Essay About Human Behavior

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Is human behavior determined or influenced by biological processes?
Human behaviors are observable emotions and physical actions associated with human beings. Whereas particular traits of an individual’s temperament and personality may appear more consistent, other human behaviors may change as a person grows from childhood into adulthood. Biological perspective explains that biological processes are the factors that determine human behavior. An approach refers to a perspective, which entails some beliefs (assumptions) about human behaviors. Biological approach argues that biological processes play an influential role in determining human behavior (Yair 650). According biological approach, environmental factors, genetics and other biological processes are the determinants that influence human behavior. However, it is important to note that there are still other important factors that determine human behavior. In this paper, careful analysis is investigated to explain that biological processes are not the only factors that determine human behavior; there are still other significant determinants contributing to human behavior.
Literature Review
John acknowledges that human beings are the product of both environmental surroundings and their genetic composition (309). This is the perspective of biological approach. For example, two sisters who come from the same family and born by the same parents may look alike; though behave differently because they have different personalities since external environment and genetic composition determine the kind of behaviors they act (John 314). Identical twins may look alike and have the same DNA, but behave differently due to the influence of environmental surroundings and genetic composition. Genetic makeup determines natural characteristics like eye color and hair. However, hair style, dressing code, and types of sunglasses a person wears are determined by social cues of people’s environment and the kind of people a person socializes with.
Human beings belong to the animal kingdom. In real sense, they are animals. Nevertheless, this is not in reference to human behavior, though some people behave like animals. Human beings are biological creatures, though biological processes are factors that determine human behaviors. Psychologists claim that humans are more than animals because they have the most complex structure and high interaction capacity on earth. Speech has made human beings the most social animals. Cynthia, Elaine and Richard argue that biological processes and environmental surroundings are what have made human being what they are and carry what they do (567). Biological processes guide human responses in acting or behaving. However, social structures such as societal norms also dictate how people behave and how they conduct their biological responses. It can therefore be inferred that as biological processes (nature) control people, the society (environmental surroundings) nurtures people. Human beings filter (evaluate) everything through social factors and biological processes to determine how they behave (act) in prevailing situations. First, biological processes determine they way respond to environmental activities, and secondly the social factors affect human responses and make them human.
Biological processes enable people to respond to the desire for seeking sex, food, drinks, and the need to adapt to changing environmental conditions and the need to fit into social groupings in their society. Exhaustion, fear, joy, thirst, sleep and hunger are some of the instinctive physical reactions that human beings feel in different situations. Such reactions are important because they inform people about situations that need response (Neumann 792). Such responses are instinctive, and human beings have no control over them, but must address the demands of such responses. Human beings have brains which are able to perceive and address problems. People react to risky situations through using their brains to perceive the problems and derive solutions.
Critical Analysis
Biologists contend that biological approach (biological responses, environmental factors and genetic makeup) are the factors that determine human behavior. However, psychologists argue that there are other crucial perspectives important for determining behaviors, and thus biological approach is not the only perspective explaining determinants of human behavior. Psychologists say that each approach has its weaknesses and strengths, and creates something that is different in understanding human behavior (William 140). It is because of this reason that psychology has various approaches of studying and understanding human behavior. Psychology has five major perspectives (approaches) of understanding human behavior such as cognitive psychology, biological psychology, psychoanalysis, social psychology and humanistic psychology.
Cognitive psychology has assumption that human experiences and behaviors are determined by activities taking place in the nervous system of human body. Roderick explains that things, which people do, say, feel and think are caused (determined) by electrochemical activities happening between and within the neurons which form their nervous system, especially those placed in the brain (120). Cognitive p...