Your theories on human behavior | INFJ Forum

Your theories on human behavior

Gaze

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Sep 5, 2009
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What are your own theories based experience, observation, or study on how we behave, why, and how. This is your chance to create and share your theories about trends in human thought and behavior. Please avoid negative comments, prejudice, stereotypes, or insults. Feel free to call me on this if I do the same. :)
 
I make use of:
Operant conditioning (also called "instrumental conditioning") is a type of learning in which the strength of a behavior is modified by the behavior's consequences, such as reward or punishment.

If you want to be rewarded, you will follow instructions.
 
What are your own theories based experience, observation, or study on how we behave, why, and how. This is your chance to create and share your theories about trends in human thought and behavior. Please avoid negative comments, prejudice, stereotypes, or insults. Feel free to call me on this if I do the same. :)

I think we (humans) are a highly evolved intelligent ape like creature. But that is probably just a very superficial explanation of who/what we are. I think the full truth maybe quite stunning, and beyond our current comprehension.

It's a mystery. But I feel ok with that, and I think when we accept our mortality, we can at least do some good things to make the journey for ourselves and others better. I dislike the "survival of the fittest/dog eat dog" explanation of life. It's crude and over simplistic.

It's not what Darwin, truly meant to say. He understood there was great complexity, and symbiotic relationships at work. I can't explain human behaviour, but I think we do seem to possess, a great aptitude for communication and collaboration. I hope that bodes well for us.
 
Its a very abstract question so my answer is going to be a bit abstract.
I like how Pin simply said its all about the reward. We act the way we act because we are hoping to obtain a pleasure of some sort. For each individual person it will vary what they experience most pleasure from so their actions will automatically be different from other peoples actions. Thats where personality typing in conjuction with psychology comes into play. It can help a person understand why they may be doing the things they are doing and then objectively asses if their actions will fulfill their deepest needs. As a personal example, I would say INFJ's find themselves being very attracted to learning theoretical concepts, (and this is because of our dominant function of introverted intuition)so therefore we will often find ourselves researching, discussing and contemplating all sorts of deep topics about life.
I do beleive that majority of our actions are not really so intentional and we are pretty much being controlled by forces outside of ourselves which we have limited control over. At the same time we still do take much pride in our ability to autonomously choose what we would like to do.
So I would say that it boils down to how nature has programmed us to be as well as how well we were nurtured in the area of practicing our own independance in choices.
 
Everything you know and understand is likely to be more wrong than it is right.
Madness is everywhere.
There are no rules,
yet we remain.
Mysterious.
 
Wow. This thread definitely cought my attention. :blush: Don't know how to answer, though, since my thoughts exploded all over the place. I try to catch some of those anyway.

First of all. I'm a huge supporter of the importance of the environment. Even though we have our inborn temperaments or preferred ways to react in certain situations - mbti can be included in this category - the environment and experiences shape individuals in certain direction. How you see yourself, what do you think are your strenghts and weaknesses, that's a reflection of the feedback from the world surrounding you. Different things become important or preferred in different contexts. That has an significant impact on our upbringing, learning and behaviour.

Another thing is mbti and other personality systems, which are based on trait theories. I think that these have more to do with first reactions and emotions than to conscious behaviour or capabilities. One cannot use mbti type as an excuse for certain behaviour. Of course, for example, whether you are introverted or extroverted affects on how comfortable you feel in different kinds of social settings. But it isn't either-or deal. That's why I'm very sceptical about the use mbti in career choice guidance or as a recruitment tool.

I'll probably come back to this later.:smiley:
 
We have idea about the way things should 'look' but life doesn't always work out according to plan. We should really become more broadminded as we get older and experience teaches us that the 'norm' is really just one version of events.
 
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Well, people ar-

Please avoid negative comments, prejudice, stereotypes, or insults.

...aw.
 
I would say, it is completely mind game, some plays without knowing, some having good/ evil intentions. But the most important part is knowing your behaviors well and overwrite it with the necessary instructions for the necessity. It can be easy to decode yourself but hard to overwrite the thoughts. Having sharp awareness and long active practices one can grow this successful habit aka Psychological/ Mind Theory.
 
tumblr_nf40zaz7rK1tl21beo1_1280.jpg
 
People are unique in all ways.



And,
Some people are crazy :p
 
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I would say, it is completely mind game, some plays without knowing, some having good/ evil intentions. But the most important part is knowing your behaviors well and overwrite it with the necessary instructions for the necessity. It can be easy to decode yourself but hard to overwrite the thoughts. Having sharp awareness and long active practices one can grow this successful habit aka Psychological/ Mind Theory.

Boom! Roy my man!

"It can be easy to decode yourself but hard to overwrite your thoughts."

The very train of thought I've been on for months. Thanks Roy. Awesome insight.

So...obviously I agree with Roy on that point, but not everyone gets to that point, of looking inward and THEN looking inward. Realising one's own processes, looking to disregard unwanted parts - but then hoping you have the motivation and stamina to re-write. But I digress.

For me Human behaviour is simple and it's complex. Pin was right about actions for reward. We instill that into our children at a very early age, learned behaviour. And from that, a lot of predictability in behaviour can be gleaned.

LittleLissa mentioned maturing as you get older, broadening horizons etc. Spot on. Every day is a school day. Just when you think you are content, the world changes and you have to adapt. I say world, but that could be your inner world also.

Getting older should be getting wiser, and if you're not then you're missing the complexities. Clearly I'm speaking from my own experiences and observations like the thread asks. I believe environment is crucial in early development, and some can sadly hamper the growth of mind. But it can still be overcome by inner reflection and action like Roy alluded to.

My thoughts on "how" we behave is this - either selfishly or altruistically. The tendency to choose either is down to the individual, their environment, their development, their education, their motives. The list is long. I suppose what I'm trying to say is there are an infinite combination of factors, different for everyone, which highlight the complexity. My belief is that most people want to behave altruistically, it's the default position, the inner moral code of an evolved species.

The "why" for me, is to become the best that you can be. Whether that's the "best" evil or "best" good (again down to the individual's motives).
 
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Beautiful, despicable, tragic, sad, unforgettable, hopeless...

I've started to sort of develop a weird view on human nature all together, one that is pretty far removed then what I thought as a child, teenager, and now a young man, and it's been ind of difficult, painful, surprisingly, and painful all at the same time. It's hard for me still at this point to say if anything for certain; though part of me thinks that as a whole, perhaps humanity had to lose peace to find it all over again, and that is the task that we've been given and burdened with...
 
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Im sorry but is this not obvious to everyone?
 
Is this a serious quote? Did she really say that because I know she is an entertainer but one of her songs makes fun of people who say she has nothing in her head. She's got stuff in her head but I don't think she should want it if it's cra p like that.