Concept in Definition ABC
Miscellanea / / July 04, 2021
By Javier Navarro, in Nov. 2008
Human behavior is the manifestation of behavior, that is, what we do. Our behavior can be analyzed from a psychological perspective, from ethical reflection or in a specific sense (for example, consumer behavior). On the other hand, the concept of behavior is also applicable to animals and ethology is the discipline which deals with this issue.
Behavior and psychology
The psychology try to know the mechanisms that influence our behavior. Traditionally psychology has dealt with the mental aspects that determine our actions. However, the current of behaviorism this trend has changed. As the name implies, behavioral psychologists focus on behavior, that is, on what we do and not on the internal processes that drive us to action. According to the behaviorism approach, there are laws of behavior (specifically, laws of behavior). learning) combined with conditioning mechanisms (for example, when we associate a particular action with something we want).
Behaviorism as a therapeutic approach maintains that it is possible to modify undesirable behaviors. In this sense, psychologists of this current use techniques to stop smoking using strategies to modify the smoker's behavior.
Although behaviorism is the current that most emphasizes the role of behavior, psychology in general deals with of human behavior, especially those that are abnormal (mental illnesses, phobias or addictions).
Conduct and ethics
Most of our behaviors are not neutral, since we can classify them between good and bad from an ethical point of view. In principle, it might seem easy to draw a distinction between correct and incorrect by setting general criteria (for example, it is good to help others and it is bad be selfish). However, certain behaviors entail an associated ethical debate, that is, a dilemma about what is right to do, as it happens in issues such as abortion, euthanasia or the legalization of drugs
The ethical dimension of the human being has a direct relationship with our responsibility with the decisions we make or with the fulfillment of the law. In fact, at some point we've all asked ourselves what should I do.
Analyzing the spectrum of consumers
Marketing experts try to understand the mechanisms of consumer behavior. For this, it is necessary analyze diverse aspects: how they make their decisions when deciding on a product, what kind of needs they have and what budget they have. This type of study has a certain complexity, since consumers are not always aware of the reasons that drive them to buy, since the emotions internal play an essential role when deciding on a product.
The behavior of animals
Ethology studies animal behavior. Ethologists are scientists who observe the patterns that govern the behavior of animal species. While humans have cultural patterns combined with biological patterns, animals act exclusively by biological patterns of behavior, also known as instincts.
Ethologists study very diverse aspects of animal behavior: its aggressiveness, the mechanisms of mating or its learning capacity. A canine ethologist can help a dog reduce its aggressiveness and an equine ethologist can assist in preparing a horse competition.
Photos: iStock - 101cats / max-kegfire
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