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Human Behaviour Is Deterministic

The document discusses the deterministic perspective on human behavior, which argues that behavior is caused by internal and external factors outside of human control. Several theorists are discussed who believed behavior was determined, including Watson who argued environment shapes behavior, Skinner who emphasized reinforcement and punishment, and Freud who believed childhood experiences determine behavior and thinking patterns. Key concepts discussed include classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and Freud's psychodynamic theory of the id, ego, and superego.

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Biggie T Murwira
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207 views

Human Behaviour Is Deterministic

The document discusses the deterministic perspective on human behavior, which argues that behavior is caused by internal and external factors outside of human control. Several theorists are discussed who believed behavior was determined, including Watson who argued environment shapes behavior, Skinner who emphasized reinforcement and punishment, and Freud who believed childhood experiences determine behavior and thinking patterns. Key concepts discussed include classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and Freud's psychodynamic theory of the id, ego, and superego.

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Biggie T Murwira
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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NAME.

Biggie Tanyaradzwa Murwira

REG Number. R202690T

PROGRAM. HPT

COURSE. Psychology

COURSE CODE. RPS101

LECTURER Mr SIBANDA
Question : Human behavior is deterministic"discuss"

According to deterministic perspective human behavior human behaviour has a


cause and therefore is predictable . The determistic perspective is also that
behavior is guide by internal and external factors that humans have no control
over. Determinisim can be external determinism, hard determinism, soft
determinisim. In external determinism human behavior is caused things such
ernviroment , parents , friends ,media etc. Hard determinisim says that there is no
such thing as free will. Soft determinism says that we have free will but it's very
constrained , we have a relatively few number of choices.

J B Watson suggested that human behavior is a direct reflection of their


ernviroment. Watson claimed that that he was given infants and his own well
specified world to bring them up in he would raise them become what they want
become be it a nurse , doctor merchant chief or even a beggar or a thief
regardless of their talents , penchants , tendencies , abilities , vocations , and race
of ancestors .” John B. Watson .Using little Albert in carrying out his experiments
he was able to instill fear where there was no fear initially by manipulation of the
environment .On being presented with a rat while he was playing little Albert did
not seem afraid rather he played with the rat .And also monkeys , dogs , rabbits ,
fire was also presented all to no avail . Thus Watson would have a metal bar hit
each time the rat was placed in front of Albert causing him to cry hysterically .Due
to the loud banging noise feelings of fear were evoked in little Albert which
caused him to cry each time when the rat or any furry animal or teddy bear was
presented in front of him ,this is because he had generalized that any furry animal
will trigger the loud banging sound . Watson therefore proved his theory of the
environment because behavior change was brought about by the change in
environment and the expected behavior was displayed – fear .BF Skinner was a
behaviorist who concentrated on how behavior was affected by its consequences.
Therefore, he spoke of reinforcement and punishment as the major factor in
determining behavior. In his theory of learning, learning is a process of
conditioning in an environment of stimulus, reward and punishment. He explained
the difference between informal learning, which occurs naturally and formal
education which depends on a teacher creating optimal patterns of stimulus and
response (reward and punishment) or operant conditioning. He believed that an
important process in human behavior is attributed to reward and punishment. In his
experiment he used a rat. A hungry rat was put in a space containing a food
dispenser. There was a horizontal bar at the end of a lever projecting from a wall.
Depression of the lever operated a switch. When the switch was connected with the
food dispenser, any behavior of the rat which dispensed the lever was ‘reinforced
with food.’ What is useful in operant conditioning is increasing knowledge of the
extra ordinary subtle and complex features of the contingencies of reinforcement
which prevail in the environment. The application of operant conditioning to
education is simple and direct. Teaching is the arrangement of contingencies which
expedite learning, hastening the appearance of behavior which could otherwise be
acquired slowly or making sure of appearance of behavior which might otherwise
never occur.

According to Freud , human behavior is determined by childhood experiences ,


this was the psycho-analytical/psycho-sexual theory or one’s way of thinking and
state of mind –preconscious , conscious and unconscious mind governed by the ID
,Ego and Super-Ego , this was the psycho-dynamic theory .He suggested that
human beings undergo 5 stages of development from birth the oral , anal ,
phallic , latent and genital stages .He believed that any individual’s
current/present traits were a manifestation of their upbringing , if all stages were
undergone and taught correctly one would behave in a positive manner , and if
not then one would be said to be fixated at a certain stage and would exhibit
unfavorable behavior to compensate .For instance , during oral stage if weaning is
underdone or overdone it results in fixation and one can either become a smoker
or drinker ;during latent stage , if not experienced properly it results in fixation
and one can become possessive and clingy or become unconfident at all .Freud
also suggested that humans behave as a manifestation of their way of thinking –
those governed by the ID often exhibit spontaneous behavior without thinking
about the consequences .While others that suppress the ID with the Ego act more
idealistically after a moment of pondering and others let the Super-Ego play it’s
realistic role of laying out the likely consequences of any action to be taken .With
the influence of the ID and disregard of the Ego and Super-Ego , many people
have resorted to crime and deviant behaviors ,and others exhibit more socially
acceptable behaviors as governed by the Ego and Super-Ego .In conclusion , Freud
supported his notions using the psycho-analytical and psycho-dynamic theories
and its evident how they actually influence human behavior.

REFERENCES

Alana snow

Avvearchives.wordpress.co

Victor Emanuel Ribeiro Teixeira

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