Psychology of Culturally Unacceptable Behavior - Assignment Example

? Psychology Introduction Psychology entails the study of people’s behavior and mental processes. It gives an understanding of why people behave as they do. In this paper, I outline my development with regards to understanding people’s behaviors and my tolerance of such behaviors. Behavior of Other People At home and in school, we live as a community of different people from varied backgrounds. Therefore, despite us sharing features common to humans, there are great variations in what we do. For example, during the inter-faculty football matches, there are students who act crazy, all in the name of being fans of their respective teams. In as much as we mean to show support to our respective teams, some of these fans act beyond the expected, hence ending up being a nuisance to other football lovers like me. They could hurl insults at their opponents, fight the fans of the opponents and even throw objects at the referee in objection to his decisions. Such behaviors considered as culturally inappropriate, when accompanied by subjective distress and involving psychological impairment qualifies as abnormal behavior according to Gerrig and Zimbardo (2009). This indicates the significance of situation or context in the qualification of behavior as abnormal. As such, my schoolmates’ behavior could be said to be abnormal as football in our school is expected to be a peaceful game, but they indulge in violence and insults making their behavior deviant. Even so, this course has been beneficial in helping me tolerate such persons. One way is to appreciate such human action as being informed by their need to adapt to their environment. Even though deviant behavior could qualify one as mentally ill, I choose not to judge such persons as being crazy or abnormal because I now appreciate that one’s normality depends on the traditions and values of such a person’s culture as documented by Gerrig and Zimbardo (2009). Since cultures differ from one society to another, with what is acceptable being different in varied cultures, humans would exhibit diverse behaviors. Whereas humans are all the same, our cultural differences could impact differently on our behavior. Additionally, such psychopathological tendencies are associated with physical impairments which limit alternative ways of behaving for such persons. One’s behavior alone is not enough to make me judge one as abnormal unless I determine the ability of such a person to act otherwise. Limitations to Freedom of Choice Whereas I have the freedom of choice, there are forces that limit my freedom. These forces could be rooted in the past, present or future. During my childhood, I was punished for being violent. This punishment has deterred me from engaging in violent confrontations but instead choose to solve issues amicably. I also have the freedom of being late for classes and other appointments. However, I remember how I got late to school in fourth grade and started the exam forty minutes after the start time, making me fail in my favorite subject. I therefore opt to be punctual in all my appointments. In the present, I can choose to be promiscuous, but since my partner does not approve of this, I choose to be faithful so as to be accepted and loved by her. My friends are disciplined people. Thus, despite my desire to turn rowdy and revenge against the abusive and violent fans of our opponents in football, I choose to be polite so as to keep their friendship. Because of the need to obey, I do not confront my parents even when I feel they have wronged me. I study hard in school so as to achieve my careers aspirations and succeed in my future life. Additionally, this hard work will enable me execute my responsibilities to my future family. I do not like credit because of my fear of non-payment which could result in auctioning and thus loss of my valuables. Lastly, I fear death and would not drive at a speed exceeding 62 miles per hour. Whereas we have the freedom of choosing how we want to behave, some forces in the past, current and future deter us from behaving in a given manner. Gerrig and Zimbardo (2009) refer to such forces that determine the beliefs on oneself as self-concept. Whether congruent or incongruent to reality, this causes self drive to be borne. Reasons for People’s Behavior Before taking this course, I used to think of human behavior as being hereditary. The behavior of a person could be likened to that of the father or mother or a blood relative. This explains why families have same behaviors. Indeed, this course has affirmed by belief in the role of heredity in shaping human behavior. After all, psychology is the science that explains human behavior and mental processes. Gerrig and Zimbardo (2009) cite microscopic particles in chromosomes referred to as genes, which are the unit carriers of heredity, as responsible agents for determining human behavior. The scholar further observes the relatedness of siblings to each other and to their parents in heredity. I believed that the exceptions who exhibited divergent behaviors had some genetic disorder, this course referring to this as abnormality, associated with physical disorders. I observed most of my friends adopt new behaviors when they join new schools and get new company. People in the same peer group tend to exhibit similar traits. I could not ascertain whether behavior is contagious but believed in the role of one’s social grouping in shaping behavior. This observation is true as from this course. The social environment plays a critical role in shaping human behavior. The people we come in direct contact with on a daily basis, including families, friends and schoolmates, determine our behavior. This course has made me further appreciate the role that indirect contact with people through the media, be it print, auditory or visual, play in shaping human behavior. Nonetheless, Gerrig and Zimbardo (2009) go beyond the social environment to explain the role of the physical and internal environments in shaping human behavior. The external stimuli including the things we see, feel or hear such as trees, air and buildings among others shape our behavior. The cells and functioning of internal body systems determine our behavior. Humans behave the way they do in an attempt to adapt to these environments; a postulate which the theory of natural selection observes would enhance survival as genetic characteristics are transmitted through generations. I believed that behavior is a product of interaction of genetics and the environment only, referred to as nature and nurture interactivity respectively. However, this course has further dissected the cause of human behavior, explaining it from biological perspective. As such, two body systems have been noted to coordinate and integrate behavior in humans, namely, the nervous and endocrine systems (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009). Neurons in their billions make up a communication network responsible for coordinating body systems to allow them to function. The nervous system comprises of the spinal cord and the brain. The peripheral nervous system connects the central nervous system to the other body parts. These two make up the nervous system. The endocrine system on the other hand comprises of endocrine glands which secrete hormones. Hormones are chemical substances which when released to the bloodstream guide processes like growth, metabolism and sexual development. They also play a role in regulating human emotional life. Therefore, the determination of human behavior involves complex biological processes. Credibility of Claims I always find various sources of information for whatever topic of interest I am handling. With the advent of the Internet, it has become much easier to access all sorts of uncertified information from diverse sources across the globe. However, this course has been critical in equipping me with knowledge on intelligent skepticism about whatever claims I retrieve from these sources. One of the ways of undertaking this is through the determination of the reliability of such claims. As documented by Gerrig and Zimbardo (2009), reliability refers to extent to which measures consistently give same results with repeated trials. To qualify any claims, I therefore subject them to scrutiny, analyzing the claim as put forth by different sources. If different sources give the same claim, then it is reliable. On the other hand, if I notice variances in the claim from one source to another, I consider such claims as unreliable. Psychological measurements particularly pose greater difficulty to determine their reliability than physical measurements. This is so because, while physical attributes such as height and weight could be measured, we rely on reports and observations of behavioral exhibitions to determine psychological aspects. To come up with more reliable psychological measurements, I now appreciate the importance of incorporation of various observers. Inter-observer reliability, referring to the difference in the observations made by various observers, plays a critical role in coming up with reliable psychological measurements. The validity of a claim also serves as a pointer in allaying any skepticism. In this case, I determine if the claim measures what it claims to measure. This has however been a challenge in psychology because I have to infer to a psychological trait that is itself specifically indefinable. There could be inner unobservable traits, referred to as constructs by Gerrig and Zimbardo (2009), thus the term, construct validity, referring to the validity of measuring hypothetical constructs. Construct validity compares a claim to other claim conditions. If a claim observed is upheld by another source, then this indicates a positive evidence for construct validity of the claim. These two determinants of the skepticism I develop and express on a claim do not independently make me ascertain a claim as true. Whereas two sources could allude to the same claim, the claim could be in itself misplaced. Thus, as noted by Gerrig and Zimbardo (2009), measurements that are reliable do not necessarily have to be valid. To come up with a conclusive position on a claim, I consider both its reliability and validity so as to assist in allaying any skepticism. Conclusion Psychology entails the explanation of human behavior and mental processes. In determining the credibility of information, this course has taught me to check for the reliability and validity of such information. Proper scrutiny of both aspects is important because whereas a claim could be reliable, it could fail to be valid. This course has also been important in shaping my previous understanding of human behavior. Human behavior is a product of complex biological processes involving the nervous system and endocrine systems. Indeed, this course has affirmed my appreciation of the interactivity of genetics and environmental factors in shaping human behavior. This follows the constant search for adaptability dictated by the theory of natural selection without which humans would be extinct. In each society, the acceptable behavior is defined by the culture, thus the variation in behaviors from one community to another. This understanding has helped me tolerate people who behave in ways I consider deviant. I cannot judge them as abnormal either, as this would require the determination of the ability of such a person to act otherwise. Even though we have the freedom of choosing our behavior, some forces related to our past, current and future deter us from behaving however we choose to. Reference Gerrig, R. J. & Zimbardo, P. G. (2009). Psychology and life (19th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. Read More