Influence of Society and the Environment on Human Behavior - Essay Example

The things that we know of and that we believe in readily are those that are experienced through one’s sense perception. But because of human limitations, there are also limits to human perception with regards to explaining human behavior. Common sense and intuition are part of human experience. Its basis is human perception, experience and knowledge, which is still based on experience. Psychology does not disregard common and intuition in its study of human behavior and phenomenon. What it does is create logical and theoretical explanations that is based on common sense, intuition and valid arguments and proofs that can explained through science. Common sense may explain a certain human behavior or phenomenon but it would be incomplete as it is only based on what can be gathered through the senses. What psychology does is to pinpoint certain psychological processes involved in human behavior to be able to understand the deeper reason behind the behavior Psychology does not just accept perception and the individual experiences of people. It looks deeper into the issue or phenomenon and finds patterns of behavior, not just isolated cases and explanations or reasons for the said behavior. Psychology aims to understand and predict human behavior. There can be common sense explanations to describe and find reasons in human behavior but there are unanticipated events that psychology looks into based on these findings. Experiments are done to support or to refute the theories that have been proposed regarding the explanation of human behavior. Take into example the psychological processes involved in the issue of bulimia. Common sense will say that it is an eating disorder where the patient loses control of her diet structure, wanting to become thinner. Yes, the patient wants to become thin because she thinks it is a better body type. Through psychology, the explanation goes deeper than that. Since it is a science, it uses a scientific method in answering a specific problem within the issue. One aspect that psychological can look at is the impact of bulimia on the patient’s self-perception and how this issue can be resolved. Common sense may not be able to determine specific processes that undergoes through the mind of the patient but it will give the psychologist a step point to study it from that angle. Experiments in a controlled environment may not be the only method to gain understanding of a phenomenon. Scientific observation, a repeated observation of a specific behavior in different settings may be done in order to gather data that will help in the explanation of the phenomenon. Psychology is grounded by common sense and ordinary language (Hearnshaw p.205). This means that psychology places a systematic method in studying human behavior rather than just accepting the evidences from a sense perception standpoint. Variables are determined, might be through common sense experience, but this does not end there. Psychology creates operational definitions of these variables and finds specific explanations that will prove the connection of the variables with the issue (Davis and Bremmer p.71). With this, psychology will be able to identify specific methods that need to be used in gathering data, such as through experimentation, observation, comparison and analysis of different events that influences and impacts the said situation. Psychology is a science of analyzing and explaining human behavior grounded on common sense. It creates a systematic and scientific method of defining variables, testing hypothesis, gathering observable and measurable data and analyzing it to understand and to find out influences, impacts and explanations, even resolutions, for human behavior. Humans are part of a society. Thus, the society, culture and their environment greatly influences the processes of human behavior and vice-versa. Meanings and context are based on these environmental and cultural influences. With this, the explanation of human behavior can be defined more clearly by understanding the cultural meanings and environmental situations and settings that the behavior is seen. Cultural influences may be seen as mere influences and should not be defined as the universal truth with a certain behavior as there are various cultural meanings that defines symbols and processes of behavior (Miller and Schaberg p.32). The diversity of cultural influences may be seen as influential in defining the processes that affects human social relationships and development (Coon and Mitterer p.23). Human behavior is affected by how he is socialized and reinforced. Understanding human behavior should also consider understanding the cultural context and cultural meanings that the situation arises from (Gordon and Armour-Thomas p.87). Human development is grealty influenced by the environment they are living in. What their society and culture believe in will have an effect on their way of thinking and their own set of norms and standards of conduct. Thus, cultural developments also changes the way people think and act. Family relationships, career development and political organization are affected by human behavior. It is then affected by the cultural differences and changes within the society where these relationships and developments occur. The family is the primary unit for socialization of an individual. It is the prime contact for a culture’s shared meanings and definitions and the individual learns to adapt in his environment based on the family relationships. Career development is also affected by environmental influences since the career behaviors and cognitive development of an individual is affected by how he is raised and what his culture believes as an appropriate career fit for one’s individual personality. This can be clearly seen in paternal communities, wherein they consider greatly that men should be the providers and the women, childbearers and childrearers. The attitude of an individual is also based on how he views personal development, such as self-confidence and self-perception, which is affected also by cultural influences. This can be seen in gender roles and divisions within the workforce. The same goes for political organizations, wherein maternal cultures place women as the heads of their families in comparison with paternal cultures which places men as heads of the families. In studying and understanding the three processes, the concepts of individualism and collectivism may come into play as these explains the influences of the environment and culture with the individual’s perceptions of himself and his environment. Individualism focuses on personal goals, motivations and independence in contrast with collectivism, which focuses on the shared goals and symbolic meanings of the culture (Newman and Newman p.68). Individulaist cultures tends to value individuality more that causes people to think more of themselves, though this is a good behvaior with regards to gaining independence but not in establishing relationship. On the other hand, collectivist cultures may be to immersed in their culture that there is no sense of individuality anymore, though it may be a good way of organizing and creating a strong sense of nationalism. This indicates clearly that how an individual behaves, thinks and acts depends on how his culture set the norms and standards in human behavior. Works Cited Coon, D. and J. Mitterer. Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior, 11th ed. CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007. Davis, A. and G. Bremmer. "The Experimental Method in Psychology." eds. Breakwell, G., et al. Researhc Methods in Psychology, 3rd ed. CA: Sage Publications, Inc., 2006. pp.64-87. Gordon, E. and E. Armour-Thomas. "Culture and Cognitive Development." Okagaki, L. and R. Sternberg. Directors of Development: Influences on the Development of Childrens Thinking. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Publishers, 1991. pp.83-100. Hearnshaw, L. The Shaping of Modern Psychology. Ny: Routledge and Kegan Paul, Inc., 1987. Miller, J. and L. Schaberg. "Cultural Perspectives on Personality and Social Psychology." eds. Weiner, I., T. Million and M. Lerner. Handbook of Psychology vol. 5: Personality and Social Psychology. NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2003. pp.31-58. Newman, B. and P. Newman. Development through Life: A Psychosocial Approach, 10th ed. CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. Read More