Using theory to understand, manage and treat human
behaviours
Task 1.
Page
1.
(P1)- Explain how psychological perspectives are applied to the understanding of
human development.
Behaviorism theory- Ivan Pavlov
According to the behaviourist approach, the reason for human behaviour is that it is learned through
interaction with one's surroundings [gsu 2019]. We are all born with a clean slate, and it is our
experiences in life that shape who we become, how we behave, and who we are as individuals. The
results of our education can be seen in our behaviour. One method used by behaviourists is called
classical conditioning. Behaviours are picked up through associative learning. This is a sort of learning
that takes place without the person being aware that they are doing it. It results in a conditioned
response being paired with a conditioned stimulus, which ultimately results in behaviour. Another
method of behavioural analysis is called operant conditioning, which teaches through a cycle of
punishments and rewards. If the reinforcement is positive, for instance, the child is more likely to
repeat the activity because it is applauded, on the other hand, if the reinforcement is negative, the
child is less likely to repeat the behaviour because of the negative reaction. The likelihood of a child
repeating a certain type of behaviour again is dependent on the reactions of other people.
Social learning theory- Albert Bandura
According to the social learning theory, the reason for human behaviour is that we pick up lessons
from the individuals we spend the most time around in our surroundings. One method of learning
involves admiration of successful people. When we pay attention to other people, it often leads to us
replicating the behaviours of those other people. The first step is called attention, and it involves
noticing and observing the behaviour of other people. The second step is called restraint, and it
involves remembering what you observed. This leads to the imitation of behaviour, which is called
reproduction. The final step is motivation, which determines whether or not the behaviour will be
repeated in the future based on whether it was a positive or negative reinforcement. The application of
role models is at the core of ARM, which stands for the Active Role Modelling learning methodology.
This is because youngsters observe the actions of the people they look up to and try to model their
own behaviours after those of the people they consider to be role models. Self-fulfilling prophecy is an
additional model that can be used to explain how SLT influences human conduct. This prophecy
demonstrates that our actions are the primary factor in determining both our behaviour and how
others perceive us. For instance, I care about and love other people, which motivates me to behave in
a positive manner, which then encourages other people to also treat me in a positive manner.
Psychodynamic Theory- Sigmund Freud
According to the psychodynamic theory, the unconscious mind and the experiences someone had as
a kid or in the past are what control human behaviour. Our memories of the past, which are stored in
the subconscious mind, have a significant impact on the thoughts, feelings, and choices we make
today. The ways in which we behave is determined by three distinct aspects of our minds. The
superego is one of the the parts. This is the part of you that is conscious, and it determines right and
wrong depending on the standards set by your parents. If the superego is overactive, it may result in
increased levels of anxiety. The ID comes up next. This is the part of your unconscious that looks for
instant reward, and an overactive identity can cause you to behave in a way that is both self-centered
and impulsive. Lastly, there is the ego, which acts as a check on both the id and the superego. The
events that took place during childhood are pushed into the unconscious by the ego, which we are not
even aware of, and can cause problems as we grow up. As a result of this unresolved conflict, it can
then manifest itself as a mental illness such as depression. When all of these aspects are considered
,together, this theory suggests that childhood experiences have a significant impact on our behaviour
and personality. There are five different psychosexual stages that are involved in the psychodynamic
method. In this stage, we will describe how the ID was sexually fulfilled at the time of birth. If the
dispute is not resolved, it will act as an encouragement and lead to specific behaviours in the future,
such as clinical depression, anxiety, and addiction. These conditions will emerge if the conflict is not
resolved.
Humanistic theory- Carl Rogers
According to the humanist theory, the reasons behind human behaviour are the thoughts and feelings
that individuals have. It is our own free will, and every one of us is a rational, conscious individual in
our own right. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, there are phases that every person must
progress through in order to reach the level of self-actualisation that is at the top of the hierarchy. You
will not be able to move on to the next phase or skip any steps until your fundamental physiological
requirements are satisfied. You can only grow to your full potential if everything in your life goes
according to plan. The same idea can be broken down into three distinct components. The self-
concept is the first aspect to examine. This refers to how we see ourselves in terms of our physical
appearance and our biological make-up, such as being women or males. It is also how we evaluate
aspects of our personalities, such as how hard our work is, how much love we have, how nice we are,
and so on. Children quickly pick up on the attitudes of those around them, which eventually become
ingrained in their sense of self. It begins to take shape at a young age. They will have healthy self-
esteem if they are told positive things about themselves, such as "you are amazing," but their self-
esteem will suffer if they are told negative things about themselves, such as "you are stupid." Another
aspect is one's sense of self-worth. It is comparable in terms of concept, but what truly matters is what
you believe to represent and how you believe we should evaluate ourselves. For instance, if you are
loved and treated well, you will treat others in a way that makes you feel deserving of love, and you
will believe that this is how you should behave yourself. On the other hand, if you have a poor self-
esteem, you are more likely to bring down the self-esteem of others and make them feel like you do.
The third and last component is called congruence. This is the sensation that we need to have and
the feeling that we desire to have. This state of being is referred to as the perfect self. If our actual self
and our ideal self are consistent with one another, then we are in a state of peace. However, a state
of conflict exists in a person when the ideal self and the real self-do not line up with one another.
Because of this, you may develop mental health issues in the future as an outcome of developing
unhappiness and difficulties in your life.
The theory of cognitive development- Jean Piaget
According to the cognitive perspective, the reason behind human activity is found within an
individual's own mental processes. Our routines are an aspect of the things that catch our attention,
such as behaviour, which then processes the information, develops, and generates particular patterns
of movement. The form is a form of mental processing that occurs inside. It is a representation in the
mind of our past experiences and the information that we have gained, which is kept in our long-term
memory. Your plan may shift and develop as you get older, thanks to the new experiences and
enhanced information you get. For example, you may become more aware of how you behave in
different settings, such as at school or in a restaurant. The development of non-adaptive models often
occurs throughout childhood or adolescence, but this process can continue into adulthood when faced
with stressful experiences. Weak patterns develop when the fundamental requirements of the kid,
including his or her protection, care, and affection, are not satisfied. The inability of children to meet
these requirements, which include love, respect, and safety, prevents them from developing a solid
mental foundation. There is also the possibility that the infant will become sick or pass away.
Typically, this is due to the fact that their primary carer, whether if a mother or father, was an
extremely abusive and dominating individual. Piaget is known for his research on the cognitive growth
of children. In his theory of cognitive development, he observed that children of the same age,
regardless of how intelligent they were, performed the same reasoning errors. This led him to theorise
that cognitive development occurs in stages. He felt that intelligence was not a fixed property, and that
cognitive growth was a process that occurred as a result of biological maturation and interactions with
the environment. He considered this to be the case since he held the belief that intelligence was not a
fixed trait. According to Piaget, there are a number of stages, and each succeeding stage builds upon
the one that came before it. Every kid goes through these stages in the following order: sensorimotor
intelligence, pre-operational thinking, concrete operational thinking and formal operational thinking.
, Page 3.
Biological theory- Gesell
According to the biological perspective, the factors that contribute to human conduct include things
like genes, hormones, DNA, and so on. It is commonly assumed that our behaviours are set in stone
from the moment we are born. It is generally believed that our behaviour and the people we are are
determined by our nature, not by our environment. Hereditary factors are one factor that can influence
our behaviours. Behavioural characteristics, such as mental diseases and intelligence, are thought to
be genetically inherited in the same way that physical characteristics, such as eye colour, are passed
on. This is the reason why behaviour tends to run in families. Genetic explanations say that these
characteristics are inherited in the same way. Medical geneticists claim that obsessive-compulsive
disorder is caused by the inheritance of one or more maladaptive genes, and biological psychologists
assert that it is related with certain genes, such as those that are associated with anxiety. According
to Gesell's theory of maturation, development is generated by nature and not by a person's diet at any
point in time. He is of the opinion that the effect on the environment will be small, and that children are
born with genetic instructions passed down from their parents. Gesell, for instance has the opinion
that there is a process of maturation that begins with the development of an individual after going
through a number of phases while they are still in the womb. Both the neurological system and the
endocrine system are able to have an impact on the conduct and development of an individual. The
belief held by the central nervous system is that the method in which the brain processes experiences
is the primary cause of people's behaviours. This is due to the fact that it communicates with
neurones in order to influence individuals to behave in a particular way. Because the endocrine
system is the communication system within the body that uses hormones, it is believed that hormones
released into the bloodstream can influence human conduct. The endocrine system is responsible for
the release of hormones into the bloodstream. During the stress reaction, collaboration between the
neurological system and the endocrine system is essential. In order to get the body ready for action,
the autonomic nervous system triggers a response known as the "fight or flight" response. This
causes the neurological system to stimulate the endocrine system, which then causes adrenaline to
be released into the bloodstream. This provides the individual with the ability to process stress and
find healthy coping mechanisms. On the other hand, the "fight or flight" response might eventually
result in a chronic illness, which in turn can result in a number of different health problems, including
anxiety and depression.
Theories of human development
The argument between nature and nurture is one approach to understanding human development.
The concept of nurture focuses on the ways in which our surroundings might affect our behaviour and
our growth. The way we were brought up and the people around us have an impact on who we
become, according to our parents. For instance, if a parent shows love and care for you in a positive
way. You are compassionate and loving towards other people, but if others are cruel to you, it is likely
that you will be cruel to other people as well. While nature holds the belief that everyone is born with
inherent qualities. Everything that we are, including our genes and whether or not we have a mental
disease, is passed down to us from our parents. The continuity vs. discontinuity hypothesis of human
development is yet another theory of human development. The term "continuity" refers to growth as a
smooth process that does not involve discrete steps, such as an increase in height that occurs
gradually, whereas the term "discontinuity" indicates that there are stages. It provides assistance for
things like the development phase of the Piaget model. Idiographic evolution vs. nomothetic evolution
is the final theory of human development. Idiographic research examines the behaviours of individuals
as well as the ways in which they build their own distinctive qualities by drawing from the experiences
of others. This hypothesis investigates the reasons behind why people have developed in the manner
in which they have developed. An exemplar of the human race While nomothetic research examines
behaviour in terms of the characteristics that are shared by all persons. A large number of people are
participating in the study to generate broad guidelines and specific instances of behavioural activity.
[study 2017]
