Theories of Human Behavior - Essay Example

Abstract Why do people display different characteristics? Why do human beings react differently while under different circumstances? Based on human behavior, it is believed that each person has his or her own life habits and characteristics. The following essay investigates and explains the reasons behind the behavioral differences through utilization of writings and theories in the psychology field. For example, this has been recorded in the Freud, Jung, Adler, Erikson, Allport, Cattell & Eysenk, Skinner, Bandura and Mischel, Kelly, Rogers and Maslow, and May theories. Through the above theories, human behavior will be properly analyzed and illustrated using one character trait that I posses. Introduction Human behavior is explained to be the characteristic conscious or subconscious activities that people adopt (Watkins, 1998). For example, I am characteristically judgmental when people do me wrong. I tend to assume that people are totally responsible for their actions and mistakes. This has been a tough issue between me and my acquaintances because I always assume the role of the judge when problems arise even in cases of accidents. The curiosity to understand why I am judgmental prompted me to try and understand the theories that might provide possible solutions to my investigation. The theories include the Freud, Jung, Adler, Erikson, Allport, Cattell & Eysenk, Skinner, Bandura and Mischel, Kelly, Rogers and Maslow, and May theories (Willingham, 2006). The theories utilize human behavior to analyze the possible and common precursors to the phenomenon. The following paper is an essay describing the various theories, their assumptions and considerations which will try and explain the reasons why human beings adopt certain behaviors while still trying to unravel the reason why I am judgmental. Human Behavior Throughout the past centuries, humans have been credited with different life tendencies and habits which are often considered natural. As described by Watkins (1998, p 92), ‘a person is easily identified by his behavioral trends and habits which are unique’. The reasons why people are different has been investigated and explained in depth in a number of theories. To tackle the issue adequately, certain explanations and theories will be utilized. For starters, the Freud theory that explores the three human factors that surround the human personality. In his theory, Freud had utilized three levels of awareness, namely the conscious, subconscious and the precautious (Claire, 2007). He explains that the conscious includes only our current thinking processes and objects of attention, and hence constitutes a very large part of our current awareness. She also explains that the preconscious includes those things of which we are aware, but where we are not paying attention. In addition, he also explains that in the subconscious mind the processes and contents are out of direct reach of the conscious mind. The subconscious thus thinks and acts independently. He argues that most of the human behavior is highly controlled by the subconscious part of the mind hence the immediate and unrealized action response towards a stimuli (Claire, 2007). Freud also explains that the human personality is also made up of three components. They include the Id, the ego and the super ego. In depth, the Id contains our primitive drives and operates largely according to the pleasure principle, whereby its two main goals are the seeking of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. The Id only seeks to satisfy its needs through primary processes that dominate the existence of infants, including hunger and self-protection. Freud also explained that Id has no real awareness of the reality. He also explains that it derives its energy from the libido and it only posses’ two instincts, that is, the Eros which is pleasure seeking and the Thanatos which is the death instinct (Claire, 2007). In his theory, Freud also indicates that the other component of the personality of humans is the Ego. It is aware of reality and hence operates via the reality principle, whereby it recognizes what is real and understands that behaviors have consequences (Claire, 2007). The Ego controls higher mental processes such as reasoning and problem-solving, which it uses to solve the Id-Super ego dilemma, creatively finding ways to safely satisfy the Id's basic urges within the constraints of the Super ego. Lastly the super ego is the third component of personality according to Freud. The Super ego contains our values and social morals, which often come from the rules of what is right or wrong in reality. It basically controls the balance between id ideals and the ego (Watkins, 1998). Using Freud’s theory, my characteristic judgmental behavior is as a result of the interaction between the id, ego and super ego in the conscious, subconscious and preconscious mind. Due to the id’s ideals of aggression and pleasure seeking, I tend to find pleasure in convicting others while still using the ego to identify the rules of morality. More importantly the super ego enables me to properly limit my actions in order not to pass the limits of the natural or moral laws. In Freud’s theory my behavior is as a result of the interaction of my Ego, Id and Superego in my conscious, subconscious and preconscious mind. Alfred Alder is another philosopher who came up with another theory to explain human behavior. In his theory he argued that human beings were naturally social beings, the individual is indivisible and functions with unity of personality and that behavior was behavior is goal oriented. Generally his theory was based on the principles of purposiveness, social interest and holism.  In his theory, Adler stressed the unity or indivisibility of the person, and thus he named it Individual Psychology (Bruce, 2007). Alder argued that human beings assimilate behavior which is goal oriented. He argued that people engage in psychological movement. In this movement, the whole of the personality is expressed; the individual’s mind, body, emotions, perceptions, and all functions move toward this chosen goal (Bruce, 2007). Alder also argued that people are faced by the same problems which he termed as iron-clad logic of social living. He also explained that humans do not term behavior as moral or not according to individual logic but using common sense. The common sense which is used to regulate behavior was unanimously accepted by the society. As described by Bruce (2007, p 8), ‘It places the whole of our existence upon a dynamic foundation of movement and improvement, belonging and cooperation’.  Also Bruce (2007, p 9) says that, ‘Social interest represents an ideal norm and, therefore, can be used as a standard to which the functioning of the individual can be compared. Alder also argued that the human response mechanism was fuelled by emotions’. Using Alder’s theory, my judgmental character is influenced by the intended goals, social acceptance and well being. The intended goal would be reprimanding the wrong doer in order to ensure that the problem does not arise again. This would ensure that love, peace and harmony would prevail in the society. Jung, another philosopher tried to analyze and explain the human behavior and formulated a theory which is now called the Jung’s theory of neurosis. The theory is based on the premise of a self-regulating psyche composed of tensions between opposing attitudes of the ego and the unconscious (Brigit & David, 2010). The ego, being the center of consciousness, represents a coalescing attitude to the consciousness. It presents a tension between it and the balancing and complementary attitude presented by the unconscious part of the brain. Jung’s theory also explained that in certain circumstances, the unconscious part of the mind might directly oppose the conscious mind. This might occur when the unconscious part of the mind masters and is fully aware of the ideas in the conscious mind (Brigit & David, 2010). As explained by Jung’s theory, my characteristic judgmental character might be as a result of the interaction of the conscious and unconscious part of the mind. As the opposition and interaction between the conscious and unconscious part of the mind take place various and different neurosis are exhibited. The neurosis that appears under different circumstances could be exhibited through my judgmental habits. In addition, Alder also explained that neurosis can not only be negative but it can also be positive. The result of the neurosis determines the positivity or negativity of the neurosis (Brigit & David, 2010). Another psychologist was a German national who was professionally involved in the American development psychology field and a competent psychoanalyst. He was influential in understanding human behavior after he formulated the theory on psychosocial psychology. This psychologist is well noted in developing his theories basing on the notion of the ego hence his informal name “the ego psychologist”. In his theory, he explains that human beings’ growth is in stages from birth to death. Initially it was composed of eight stages but his late wife is credited with the addition of another stage- the old age in his collection of stages. From the age of 0-1 years, the individual can gain basic trust or mistrust in response to the kind of maternal relation he receives. As described by Hong, Joel & Jung (2010, p 175), ‘The mother carries out and reflects their inner perceptions of trustworthiness, a sense of personal meaning. If successful in this, the baby develops a sense of trust, which forms the basis in the child for a sense of identity’. Then the child enters the second stage of development which is autonomy or shame. In this stage the child discovers about shame and doubt. At the age of 3-6, the child is now in the third stage namely the purpose stage where the child knows his or her ability to do things on their own and the consequences of such actions. After passing the purpose stage, the child then at the age of 6-11 enters the stage of competence where he or she realizes the difference between industrialism and inferiority. At this stage, the child notes the self differences between themselves and others. The child at the age of 10-20 years enters the fidelity stage. In this stage, the individual is curious to explore and gain an identity. This stage is also called the adolescent stage. Then the individual enter the first stage of adulthood also called the intimacy or isolation stage. Dating, marriage, family and friendships are important during the stage in their life (Hong. Joel & Jung, 2010). Generativity or stagnation is the other stage of development. In this stage the individual is usually 25-26 where he has already settled and knows what is important to him or her.  A person is either making progress in their career or treading lightly in their career and unsure if this is what they want to do for the rest of their working lives. Also during this time, a person is enjoying raising their children and participating in activities, that gives them a sense of purpose (Hong, Joel & Jung, 2010). The last and final stage according to Erikson is the ego integrity or despair stage. As described by Hong, Joel & Jung (2010, p 179), ‘Many people, who have achieved what was important to them, look back on their lives and feel great accomplishment and a sense of integrity’. Considering the argument expressed by Erikson, my characteristic judgmental nature might be as a result of the way I was raised. The environment in which I was raised in and the qualities that I acquired as I passed through the above stages are the reasons as to why I adopted my identity. Consequently it is evident that the way a person is raised is the basis of founding a proper foundation. Carl Rogers is another psychologist who tries to explain human behavior. In his theory of the self, Rogers made 19 prepositions. He argued that all humans lived in continuously changing environments, react to the field as it is experienced and perceived hence forming his or her perception, react as an organized whole to this phenomenal field, is a portion of the total perceptual field and gradually becomes differentiated as the self. Due to the interaction with the environment, the structure of the self is formed - an organized, fluid but consistent conceptual pattern of perceptions of characteristics. The individual then strives to actualize, maintain and enhance the experiencing organism. Understanding of the human behavior is enabled by the internal frame of reference of the individual (Willingham, 2006). Also Rogers explain that the individual becomes goal oriented, emotionally accompanied, attaches values to experiences, gains experiences individually and need basically drives the individual to seek perfectionism. According to Rogers, my behavior might be as a result of my life’s experiences, values and norms considering the past results of certain behavior. Skinner is another valued psychologist who formulated theories to explain the human behavior. His theory is also called the radical behaviorism theory. He explains that behaviors are causal factors that are influenced by the consequences. He explains that negative reinforcement of behavior was synonymous to punishment while positive reinforcement of behavior strengthens character and is applicable in some events. He explains that there were three types of behavior reinforcement; continuous, interval and ratio reinforcement (William, 2008). Using his model of explaining human behavior, my characteristic judgmental behavior is as a result of continuous response to some events. Due to recurring behavior, I have become used to judging others and situations. Kelly, another psychologist explains in his personal construct theory that human behavior was a consequence or occurs after an evaluation of the upcoming events in his life. He believed that anticipation and prediction are the main drivers of our mind. He explains that people’s behavior is strengthened by the occurrence of events and experiences (Sarah & Harold, 2009) (. Using this theory, my exceptionally judgmental character is a development that arises from upcoming events and past experiences. Bandura and Eysenk are other psychologists who explain their examination and analysis of human behavior according to experience and perception. This theory is similar to the theory formulated by Cattell and Eysenk. They explain that human behavior is exclusively as a result of human experience and perception of the activities that are either considered moral or wrong. They also explain that the environment in which a person lives in might mold behavior but it can also be the reverse (David, 1996). Using their theories, my judgmental behavior might be as a result of the environment in which I live in, the perceptions I have acquired through time and the expectation of the behavior that is acceptable by all. Maslow was also another psychologist who tried to explain the human behavior. As explained by Giles, Caims & Mallet (2004, 382), ‘ Maslow used the terms Physiological, Safety, Belongingness and Love, Esteem, and Self-Actualization needs to describe the pattern that human motivations generally move through’. He explained that human behavior was directly geared towards the realization of the above goals. He explains that human behavior change occurs as the needs and requirements change. Using this theory, my behavioral characteristic of being judgmental is as a result of the changing needs as time passes by. Conclusion Human behavior as it has been established can be as a result of the environment surrounding him, the prevailing event, perception, desire to fulfill his or her needs and the experiences of past events. References Birgit S. and David V. D (2010). Do I See Us Like You See Us? Consensus, Agreement, and the Context of Leadership Relationships: A Special Issue of the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. 4: 219-240. Bruce, K. (2007). The institutional economics of John R. Commons: complement and substitute for neoclassical economic theory. Social Economic Review Journal. 5: 3 - 45. Claire, G (2007). Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Models, Metaphors, and Maps for Applying Theoretical Perspectives to Practice. The British Journal of Social Work. 38: 200 – 201. David, V. M. (1996). The search for Theory in Human Health Behavior and Problems. Oxford Journals. 11: 27 – 32. Giles, G. C., Caims, E. and Mallet, J. (2004). An application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to blood donation: the importance of self-efficacy. Health Education Resources Journal. 19: 380 - 391. Hong, K., Joel, G. and Joung, H. (2010). Determinants of customers' intention to participate in a Korean restaurant health promotion program: an application of the theory of planned behavior. Health Promotion International Journal .25: 174 - 182. Sarah, K. and Harold, H. (2009). New Perspectives on Human-Animal Interactions: Theory, Policy and Research. Journal of Social Issues. 11, 34-76 Watkins, C. E. (1998). A decade of research in support of Adlerian psychological theory”.  Journal of Individual Psychology. 38, 90-99. William, J. M. (2008). Using guiding-idea theories of the person to develop educational campaigns against drug abuse and other health-threatening behavior. Oxford Journals. 173 - 184. Willingham, W. K. (2006). Behavioral Psychology: Background, current status, and future”.  Texas Tech Journal of Education, 13, 161-199. Read More