The question suggests that negative punishment is the same as withdrawing positive reinforcement. This is not exactly true. A "desirable consequence" is what behaviorists call an appetitive stimulus: one that, when made contingent on a target behavior, serves to increase the likelihood of that behavior happening again. That is the main idea behind positive reinforcement. Negative punishment, on the other hand, is meant to decrease the likelihood of the target behavior. It is called "negative" because it is withdrawing an appetitive stimulus which is pre-existing. In other Words, the withdrawal of the stimulus is contingent on the target behavior; negative punishment is not a withdrawal of the contingency itself.
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