The phrase "afraid of punishment" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when discussing feelings of fear or anxiety related to potential consequences for actions or behavior.
Example: "The child was afraid of punishment, so he decided to confess to his mistake."
Alternatives: "fearful of consequences" or "worried about repercussions."
We should not be afraid of punishment, but treatment is often needed, too.
Students should behave well not because they are afraid of punishment, but because they understand the importance of treating others as they would like to be treated.
Often, people make bad decisions when they're afraid of punishment, so don't penalize employees for their mistakes.
In another study, Raine and his colleagues investigated if children who weren't afraid of punishment would be predisposed to criminal activity as adults.
You will be less likely to act as society tells you or because you're afraid of punishment or looking for rewards, but because working toward a common good -- in this case, the family -- feels good inside.
They spoke with North Korean laborers who have been isolated and kept under watch, and who were most likely too afraid of punishment to report their living and working conditions in Poland.
The people covet wealth and fame; they are afraid of punishments: this is their basic disposition (qing 情).
Its competitors refrained from price cutting because they were more afraid of potential punishment than they were anxious to obtain added volume.
Indeed, Ackroyd presents Hitchcock as a man chronically terrified of the world he encountered, "a shuddering, shivering human being, afraid of judgement and punishment", who erected a carapace of aloof and critical superiority to hide his panic about human interaction.
All beating ourselves up does is make us feel depressed, insecure and afraid to take on new challenges because we're afraid of the self-punishment that will follow if we fail.
They're afraid of getting some kind of punishment.
