Human Behavior And The Environment

Social work has long recognized the relationship between the behavior of an individual and the environment in which the individual interacts (Hutchison, 2008). Human behavior theories offer a framework to organize, interpret and understand this relationship (Hutchison, 2008). For this case study, the following three theories will be examined for relevancy: Life cycle theory, role theory and resiliency theory.

On a daily basis one has the ability of witnessing individuals of different social classes interact, mix, and sunder into groups amongst themselves. As one observes people interacting with each

Ecosystems is the dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment that work together to form a functional unit and they are constantly changing due to the fluctuating equilibrium from natural stress and human action which has had adversarial impacts on ecosystems. This is evident in Minnamurra rainforest as human induced modifications and environmental stresses had resulted in a vulnerable ecosystem. Furthermore, the removal of factors that contribute to the vulnerability of an ecosystem is important as it affect the functioning of the ecosystem as processes are accelerated, biodiversity is decreased which greatly affects humans. Despite the negative effects caused by humans, they have discovered that ecosystems are susceptible from harm caused by natural environmental factors or human impacts and realised the importance of protecting and managing ecosystems therefore have implemented management strategies that are supposed to prevent further detriment and as a consequence may induce resiliency.

The plastics block the light of the sun from reaching the plant life, such as plankton, which happens to be the best autotroph in the sea.

Social learning theory, developed by Bandura, discusses how people learn from one another through observation, modeling, and imitation bridging an individual’s attention, memory and motivation. Social learning theory identifies the importance of cognition, observable behavior, individual self-efficacy, and the extent of how the events surrounding an individual affect them; their locus of control. Social learning theory also looks at individual problem behavior being influenced by positive or negative reinforcement (Ashford & LeCroy, 2012).

The contributions Albert Bandura made to the understanding of social learning have led to further investigation and new findings. Social Cognitive Theory is Bandura’s greatest contribution to social, cognitive, and abnormal psychology. It has led to a greater understanding of human behavior and how humans learn behavior in a social context. Ultimately, modern research found that while Albert Bandura and other social learning theorists uncovered many aspects of learning and perception, there are factors that need further scrutiny, (Martin, Ruble, and Szkrybalo, 2001). The ability to produce more

Social cognitive theory was developed by Albert Bandura (1986, 2012) and other psychologists. Social cognitive theory traditionally focuses more on learning by observation and on the cognitive processes that underlie personalities (Rathus, 2015). Additionally, social cognitive theorists see people influencing their environment as much as it influences them (Rathus, 2015). They also affirm that “variables” within people are to be considered to understand them. These can include knowledge and skills, ways of interpreting experiences, and systems and plans (Bandura, 2012). This theory focuses mainly on variables and observational learning of human behavior. Furthermore, this theory was placed third on the spectrum because of its relevance to both nature, and nurture perspectives.

The social learning theory suggests that people learn new behaviors through observation of factors in their environment, by taking note of other’s

The purpose of this essay is to outline and evaluate at least three psychological perspectives of human behaviour. The three approaches that will be summarised are humanistic, social learning theory and the Biological approach. They will also be criticised and compared to one another. A brief description on psychology will occur, and there will also be a short summarisation on some key early influences of psychology, from its origins in philosophy.

Looking Backward (1888) sheds intensive light on a tremendously arguable question: “Does the environment affect the behavior of citizens?” Based on Jean Jacques Rousseau‘s philosophy “General will and well-ordered society” the answer to the aforementioned question is YES. One can highlight the fact that the fundamental problem for Rousseau is not nature or man but instead is social institutions. Rousseau's view is that society corrupts the pure individual (Le québécois Libre). Rousseau believes that societies are the roots of evil; he clarifies that by stating that the nature of man is a good one and it is being corrupted by the surroundings. Rousseau has come to the realization that due to these corrupted societies “To be sane in a world of

Albert Bandura, a 20th century American pszchologist, proposed a very important and probably the most influential theory of development and learning. He believed that: “Most human behaviour is learned observationally through modelling: from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performed, and on later occasions

Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (Kretchmar, 2015) – proposes that people learn by observing the behavior of others. Bandura asserts that this process has four parts – attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation. Environmental and cognitive factors can influence the process as well. This theory has many practical applications for understanding behavior in the classroom, and in society more generally. However, despite its far-reaching impact, social learning theory is not without its critics.

Observing and learning behaviors are key components of Social Learning Theory (Hanna, Crittenden & Crittenden, 2013). The theory focuses on how individuals learn social context from their environment and apply it to their life. An individual’s environment provides the opportunity for observational learning, imitation, and modeling that helps him or her adapt to and control different aspects of his or her life. Thus, shaping a person’s behavior in a healthy or unhealthy way. Environments and behaviors in which people most frequently observe become the most thoroughly learned (Hanna, Crittenden & Crittenden, 2013).

According to the Social Cognitive Theory, people learn by observation and modeling behavior. Albert Bandura developed the social cognitive theory in 1986. Bandura believes that people obtain knowledge and how to function by modeling behavior from others by interacting with others. The main highlight of his theory is that people learn by observation, imitation and modeling behavior within the social environment (Merriam, 2014)). Individual remember the consequences associated with individual behavior and used this information to guide subsequent behavior. For example, an observed action elicits an instinctive drive to model the behavior. Although the social learning theory states that people learn by observation, learning does not always lead to aggressive behavior. The social cognitive theory (SCT) integrates interaction between behavior, personal factor, cognition and environment which is referred to as the “reciprocal causation model” However, Bandura does not suggest that these three factors contribute to behavior (Bandura, 2012).

Many individuals are unaware of the harm that they cause to our planet. We live in a society where we eat and use electricity without knowing where it comes from or what damage it might cause to our planet. We have needs that do no make sense to the rest of the world. While some of us enjoy our luxurious meals, other individuals are given little choice. Richer countries have been accustomed to the point where many are unaware of the problems that they cause. The ecological footprint is a very good tool to show us how we use our nature and raise awareness toward environmental protection.