psychologist John Holt has coined the term "discipline
of superior force."  He uses it to refer to instances in which an authority figure
imposes consequences upon a child for the child's actions.  These are consequences that
would not simply happen naturally.  In other words, in the discipline of superior force,
the authority figure is choosing consequences for the child's action in order to teach
the child not to take such actions again.

An example of the
discipline of superior force would be denying your child the privilege of watching TV
because the child got bad grades.  Being banned from watching TV is not a natural
consequence of getting bad grades (the way that hurting yourself when you aren't careful
and you fall down the stairs is).  It is a consequence imposed by the
parent.

Parents and other authority figures impose these
consequences when there are no natural consequences for behaviors that they do not want
their children to exhibit.