Module 1

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN BEHAVIOR

What is Behavior?
Behavior refers to the actions of an organism or system, usually in relation to its
environment, which includes the other organisms or systems around as well as
the physical environment.
Behavior can also be defined as anything that can you do that can be directly
observed, measured and repeated, (Ex. Reading, crawling, singing, holding hands
and the likes.)

What is Human Behavior

Human behavior is the range of actions and mannerisms exhibited by human in
conjunction with their environment, responding to various stimuli or inputs,
whether internal or external, conscious or subconscious, overt or covert,
voluntary or involuntary.

Human behavior is influenced by many factors, including:

a. Attitudes b. Beliefs
c. Emotions d. Reasoning
e. Culture f. Values
g. Ethics h. Religion
i. Authority j. Rapport
k. Motivation l. Persuasion
m. Genetics n. Coercion

What is human development?

Human development is the process of a person’s growth and maturation
throughout their lifespan, concerned with the creation of an environment where
people are able to develop their full potential, while leading productive and
creative lives in accordance with their interests and needs.
Development is about the expansion of choices people have in order to
lead lives they value.

FOUR PILLARS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

1. Equity: refers to the concept of justice, impartiality and fairness and

incorporates the idea of distributive justice, particularly in terms of access to
opportunities and outcomes to all human beings.

2. Efficiency: The attention paid to distributive justice however is not at the

expense of efficiency in the system. Efficiency is conventionally defined as the
optimal use of existing resources. From a human development perspective,
efficiency is defined as the least cost method of reaching the goals through
various interventions that maximize opportunities for individuals and
communities through optimal use of human and material and institutional
resources.

3. Participation and empowerment: In the human development approach,

people are both the ends as well as the means to development. Empowerment is
about processes that lead people to perceive themselves as entitled to make life
decisions. It is about the freedom to make decisions in matters that affect their
lives.
4. Sustainability: The term sustainability is often used while referring to
environment but is not confined to this dimension alone. It refers to sustainability
in all spheres, social, political and financial.

Theories of Child (Human) Development

A. Personality Theory
I. Psychoanalytic Theory (Sigmund Freud)

The Structure of Personality (Tripartite Personality)

The structure of personality, according to Sigmund Freud, is made up to three
major systems: the ID, the EGO and the SUPEREGO.
Behavior is always the product of an interaction among these three systems;
rarely does one system operate to the exclusion of the other two.

1. Id – allows us to get our basic needs met. Id is based on the pleasure

principle (it wants immediate satisfaction, with no consideration for the reality of
the situation). Id refers to the selfish, primitive, childish, pleasure oriented part of
the personality with no ability to delay gratification.
• Freud called the id the “true psychic reality” because it represents the inner
world of subjective experience and has no knowledge of objective reality.
2. Ego – as the child interacts more with the world, the ego begins to develop.
The ego jobs is to meet the need of the id, whilst taking into account the
constraints of reality.
• The ego acknowledges that being impulsive or selfish can sometimes hurt
us, so the id must be constrained (reality principle).
• Ego is the moderator between the id and the superego which seeks
compromises to pacify both. It can be viewed as our “sense of time and place”.
3. Superego (Conscience of Man) – the superego develops during the phallic
stage as a result of the moral constraints placed on us by our parents. It is
believed that a strong superego serves to inhibit the biological instincts of the id
(resulting in a high level of guilt), whereas as a weak superego allows the id more
expression-resulting in a low level of guilt.
• Superego internalizes society and parental standards of “good” and “bad”,
“right” and “wrong” behavior.
Levels of Awareness (Topographical Model by Sigmund Freud)

1. The conscious level – it consists of whatever sensations and experiences

you are aware of at a given moment of time.
Example: You may be feeling thirsty at this moment and decide to get a drink.
2. The preconscious level – this domain is sometimes called “available
memory” that encompasses all experiences that are not conscious at the moment
but which can easily be retrieved into awareness either spontaneously or with a
minimum of effort.
Example: you are presently not thinking about your mobile telephone number, but
now it is mentioned you can recall it with ease, memories of your childhood, the
places you lived in, your favorite books, etc.
3. The unconscious level – it is the deepest and major stratum of the human
mind. It is the storehouse for primitive instinctual drives plus emotion and
memories that are so threatening to the conscious mind that they have been
repressed, or unconsciously pushed into the unconscious mind.
Example: forgotten trauma in childhood, hidden feelings of hostility toward a
present, and repressed sexual desires which you are unaware.
Freud’s Model of Personality development
(Psychosexual stages)

1. Oral Stage (Birth to 1 year)

• In the first stage of psychosexual development, the libido is centered in a
baby's mouth. During the oral stages, the baby gets much satisfaction from
putting all sorts of things in its mouth to satisfy the libido, and thus its id
demands. Which at this stage in life are oral, or mouth orientated, such as
sucking, biting, and breastfeeding.
• Freud said oral stimulation could lead to an oral fixation in later life. We see
oral personalities all around us such as smokers, nail-biters, finger-chewers, and
thumb suckers. Oral personalities engage in such oral behaviors, particularly
when under stress.
• A child who is frustrated at this stage may develop an adult personality
that is characterized by pessimism, envy and suspicion.
• The overindulged child may develop to be optimistic, gullible, and full of
admiration for others.
2. Anal Stage (1 to 3 years)
• During the anal stage of psychosexual development, the libido becomes
focused on the anus, and the child derives great pleasure from defecating. The
child is now fully aware that they are a person in their own right and that their
wishes can bring them into conflict with the demands of the outside world (i.e.,
their ego has developed).
• Freud believed that this type of conflict tends to come to a head in potty
training, in which adults impose restrictions on when and where the child can
defecate. The nature of this first conflict with authority can determine the child's
future relationship with all forms of authority.
• Early or harsh potty training can lead to the child becoming an
anal-retentive personality or anal retentive character who hates mess, is
obsessively tidy, punctual and respectful of authority. They can be stubborn and
tight-fisted with their cash and possessions.
• The anal expulsive character, on the other hand, underwent a liberal
toilet-training regime during the anal stage. In adulthood, the anal expulsive is
the person who wants to share things with you. They like giving things away. In
essence, they are 'sharing their s**t’!’ An anal-expulsive personality is also messy,
disorganized and rebellious.
3. Phallic Stage (3 to 6 years)
The phallic stage is the third stage of psychosexual development, spanning the
ages of three to six years, wherein the infant's libido (desire) centers upon their
genitalia as the erogenous zone.
The child becomes aware of anatomical sex differences, which sets in motion the
conflict between erotic attraction, resentment, rivalry, jealousy and fear which
Freud called the Oedipus complex (in boys) and the Electra complex (in girls).
a. Oedipus Complex – this refers to an instance where in boys build up a warm
and loving relationship with mothers (mommy’s boys).
b. Electra Complex – this refers to an occasion where in girls experience an
intense emotional attachment for their fathers (daddy’s girl).

4. Latency Stage (6-11 Years)

Sexual interest is relatively inactive in this stage. Sexual energy is going through
the process of sublimation and is being converted into interest in schoolwork,
riding bicycles, playing house and sports.

5. Genital Stage (11 Years on)

This refers to the start of puberty and genital stage; there is renewed interest in
obtaining sexual pleasure through the genitals.
• Masturbation often becomes frequent and leads to orgasm for the first
time. Sexual and romantic interest in others also become a central motive.
• Interest now turns to heterosexual relationships. The lesser fixation the
child has in earlier stages, the more chances of developing a “normal” personality,
and thus develops healthy meaningful relationships with those of the opposite
sex.

Freud Psychosexual Theory believes that we are born with two basic instincts:
1. Eros – this is named after the Greek god for love. Eros includes the sex
drives such as hunger and thirst.
2. Thanatos – this is named after Greek god for death. This includes not only
striving for death but also destructive motives such as hostility and aggression.
These drives highly influence the personality of a person.

Traits theory
Trait approach identifies where a person might lie along a continuum of
various personality characteristics. Traits theories attempt to learn and explain
the traits that make up personality, the differences between people in terms of
their personal characteristics, and how they relate to actual behavior.
Trait refers to the characteristics of an individual, describing a habitual
way of behaving, thinking, and feeling.

Kinds of traits by Gordon W. Allport

1. Cardinal traits: Allport suggested that cardinal traits are rare, and
dominate, usually developing later in life. They tend to define a person to such an
extent that their names become synonymous with their personality.
• These are personalities that are so basic that all people's activities relate to
it.
• Examples of this include the following descriptive terms: Machiavellian,
narcissistic, Don Juan, and Christ-like.
2. Central traits: These general characteristics form basic personality
foundations. While central traits are not as dominating as cardinal traits, they
describe the major characteristics you might use to describe another person.
Terms such as "intelligent," "honest," "shy," and "anxious" are considered central
traits.
• These are the core traits that characterize an individual’s personality.
Central traits are the major characteristics of our personalities that are quite
generalized and enduring. They form the building blocks of our personalities.

3. Secondary traits: Secondary traits are sometimes related to attitudes or

preferences. They often appear only in certain situations or under specific
circumstances.
• Some examples include public speaking anxiety, or impatience while
waiting in line.

Kinds of Traits by Goldberg (Big Five of Five Factor Theory)

1. Extraversion – this dimension contrasts such traits as sociable, outgoing,

talkative, assertive, persuasive, decisive, and active with more introverted traits
such as withdrawn, quiet, passive, retiring, and reserved.
2. Neuroticism – people high on neuroticism are prone to emotional
instability. They tend to experience negative emotions and to be moody, irritable,
nervous, and prone to worry.
3. Conscientiousness – this factor differentiates individuals who are
dependable, organized, reliable, responsible, thorough, hard-working, and
preserving from those undependable, disorganized, impulsive, unreliable,
irresponsible, careless, negligent and lazy.
4. Agreeableness – this factor is composed of a collection of traits that range
from compassion to antagonism towards others. A person high on agreeableness
would be a pleasant person, good-natured, warm, sympathetic, and cooperative.
5. Openness to Experience – this factor contrasts individuals who are
imaginative, curious, broad-minded, and cultured with those who are
concrete-minded and practical, and whose interests are narrow.

Personality Traits by Eysenck

1. Extrovert – it refers to a person that is sociable, out-going, and active.

2. Introvert – it refers to a person that is withdrawn, quiet, and introspective.
3. Emotionally Unstable – it is a trait that is being anxious, excitable, and
easily disturbed.

What is temperament?
Temperament refers to the fundamental groundwork of character, generally
presumed to be biologically determined and existent early in life, inclusive of
traits like emotional reactiveness, energy level, reaction tempo, and motivation to
explore.

Four Types of Temperament

Melancholic – sad, gloomy

Choleric – hot-tempered, irritable
Phlegmatic – sluggish, calm
Sanguine – cheerful, hopeful

Prepared by: Libre – Jover, Marizzelle RC.