The Moral Animal Why We Are the Way We Are
Another aspect that makes us more different to other higher primate animals is the fact that we are able to understand and influence our environment, seeking to explain and manipulate the natural phenomena through science, philosophy, mythology and religion. Human beings differ from the other animals in the sense that we posses the sense of perception. A human body is organized to offer support not only to for the sense of perception but also in having a rational soul as its substantial soul (Chazan, 1998). Here, the human being is responsible for actualization of the matter composing a human being and in the unity of the activity of human beings. We are able to make judgmental decisions that affect us and those around us for good relations.
Morally, in order to understand the nature of human beings, we should be able to appreciate that humans are naturally weak, hasty, ignorant, and unjust. They are also said to be unappreciative, anxious, obstructive, fearful, mean, stingy, and misery. Human beings love to argue and despairs when in poverty and in sickness. These characteristics are always present in one but they always increase or decrease, surface or fade according to the upbringing and the amendment of the spirit.
These are by no means exclusive to every individual that possesses them (Wright, 1994). First, we find out that some of the challenges that we face in our day-to-day life are determined by the placements of the planets, each of these represents different aspects of their mental and physical nature. Therefore, at the time of birth different techniques may be used to estimate the issues that will eventually unfold throughout their lives.
Human beings are pack animals that have a characteristic of grouping together for the purpose of safety and well-being and the ability to attract each other, which is a principal towards our survival. The manner in which we respond to these behavioral patterns and the expectations we seek from how others will respond to our actions are programmed into our behavioral or emotional loop during the earliest experiences (Chazan, 1998). This point of view is determined in that the process starts in the womb just before birth, the unborn infant is basically aware of the mothers emotional and psychological responses to it at the most primal time (Chazan, 1998.
The character of a mature human being is being adopted mostly from their caregivers for food, warmth and many other things for survival, these are basically the parents. Therefore, because of this, should the caregivers be less than good enough, the infants will resume that any harm is within themselves, that their disturbing behavior is as a result of their parents behavior, and this is likely to extend throughout their lives (Wright, 1994). To save this kind of a circumstance, we often try to modify our behavior by interrupting the natural contact to change the behavior.
The human person is obviously connected with how much the world makes sense to us and how much we feel about others that we make contact with and in the understanding about their making. The human species go by their personal worlds structures, systems, and the values that we believe to they are acceptable. People differ in the way they handle certain issues at hand. Some people believe that they are reasonable in taking violent actions in order to meet their goals. This is though not acceptable by many. Therefore, in this case contact and expression are the key components that can restore this to bring it to a balance. It is through this that they can explore, express and achieve balance. It is important to understand that the human character is influenced by the changes that take place intra-organismically within a person. These changes enable a person to identify the limits of their capabilities both physically, emotionally and spiritually (Chazan, 1998). An example is that people can estimate whether a certain behavior is acceptable to those they are close to or not, or they can determine if a certain mathematical problem is within their capacity to solve. These intra-organismic processes allow human beings to observe and practice the existing and new ideas and their behaviors.
Some risky behaviors may be because of the unexpressed self-struggling to emerge on certain issues. To help the people at this stage, they should be given genuine means of expression this may reduce the internal pressure that leads to this behavior. On the other perspective, listening, performing, creating, and sharing are the aspects that can help them become aware of how their world makes sense to them and how others view the sense that they make.
The biopsychological behavior of human beings is a combination of the biological and the social factors that are used to explain the human behavior. The scientists assess that human behavior can be explained by the genetics and heredity factors among them. In case of genetics, the component that is responsible for this is the DNA, a special component of the cells. The DNA structure is characterized by a number of subsections which dictate various functions of the human body and behavior. First is intelligence, which is partly determined by the genes. This is strongly verified within the IQ intelligence of twins.
The biological approach also explains certain strange behaviors that are received through heredity and genetics. A study that was conducted upon two brothers that were diagnosed with schizophrenia found out that a large percentage of these individuals had actually the same components that were similar in nature. This showed that they had inherited these traits from their parents (Wright, 1994). However, this does not mean that they should behave in the same way.
Persons or human beings may possess the same biological composition but have different character traits. Another factor that determines the human behavior is that it is related to certain uncontrollable conditions that are common in all individuals. For example, when a person is subjected to extreme hunger, the brain conditions them to look for something edible e.g. fruits or any thing edible. Another example on the same note is that one of sleep (Chazan, 1998). Sleep is controlled by a part of the brain called medulla oblongata. It is the role of the brain to trigger sleep unconditionally. However, people sleep differently that is, some sleep more than others. In this case, the medulla may be undergoing some malfunction or when it is working excessively, an individual will tend to sleep a lot more than the other.
We can understand the human behavior through cognitive development. Through this approach, human beings are able to get meaning about the phenomena and the surrounding environment by drawing and establishing relationships between the mind and the objects or events occurring within the surrounding environment. As the mind develops and gets accustomed with certain ideas, they begin to react towards them in a way that brings about different reactions to them (Wright, 1994). This leads to a person having a different attitude towards a certain item from another. The psychological analysis of the human mind enhances us to understand the reason about certain emotions. Through this, we can be able to understand why and how people react emotionally towards a certain issue while some others may not be affected in any way. This largely is dependent on the role that the mind has on that particular issue or individual. An example is that people may react to the temperature differences in different ways.
Biopsychological Social aspect is another aspect that tells us more about the human behavior. Here, we consider the influences that the family and culture have on the human behavior. It should be noted that in social analysis, there is a difference between ideal behavior, actual behavior and believed behavior. For instance, a family may differ in the manner in which it tackles its events and issues from another while certain behaviors may be deemed unacceptable in some varied cultures.
Human personal traits are adapted to the environmental pressures, particularly the social ones. This encourages a wide range of varied traits between the individuals. People are able to respond to environmental warnings that are associated with impending punishments. Through this aspect, people are able to develop a character of fear that is mostly common in the human species (Wright, 1994).
Human beings possess a certain aspect of self-motivation. This is arrived as individuals cannot rely on other individuals for motivation. This plays a key role where the individual gathers the courage and strength to achieve certain goals. Therefore, this is essential in the development of new undertakings or making a positive change towards life. Human character is modified by the needs that are demanded by the individual. Almost in every day today living human survival is defined by a series of key fundamental needs. These needs occur in an order of importance. They are highly hierarchical and it is after satisfying the very basic wants at one level that one graduates to satisfy needs on another category (Chazan, 1998). These needs can be categorized as follows there is the need for survival, these survival levels consists of the basic need to sustain life the need for safety WHICH involves protection from possible threat such as disease, violence among others the need of social belonging, this involves the need to be liked and wanted by family members, friends, coworkers, and others that they associate with there is the need for esteem, this involves the need to feel important from within and from other people that are surrounding us finally, there is the need for self-actualization, this means knowing our limits and trying to perform, within those limits, to our full potential. All these are the major aspects that are important in the modification of the human character.
We are the only animals that can think, this is because we can remember the past as discrete events then connect these with the present conditions. Then on this basis, we can consciously decide what to do and project possible present actions into the future consequences of those actions (Chazan, 1998). This is the reason as to why human beings respond differently to issues pertaining what they have at hand. This is most fundamental aspect which differentiates the humans from the animals that usually react to stimuli.
The ability to think also means that we have two ways of viewing things, which is instinctively and intellectually. The instinctive way of viewing things is instant and uncontrollable. On the other hand, the intellectual view is always learned and alterable, it is based on the culture and the society in which the person lives. We are able to use it to alleviate the effects of the instinctive view. Another key aspect of human nature is the ability to pair themselves into social groups. When staying alive it is not just the responsibility of the individual, but other members of the species that help the individual to survive, and vice versa. This implies that human beings are dependent of each other (Chazan, 1998). The purpose of a social group is often dictated by how well it serves to promote the survival of the other members.
In the case of people with the same background, the individuals make are usually real changes to the feelings and behavior as a result of interactions with others that are perceived to be similar and desirable. According to the psychological principles, people regulate their beliefs with respect to others to whom they usually feel similar to attain an expected balance. The individuals also are said to be influenced by the majority, that is when an individuals social group that is large enough holds a particular attitude, this is likely to affect an individual in one way or another in his efforts to adjust to the environment (Wright, 1994). Additionally, an individual can change his mind according to an opinion that is due to an influence of another person believed to be an expert on the matters that are being handled. This modifies a human behavior in one way or another.
Humans have the most complex society than any other animal in the planet Earth. This is because we extend our self-preservation beyond the personal physical survival. We live in the extremely independent and complex societies where people band together in groups for basically mutual aid and protection. Such groups include families, friendships, associations, tribes, clans, and states or nations. These individuals benefit by supporting each other and the group, because the group reciprocates by supporting the individual. This is the reason for the protection offered unconditionally to the member of a certain group or location. Humans in the process have developed societies that go beyond the needs of the present (Chazan, 1998). For example, in the case of food and water, if the future is uncertain about their existence, to safeguard the future needs there is to be a way to transport the present resources into the future in a way that is not perishable. Efforts are made by the members of a group to help in the survival of the group in the future in a way that is acknowledged later (Chazan, 1998). This brings an aspect of safeguarding interests for the benefit of the group.
Humans differ in the way they posses their self control, this is understood as being a subset of emotional intelligence. Here, a person may be intelligent yet he is still unmotivated to decide certain tasks. This is natural and common to all individuals in a way that an individual has to be boosted to be able to handle the motivation. A reward either tangible or intangible that is offered after a person has done an action will most definitely boost the morel of the individual.
In the everyday life, there are occurrences that are both within an individuals control and those that are beyond the control of them. Therefore, people have to make choices and decisions about the situations that occur in our everyday lives. The reasons why people make such decisions are diverse. Some are complex whereas some are simple. These decisions may have an impact or no impact on the individual life (Wright, 1994). Many of the simple decisions people make do not require much thought and some can even be reached without awareness of the mind. This is the major reason as to why people tend to take other issues more seriously than others, though they all require the involvement of the mind.
Another aspect about human behavior is that human beings are driven by reasons and emotions. Humans are resourceful and evaluative as they strive to capitalize on their own interests. Therefore, an individual interest can converge or diverge from the interests of an organization or group. In addition to that, it has been recognized that humans are driven by emotions that can be accorded with rational behavior e.g. when fear evokes caution in the face of danger. Emotions can also be odd with rational behavior e.g. when pain avoidance leads to an unwillingness to tackle difficult decisions. This therefore means that all in some circumstances the behavior of human beings is affected by the circumstances they are in (Wright, 1994).
In the case of the human sexual behavior, many kinds of activities that are engaged by human beings are generally governed by the social rules that are culturally specific and vary widely. These rules are known as the morality and norms of the sexual behavior. These norms and morals relate to issues including deception, legality, fidelity, and consent. Some of these are known as sex crimes in some locations while in other locations they are not. This brings about the difference in the way people perceive issues relating to sex.
The law of natural selection also plays an important role in the human behavior. By applying this law to the general ecological and social environment on the primate man, certain specific predictions on the behavioral tendencies are derived. It is suggested that discrimination may be derived from the primitive territorial behavior but that nationalism may have little connection with the territory (Wright, 1994). Therefore, individual from different territorial groupings may view others as inferior due to nationalism and self identity. On other hand, the attitudes of the adolescents are also derived from the biological and the social factors. Consequently, the adult attitudes for the teenagers sometimes appear to have a genetic bias (Wright, 1994). All these cases are as a result of the difference in the status of both individuals.
There has been the behavior of humans to control and depend on one another. An example is about the parents and their children. Here, babies learn to cry for them to control their parents, this evokes the responses that are based on the fundamental habits in their parents (Chazan, 1998). For the children the mastery of the adulthood environment is their strongest incentives to learn to speak, and later to read and write. On the other hand, parents dominate their children through the obsession of the habits to them of either affectionate independence or fear while the husbands on the other hand tend to control their wives. Because of fear of loosing economic support, wives comply and they resort to sympathy (Wright, 1994). This shows how people in the family relate with one another.
There is the issue of the influence of conformity, power and authority within the humans.
Conformity is expressed when an individual shows a particular opinion or behavior with an aim of fitting in a given situation and in order to meet the expectations of another, though he does not necessarily have in possession of that opinion or does not believe that the opinion is appropriate. On the other hand, power is that ability to force a particular way through the control of the outcomes. And finally, authority is that power that is believed to be rather legitimate by those that are subject to it. Therefore, human beings have the tendency of fighting for the power, conformity and authority in the society where they live. This gives them an exclusive behavior that they dominate above other higher primates.
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