Individual behaviour can be defined as a mix of responses to external and internal stimuli. It is the way a person reacts in different situations and the way someone expresses different emotions like anger, happiness, love, etc.
Individual Behavior Framework
Based on these elements, psychologist Kurt Lewin stated the Field theory and outlined the behaviour framework. This psychological theory studies the patterns of interaction between an individual and the environment. The theory is expressed using the formula
B = F(P,E)
where, B – Behavior, F – Behavior Function, P – Person, and E – Environment around the person.
For example, a well-paid person who loses his job in a recession may behave differently when unemployed.
Causes of Individual Behavior
Certain individual characteristics are responsible for the way a person behaves in daily life situations as well as reacts to any emergency situations. These characteristics are categorized as:
Inherited characteristics
Learned characteristics
(i) Inherited Characteristics
The features individuals acquire from their parents or from their forefathers have inherited characteristics. In other words, the gifted features an individual possesses by birth are considered inherited characteristics.
The following features are considered inherited characteristics:
Colour of a person’s eye
Religion/Race of a person
The shape of the nose
Shape of earlobes
(ii) Learned Characteristics
Nobody learns everything by birth. First,, our school is our home, then our society followed by our educational institutions. The characteristics an individual acquires by observing, practising and learning from others and the surroundings are known as learned characteristics.
It consists of the following features:
Perception: Result of different senses like feeling, hearing etc.
Values: Influences perception of a situation, and decision-making process.
Personality: Patterns of thinking, feeling, understanding and behaving.
Attitude: Positive or negative attitude like expressing one’s thoughts.
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