Human Behavior in Perspective - Assignment Example

 This paper seeks to create an understanding of the different factors that have been required for the understanding of human behavior and placing that behavior in the context. Great theories and approaches to human behavior have also been addressed with the aim of fostering an understanding of human behavior. The paper will be answering questions regarding human behavior in different sectors of behavioral approach as well as to make sense of what one can expect about a type of behavior when dealing with a particular situation. This paper has gone further into the understanding of differences such what we owe the old, different theories such as Law of Nature to determine behavior, and the connection between the approaches such as social and sexual contract. What is the “Law of Nature” according to John Locke? John Locke has provided several insights in regards to the Law of Nature and these are some of the points he noted about the Law of Nature. That the law of nature can be seen as a law of reason and that natural law can be seen through the same eyes that are used in reason. According to Locke, the natural law has often been found in the scriptures and that they have been established through the will of God. The natural law should, therefore, be understood in the line of actions that are consistent with God’s scriptures. The other approach that has been fronted by John Locke is that the law of nature should be considered as a universal entity that applies to everybody at every particular time and in any place, but the law has to consider that the differences in culture will have to state what is culturally acceptable in different societies. Locke talks of natural law to be normative rather than descriptive and that it is not mandatory that civil laws stay in harmony with the elements of natural law. It is significant to understand that civil laws should often be made consistent with the structures of natural law. For the purpose of seeking to derive an understanding in regards to the law of nature, one has to put human behavior in perspective and to create an awareness that civil rights are connected to natural law and that the different cultures do not have to exhibit similarities in the peculiarity of the beliefs What is the connection between “the social contract” and “the sexual contract”? The link between sexual contract and the social contract had been documented by John Locke especially when he developed a discussion on the relationship between the two types of contract as well as the relationship between the individual and the state. The discussions about the relationship witnessed between the state and the individual are the ideas that shaped Carole Paterman’s theory of sexual contract and the critique of the views presented by such thinkers as Locke and John Stuart Mill who fronted the ideas on the social relationship expected between the state and an individual. Pateman criticizes Locke’s argument by pointing out that Locke did not include the thoughts about the position of women and how they relate to the state. The theory presented the starting point for feminist critique of different classical theories as they presented their ideas to support their discontent with the way feminine issues were being handled before the feminist approach was upheld. The social settings in classical Liberal democracies held on to the idea that the women should only make interactions with the state through a dominant male within their households and so Locke’s ideology that everyone is treated equally is criticized because the women have been subjected to a reality that they have to rely on other individuals to negotiate on behalf of their interests. Women have been barred from holding operations within the public sphere and in the operations in politics, business and other professions and this is what has often inspired the feminist movement to point out the disparities that have been existent for long periods. The element of the social contract that has often existed between the state and men has always been maintained when the state refuses to deal with women and when the men treat their women as in a disenfranchising manner. Social contract can exist without sexual contract, but there should be alterations on the way the terms to the contract are created with significant differences with the way Locke designed it to be so as to genuinely represent genuine equality between the state and every individual regardless of their sex. Gender roles have been applied to confine the women to performing domestic tasks such as childcare and the men have been selective in their roles and thus the feminist often state that social contract relies on sexual contract for its successful application. http://politicalwire.com/archives/2011/09/22/defending_the_social_contract.html The second case study that puts human behavior to perspective is that of increasing airport security. The question requires a review on the changing role of the police, particularly by viewing the weaponization of the police force along the military lines. The different elements of human behavior have been viewed in the airports in the way people relate with the authorities that seek to bring law and order within the security platform. The DEA in the United States has constituted major reports that show that illegal drugs such as cocaine have been increasingly becoming famous especially with the Caribbean as the point of entry of these drugs. The military has often been involved in the elements of airport security especially when an individual or a group of people poses high risk threats to the nation’s stability. Different conditions in regards to security require a different amount of pressure that is related to bringing normalcy on the same. A critical case to point out would be when a travelling foreigner is advised that there be a tight element of airport security then the foreigner will be obliged to get rid of ill intentions such as ferrying drugs or illegal weapons. Weaponizing the security officers can be a positive step towards inclining members of the public to change their behaviors to avoid punitive consequences. The fact that the security systems have been given weapons can also impact negatively on the understanding of the members of the public when these officers misuse the powers vested on them to use the weapons during certain events. Such directives have often led to results such as misuse of the weapons offered to the police officers or military personnel and this could end up leading to loss of lives in conditions arising from excessive use of the weapons. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/us/21cyber.html The important features that have been clarified in this paper are the features that affect the way the humans behave and how they interact with each other socially in the contemporary world. The way society views sexual contract and how it can be related to the social contract and the elements of change that can be effected to ensure equality of opportunities in the public. The other important factor in this paper is the connection between sexual contract and the social contract with the latter having been documented by John Locke especially when he developed a discussion on the relationship between the two types of contract and the relationship that is socially expected between the individual and the state. The paper also creates a better understanding that, for the purpose of seeking to derive an understanding in regards to the law of nature, one has to put human behavior in perspective and to create an awareness that civil rights are connected to natural law and that the different cultures do not have to exhibit similarities in the peculiarity of the beliefs. Weaponizing the security officers can be a positive step towards inclining members of the public to change their behaviors to avoid punitive consequences. The fact that the security systems have been given weapons can also impact negatively on the understanding of the members of the public when these officers misuse the powers given to them to use the weapons during certain events. What values do people attach to the idea of getting married? The idea of getting married has often attracted different expectations and assessment of values from different people. This section answers the question that regards the types of values that have been held by different people especially when they are faced with the idea of marriage and what marriage means to them. The main agenda that drives the ideology regarding values is what one should expect from marriage as well as from their spouses once they are married. The values can be of little significance if the two people in a marriage have conflicting values and therefore the types of values that one holds should be assessed before marriage so as to create an understanding of what to expect once the deal is done in the form of marriage. Basic life orientation is a value that should be addressed with clear communication so as not to create a division between the married couple. The orientation could be in the form of religious differences that should be addressed as some of the values that are attached to marriage. The attitude towards the idea of having children appears as one other value that is held onto when thinking of marriage. The difference appears when one partner holds on to the value that children are important for the purpose of holding the family together while the other partner may think of the value of having children as a totally misplaced one. The way to clarify the difference in this type of value is through communication and that one of the partners has to compromise the value that they have held for some time. Other people hold on to different values regarding careers as one partner may feel that the other partner should stay at home and this may face opposition from the other partner and so this may also lead to compromise if there is adequate communication between the two people in a relationship. The other values that may be deemed as important when one is thinking of marriage include honesty, fidelity, kindness, sacrifice, loyalty, self control, friendship and generosity amongst others. http://pewsocialtrends.org/2010/11/18/five-decades-of-marriage-trends/ What do we owe the elderly? What is appropriate to the elderly? It reaches a point in life when the younger generations have to take up the responsibility of caring for the elderly by doing what other people may view as payback for their input in the society when they were stringer or younger. The elderly can be parents or any other person in the society who would be looking up to the younger generations to provide them with care. The type of care for the elderly could be required when they fall sick or when they encounter an accident that would make them lack the capacity to fend for themselves. Many people can view the whole idea of caring for the elderly as a responsibility because they did the same to other people at one time when they still could help. The care can be in the form of frequent visits to the establishments where they are located so as to provide them with company to help them deal with their loneliness. It could be facilitated in the form of providing them with basic health care that could help them deal with a lot of health issues that they could be facing in old age and this has often been taken care of by health policies in many countries around the world. One big question that one should answer is “do we owe them anything?” The valid response would be affirmative because they contributed immensely to the way the society was shaped into what is seen today and so the moment that the elderly people appear to require any form of help then it should be availed to them. Social support is very important in old age and should be availed to the elderly because the elderly should be provided with the comfort they need in old age. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1330/american-work-force-is-graying Work cited http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1330/american-work-force-is-graying http://pewsocialtrends.org/2010/11/18/five-decades-of-marriage-trends/ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/us/21cyber.html http://politicalwire.com/archives/2011/09/22/defending_the_social_contract.html Read More