Human Behavior and Human NeedsGrade 12 Family Studies

Before we start …Statistics about herpes:

1 in every 5 people in the adolescent and adult population is infected

90% are unaware they have been infectedWhen getting tested you have to be your own

advocate.Couple nearly divorces over herpes scare.

Human BehaviorHuman Behavior - Bjork

Human Behavior - Bjork“If you ever get close to a human and human

behavior be ready, be ready to get confused”“There’s definitely, definitely, definitely no

logic to human behavior but yet so, yet so irresistible”

“And there’s no map and a compass wouldn’t help at all”

Human BehaviorWhy do people behave the way they do?One explanation for our behavior is that we

are born with certain basic human needs. By becoming aware of these basic needs, we can begin to understand ourselves, our families, and others better.

Understanding Basic Human NeedsBasic needs are divided into physical /

physiological needs and psychological needs.Physical / Physiological Needs

Satisfying need for Food Water Air Shelter from elements Sleep Sex Exercise Activity

Physical / Physiological NeedsPhysiological needs are not hard to understand.

Eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, etc.But why do we eat when were are not hungry?

It must be to satisfy some other need.Example: You already ate lunch but a friend asks

you out for lunch so you eat again. The need to be with someone becomes the reason for eating instead of hunger. The need to be with other is considered to be a psychological need.

Psychological NeedsPsychological Needs

Satisfying need for Love Esteem Sense of worth Recognition Status New Experiences Approval from others

Understanding Basic Human NeedsPhysical and psychological needs vary from

person to person and may vary day to day.It is not always so easy to know what needs is

lacking and what need is being met which is why human behavior is so interesting.

Understanding Basic NeedsYour growing awareness of your own

psychological needs will help you to understand how other people are motivated by their needs and why they behave the way they do.

Examples of Basic NeedsSecurity Needs

Babies are totally helpless Get love and care from primary caregiver Learn to trust and feel secure

Importance of routines ComfortAdults sense of security can be destroyed by

unexpected changes Death of a loved one Loss of a job Break-up

Uncertainty = Loss of security

Harlow’s Study on AttachmentFood or Security?

Examples of Basic NeedsStructural Needs

Routines of daily living Get up Breakfast Go to school Period A, B Lunch Period C, D Home Dinner Sleep

Structure brings securityMore secure, more able to adapt to changes

Examples of Basic NeedsLove, Affection and Belonging

To be loved, to love others, to belong to a family or a group of people whom you love and who love you Infants Parents / Primary Caregivers Children Classmates / Teachers / Neighbors Adolescents Romantic relationships / Friends

Some who aren’t in romantic relationships may feel left out or like they are missing something.

We cannot be secure without love, Cannot have love without security.

Examples of Basic NeedsInteraction

Humans are social animalsWe need interaction.We also need others to help us make sense of

the world we live in.

Examples of Basic NeedsSelf-Esteem

The need to value yourself highly and to think of yourself as a worthwhile person

Low self-esteem may lead to fear of change and depression

Examples of Basic NeedsMastery and Achievement

Achievement of goalsMastering a skill helps to become independent

from others Example: A child mastering the use of a spoon and

fork allows that child to eat independently

Examples of Basic NeedsStimulating, Challenging and New

ExperiencesWe do not like to be bored. We need variety.Expanding your horizons.Pushing toward new and interesting

accomplishments. Example: Children who are physically cared for but

aren’t played with or given toys (basically put in cribs or beds left to stare at their sheets) are unlikely to survive or will have developmental impairments.

Examples of Basic NeedsRespect and Admiration

Feeling valuedIncreases self-respectFlattery or false admiration can be damaging.

Only give honest / valuable feedback.

Understanding Basic Human NeedsNeeds motivate our behavior.Which needs are most important?Which needs motivate behavior most

strongly?

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human NeedsAbraham Maslow proposed that all people

are motivated by their basic needs which he categorized into 5 levels.PhysicalSafety and Security Deficiency NeedsLove

Esteem Growth NeedsSelf-Actualization

Maslow’s HierarchyPhysical NeedsSafety and Security

Safety includes law and order (police, government) as well as security and structure that we get from gaining trust of our primary caregivers as infants.

LoveEsteemSelf-Actualization

Growing to your fullest potential. Becoming everything you can be. Curiosity, Exploration, Mastery, Achievement

According to Maslow, can only be achieved as an adult.

Maslow’s HierarchyAlthough the needs are organized into a

hierarchy and you may not be able to move on to a higher level if the lower more basic needs are not met, there are no real boundaries between the levels.Example: A man and his wife break up. He

feels the need to master the guitar to be able to express his lost feelings of love.

How do we know how to satisfy our basic needs?

Learned BehaviorMost behavior is learned through interactions

with the environment, especially the people we come into contact with most frequently during the early years of life.

Some responses are not learned and are based on our genetic make-up or our heredity.Reflexes are one example.

i.e. Rooting and sucking behavior of infants allows them to drink breast milk; Blinking protects your eyes from flying objects; Pulling hand away from a hot pot prevents you from being burned

Learned BehaviorLearning theorists believe that learning takes

place through a process of associations or connections in which the learner connects good feelings with behavior that brings a reward or reinforcements. The person repeats the behavior in the future.

Learned BehaviorWe won’t go much further into learned

behavior theories, however, this is an example of the concept of “delayed gratification”.

Marshmallow Test

QuestionsAnswer the questions I have provided you on

loose-leaf.Print neatly please. Full sentences.

Thoughtful responses.Hand in to white bucket when finished.I will be calling up individuals I still need to

see regarding practicum placements.