Psychology

My belief is that human beings are good, free, and linked to fellow human beings and other forms of life. I also believe that every individual is unique in hisher own way and has a special place in the world, therefore everyone deserves to be respected and accepted the way they are. Humans through their intelligence invent and discover tools and processes that make their lives comfortable. My belief that humans are good creatures is considered as a tool that enables me understands the real meaning and purpose of life. My life encounters together with the beliefs are in constant interaction and influences one another. I tend to view other humans in a positive manner and I expect them to do the same for me. This results in a friendly atmosphere in my interaction. Although I belief that humans are free, they are not really free owing to some limitations in life. These limitations can be too much to an extent where a person can lose their freedom.

Limitations of freedom can be as a result of social and cultural practices, race, and also restriction which may be imposed on us through previous experiences. If we fail to asses, evaluate, and change some of these limitations, they are likely to limit our lives. Apart from limitations, every individual has a potential. Although restriction may bog us down, we always have numerous options, and we are not able to exhaust all our potentials (Erikson, 1994).

Personal beliefs about behavior change
Behavior can be defined as the actions or reactions exhibited by a person or an animal in reaction towards internal and external stimuli. It can also mean ways by which living things responds to their environment. Human behavior is influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, rapport, hypnosis, and genetics among other things. Behavior can fall under different categories which may include normal and abnormal (Feldman, Olds,  Papalia, 2008).

There exist some forms of intrinsic behaviors which people are borne with. These behaviors may be reflective of their parents behavior. Much of a childs behavior is as a result of their surrounding and the people around them (Oswalt, 2008). This means that behavior is learned through observations. When a child is still very young, there are behaviors which they are likely to learn, for example, a child will learn that they will only be carried or fed when they start crying and as a result whenever they feel tired of sleeping or hungry, they will cry (Erikson, 1994).

As the child continues growing, they will start exhibiting some behaviors which can be associated with the people around them or children whom they go to school with. In a school setting, a child will be exposed to many different people who also behave differently. This is the period when the parents start noticing different behaviors. Development of these behaviors is reinforced by support from either parent of fellow classmates. If a parent disapproves a childs behavior heshe will learn that it is bad, but when they are praised they will continue nurturing this kind of behavior (Feldman, Olds,  Papalia, 2008).

From disapproval or approval of a character in a child, the personality of a child develops. At this point they can either be obedient or disobedient by exhibiting behaviors which are not accepted within the society. Behaviors are also driven by the urge to satisfy our egos. A child who wants to be recognized as the cleverest by the parents or peers will start studying hard to attain the top position they want. In a nutshell, I can say that behavior is nurtured through observation and learning and also through approval.

The theory I believe in
I am a strong believer of Erik Erikssons theory. According to this theory, there are some intrinsic characters which are inborn and mostly they are temperament traits. Other characters which a person exhibits are learned, based on challenges and support we get as we grow up. He believed that at birth, ego is present and the behavior exhibited is not as a result of defense. Erik Erikson also explored the influence our culture has on our behaviors, concluded that external factors have much influence in shaping our behaviors (Harder, 2002).

In this theory, the process of development is determined by the interaction of the persons body, mind, and cultural practices. Erik divided life into eight stages which ranges from birth to death. Adulthood constitutes the highest percentage of someones life it is further divided into three subdivisions (Feldman, Olds,  Papalia, 2008). The first stage of development is oral sensory stage because at this stage the infant takes everything to the mouth.  Here much emphasis is put on the contact between the mother and the child. If a child passes this stage of development trusting the mother, then they grow knowing that life is good, but if the trust is not attained by failure to satisfy the needs of the child, a child grows with hatred towards the world and do not trust any one (Slater, 2006).

The second stage is autonomous vs. shame. At this stage the child develops the basic skills from observation. Skills such as feeding, walking and talking are also learned. Self esteem and autonomy develops at this stage as well as gaining control over ourselves, learning new skills and knowing to differentiate between what is right and wrong (Erikson, 1994). A child is very vulnerable at this stage and may feel ashamed and doubt their potentials if they fail to learn the basic skills. In the subsequent stages, the child then learns through copying the people around them.    

Application of theory to self
This theory applies truly to my life experience. It is true that there are characters which are inborn while others are learned in the process of development. When I look at myself today, I can appreciate that most of my behaviors depict my mothers behavior. My mother is a disciplinarian and I too because I copied all these from her. I was the first born and I saw all my siblings born and grow into adulthood. I treat my daughter quite similar to how my mother treated us. Failure to learn some basic things can make a child feel worthless, a shamed, and doubt their capabilities. As I started going to school, I did not believe that there are other children who can defeat me in class and therefore whenever I was defeated I felt useless and doubted my believe that I was clever. In such occasions I could starve myself because I thought that I do not deserve it.

Reflection on the theory
Erik Ericksons theory on development is quite comprehensive and straight forward. It touches on every stage of development. It appreciates humans as being unique but also accepts that behavior is influenced by cultures and environment where one lives. It also shows that failure to develop some basic skills or trust in people around can lead to defiant behaviors and hatred.