Reductionism Theory and Implicit Theories of Personality - Case Study Example

The psychology of human behaviour and the theory of cognition try to explain why and how the events take place and subsequent pattern of human behaviour under certain condition involving emotional and metaphysical reaction. While it is true that rational and irrational behaviours is the outcome of individual’s perception of things or issues, it is equally true that there are factors that have considerable influence on the decision power of the man. Indeed, it is common day occurrence that people make instantaneous judgment about oneself and others, event or issues. Indeed, their ability to perceive and interpret the same becomes the major elements of developing successful social relationships. Thus various factors that have significant influence in the perception and interpretation of persons, events or issues need to be analyzed for improving one’s skills of social interaction. The implicit personality theories about human behaviour are intrinsically linked to traits associated with the behaviour (Schneider, Hastorf, & Ellsworth, 1979). One needs to have some information about the person before making assumption about his other attributes. Accordingly, if the person is dominant, the IPT would suggest that he is also aggressive. These perceived notions about the trait are implicit within the psyche of the person, making a judgment. The nature of stereotyping, on the other hand, tends to organize people into certain groups exhibiting predefined characteristics and behaviour which may or may not be true. Many scholars have broadly defined stereotype as group of people who have similar perceived qualities attributed to that category (Schneider, 2005; Biernat & Dovidio, 2000; Hamilton, 1981; Tajfel, 1969). Racial stereotyping is common phenomenon where attributes of personality are predefined and fitted broadly into the personality, irrespective of the fact whether they are true or not. Theory of reductionism explains human behaviour by analyzing different phases of one’s life. Watson (1925) has stated that human behavior is intrinsically linked to a cause. Hence, man reacts differently in different circumstances. Human behavior can be explained by studying the circumstances or the phases of man’s life because ‘individuals adapt or mold themselves depending on the situation, setting, and people’. Thus, often the behaviour of a person is influenced by one’s social conditioning and past experiences. Thus, if a person is dominated and bullied in his childhood, he is likely to exhibit timidity in his adult life. The cognitive model of rational dissolution is one of the most important psychological paradigms that greatly promotes a sense of doubt and imagined ‘counterfactual thought’ that prevents the person to act in a rational manner. Byrne (2005) proposes that all human beings are capable of rational thoughts and their actions are guided by the underlying principles of the same rationality. Since the rationalization broadly comprises of deductive reasoning, the normative conclusion is interspersed with the imaginative ‘if and but’. Thus, these imagined counterfactual propositions become dominating elements if the past experiences have been bad and considerably impact the decision regarding human relationships. While it is true that one reacts as per the perception of the event, it is equally true that one’s reactions are also influenced by the manipulations of the information that are retained in the memory of the brain (Winn & Snyder, 1996). The ‘selective memory’ ensures that part of information is not included in the reaction to an event. Perception is interpretation and understanding of the object reality and its accuracy depends on the cognitive processing and subsequent attention span of the memory. Hence our judgement of events is largely dependent on the memory that stores information about that event. These theories are very pertinent to the development of my adult personality. I am a married female of 25 years of age and I have had huge issues like welfare of the vulnerable segment of the society; trusting others, and being independent. When at the age of 9, my father had remarried, it transpired that my stepmother did not want me to remain in the home and made my life very difficult. My father never supported me which made me lose trust on the people at large. Schneider’s theory of stereotyping is highly relevant because I still believe that stepmothers are ‘bad’. The men cannot be trusted was also ingrained into my psyche for a long time because of my father. My disillusionment with my father as that of being the ‘protector’ has probably made me unconsciously stereotyp men as untrustworthy. The prolonged illness and subsequent death of my mother in my early childhood was a major event that has left a long lasting impression. While it has helped me to develop compassionate and caring nature for the sick and the vulnerable, it has also given me a high sense of insecurity of forming a relationship for fear of loss and subsequent pain and loneliness. I think, it may have one of the causes of my having few genuine friends. Another event that has shaped me is when I left home at the age of 15 years I had to support myself to survive. The tough times have made me fiercely independent. I do not want to be dependent on others for my survival and requirements. Most of the time, I have worked in care home where for adults who were vulnerable and prone to be exploitation by staff. I have lots of arguments with other staff or people who do not treat the inmates with respect. My work area has been motivated by my past experiences of caring for my mother during her terminal illness and also because I was mistreated as a child. I want ensure that old people are respected and loved. Winn & Snyder’s theory seems to apply in my cases because my reflexes vis-à-vis the compassionate care for elderly and the infirm and the welfare of the children are largely the responses of my childhood memories when I was taking care of my mother and later when I was mistreated and nobody had come to my rescue. Today, I have very few friends and I am still wary of opposite sex. Hence till the age of 20 years, I had literally no male friends despite being a confident, independent and tough adult. The various factors that had significant impact on my childhood have been responsible for my adult behaviour vis-à-vis my present and future relationships and my attitude towards life. The presence of rational dissolution is quite evident in my life and is reflected in my nature that prevents me to form close relationships and long term friendship for fear of losing the same or of betrayal as I was betrayed by my father. The relationships that have broken down include the family and some friends comprising of father, stepmother and step siblings, if any and few friends who were left behind when I moved places. The socio-psychological imperatives make it essential for me to change and develop attributes and personality that would broaden my social circle and promote mutual trust. I realized that counselling would help me cope with the circumstances so that I am better able to relate with the changes through improved emotional adjustments. The rational repair theory focuses on inculcating constructive behaviour based on positive attitude and learning from the past experiences (Baumeister et al., 1994). Thus, developing positive attitude became the most important issue for me as it helped me to look at the positive perspectives of the issues and persons. I was able to rationalize my actions based on positive approach. The change was immediately visible in my social interactions. It also increased my self esteem as my positive attitude helped me to overcome my mistrust of people in general. I was also able to accept that my boyfriend is trustworthy and marriage with him would greatly facilitate constructive relationship. Indeed, meeting my ‘husband’ was an eye opener because he is not only totally trustworthy, he also become the most ardent supporter of my dreams. I want to make a difference in the world through nursing paradigms. My husband continuously encourages me in my endeavour, both in the professional development and social consciousness. I think two factors could be the main contributor. Firstly Watson’s theory of past experience can be accurately applied into my case because the tough fight for survival at the tender age of 15 years had made me an independent and confident adult. The circumstances had changed me from timid child to socially proactive adult who believed that one should stand up against injustices. The second but not the least important was my mistake of stereotyping the men folk into untrustworthy lot. My husband was the epitome of ideal human being who was caring and understanding. I have realized that attribution of causality is not always true. One needs to be more rational in one’s interpretation of events and person to come to an outcome for their behaviour. I think, in retrospect, the human relation is vulnerable to misguided perception of stereotyping and conferring people with implicit personality traits. While the cognitive reality of objects and persons may differ, it is important to realize that dynamics of human relationship change from person to person. Each person is different and is capable of being influenced by the circumstances. Thus, each individual should be given the opportunity to prove oneself. Positive attitude has helped me to increase my self esteem and become confident. The rationalized approach has further helped me to overcome the childhood fears and broadened my circle of friends and well wishers. Indeed, these have proved to be effective strategies for improving self esteem and should be used by other people to improve their overall personality and self esteem. (1166) (1602) Reference Biernat, M. & Dovidio, J. F. (2000) Stigma and stereotypes. In The Social Psychology of Stigma (eds T. F. Heatherton,R. E. Kleck, M. R. Hebl, et al), pp. 88 -125. New York: Guilford Press. Baumeister, R.F., Heatherton, T.F., & Tice, D.M. (1994). Losing control: How and why people fail at self-regulation. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Byrne, Ruth M, J. (2005), The Rational Imagination:How People Create Alternatives to Reality. MIT Press. Hamilton, D. L. (Ed.). (1981). Cognitive processes in stereotyping and intergroup behavior. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Schneider, David J. (2005). The Psychology of Stereotyping. Guilford Press. Schneider, D. J., Hastorf, A. H., & Ellsworth, P. C. (1979). Person perception. Reading, MA: Addison–Wesley. Tajfel, H. (1969). Cognitive aspects of prejudice. Journal of Social Issues, 25, 79–97. Watson, John. (1925). Behaviorism New York: Norton Available from: [Accessed 30 May 2010]. Winn, W., & Snyder, D. (1996). Cognitive perspectives in psychology. In D.H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook for research for educational communications and technology (pp. 112-142). New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan. Read More

The men cannot be trusted was also ingrained into my psyche for a long time because of my father. My disillusionment with my father as that of being the ‘protector’ has probably made me unconsciously stereotyp men as untrustworthy. The prolonged illness and subsequent death of my mother in my early childhood was a major event that has left a long lasting impression. While it has helped me to develop compassionate and caring nature for the sick and the vulnerable, it has also given me a high sense of insecurity of forming a relationship for fear of loss and subsequent pain and loneliness.

I think, it may have one of the causes of my having few genuine friends. Another event that has shaped me is when I left home at the age of 15 years I had to support myself to survive. The tough times have made me fiercely independent. I do not want to be dependent on others for my survival and requirements. Most of the time, I have worked in care home where for adults who were vulnerable and prone to be exploitation by staff. I have lots of arguments with other staff or people who do not treat the inmates with respect.

My work area has been motivated by my past experiences of caring for my mother during her terminal illness and also because I was mistreated as a child. I want ensure that old people are respected and loved. Winn & Snyder’s theory seems to apply in my cases because my reflexes vis-à-vis the compassionate care for elderly and the infirm and the welfare of the children are largely the responses of my childhood memories when I was taking care of my mother and later when I was mistreated and nobody had come to my rescue.

Today, I have very few friends and I am still wary of opposite sex. Hence till the age of 20 years, I had literally no male friends despite being a confident, independent and tough adult. The various factors that had significant impact on my childhood have been responsible for my adult behaviour vis-à-vis my present and future relationships and my attitude towards life. The presence of rational dissolution is quite evident in my life and is reflected in my nature that prevents me to form close relationships and long term friendship for fear of losing the same or of betrayal as I was betrayed by my father.

The relationships that have broken down include the family and some friends comprising of father, stepmother and step siblings, if any and few friends who were left behind when I moved places. The socio-psychological imperatives make it essential for me to change and develop attributes and personality that would broaden my social circle and promote mutual trust. I realized that counselling would help me cope with the circumstances so that I am better able to relate with the changes through improved emotional adjustments.

The rational repair theory focuses on inculcating constructive behaviour based on positive attitude and learning from the past experiences (Baumeister et al., 1994). Thus, developing positive attitude became the most important issue for me as it helped me to look at the positive perspectives of the issues and persons. I was able to rationalize my actions based on positive approach. The change was immediately visible in my social interactions. It also increased my self esteem as my positive attitude helped me to overcome my mistrust of people in general.

I was also able to accept that my boyfriend is trustworthy and marriage with him would greatly facilitate constructive relationship. Indeed, meeting my ‘husband’ was an eye opener because he is not only totally trustworthy, he also become the most ardent supporter of my dreams. I want to make a difference in the world through nursing paradigms. My husband continuously encourages me in my endeavour, both in the professional development and social consciousness. I think two factors could be the main contributor.

Firstly Watson’s theory of past experience can be accurately applied into my case because the tough fight for survival at the tender age of 15 years had made me an independent and confident adult.

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