Behavioral and Social-Cognitive Approaches to Forming Habits

Behavioral and Social/Cognitive Approaches to Forming Habits PSY/250 Behavioral and Social/Cognitive Approaches to Forming Habits Habit is defined as â€Å"an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary† (Dictionary. com, n. d. ). Most people have some sort of habit that they have acquired or learned throughout their life. Some are as non-noticeable and as simple as looking both ways before crossing a street or roadway. We are taught this at an early age for safety purposes, but to us, it is just a normal â€Å"it makes sense† act that we practice probably every day. Some individuals learn habits from a young age; other habits can form once an individual gets older and makes their own decisions. Forming a habit can come from many role models or witnessed behavior. For example, if an infant cries or upset, usually they are comforted by food or soothing from the mother. At this point, the infant recognizes that a particular act receives a particular reward. This is an example of behavioral approach to a habit. If the infant cries, it gets rewarded with milk and soothing. Since the child only knows how to communicate by crying, this is how the child lets the parent know that they are in need of something, in some cases, just in need of attention. Another approach is the observational learning in which people learn to do something without actually performing it (Krapp, 2005). It can also be termed as social/cognitive approach. An example of this would be a child witnessing a sport on television. They see the actions play out with the team, and go out and â€Å"reenact† what they saw even though they have never played the game. The child does not necessarily know the rules of the game, but the basic tools and concept of the game. Bandura claims that people are more apt to copy behavior that leads to a positive outcome (Krapp, 2005). However, some individuals have habits that can have a negative and possibly deadly outcome. For example, drug and alcohol habits have the possibility to become deadly. Most individuals are aware that those particular habits are not healthy for them, but they are attracted and tempted by the way those habits make them feel. Those habits are said to be diseases, but at what point are they a sickness? At first, I believe, that the â€Å"sicknesses† are habits and it is only until you try all means possible to quit, that it becomes a sickness. A habit can start by having a beer after a game, smoking a joint when you are stressed, or using some other sort of substance to make you feel better. At some point, one starts making excuses or reasons to continue the habit even if the original situation that made you start that habit, is not where the habit is taking place anymore. One of the habits that I have is biting my nails. From as far back as I remember, I have been biting my nails. I suppose I developed this habit by witnessing my father do the same thing. I can remember being a young child and seeing my father sitting on the couch with his hand in his mouth biting his nails. I do not remember the first time I did it, and I still continue this habit to this day. Actually while writing this paper, I find myself pausing and thinking and noticing that when I pause, my hand automatically goes in my mouth, and I start nibbling at my nails. I feel that I concentrate better when my hands are busy doing something. Whether it is biting my nails or twisting my hair, my hands are always doing something. I have attempted to quit this habit, and at this point, I am very unsuccessful. When I put acrylic nails on, I obviously do not bite my own nails, but I do find myself picking and messing with the nails that have been put on. Whether it is tapping my nails, or picking at my cuticles, I am constantly messing with them. By using the behavioral personality theory, I am not exactly sure why I have this habit. I do not get any sort of satisfaction from the habit or feel any sort of accomplishment. Writing about it now, I wonder why I continue such a habit if I am not getting anything out of it. The habit is not making me a better person, nor am I fulfilling some comfort issues. I continue this habit all the times and I find that it is not situational. I bite my nails when I am bored, and when I am busy, when I am nervous, and when I am excited. It is a constant habit that I continue daily, if not hourly. I can develop a plan to condition myself to quit the habit by making sure my hands are busy with something else. If my hands are busy, then I will not be able to put them in my mouth to bite my nails. I have also found that if my mouth is busy, with eating or chewing gum, then I will not bite my nails either. So at this point, the habit not only has something to do with my hands, but also it is an oral fixation. As far as the oral fixation and satisfaction, I do not feel as though I am getting anything out of it, but I continue, and most likely will continue the habit. In conclusion, every person has some sort of habit that stems from personal experience or observation. Many people have role models that have taught them this habit and will continue the habit until they are completely satisfied or the habit is replaced by another habit. References Website: www. dictionary. com, n. d. Cerutti and J. E. R. Staddon, Annual Review of Psychology. (Annual 2003), p115. Psychologists and Their Theories for Students, Ed. Kristine Krapp, Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2005. p39-66

Hudson River Dredging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Hudson River Dredging - Essay Example GE, along with supporters from a portion of the public, strongly opposed dredging as a cleanup option, stating that it was unnecessary since the river was eliminating the PCBs through natural means. However, in 2002 EPA initiated the dredging of two million cubic meters of sediment to remove an estimated 68,000 kilograms of PCBs from a 250-kilometer stretch of the upper Hudson. For the design and implementation of the dredging project, active public involvement was ensured by EPA2. The fish caught from the upper Hudson River were found to be contaminated with the 209 different chemical compounds of PCBs which accumulate in its fat tissues. Humans who consume contaminated fish increase their risk of cancer. Currently, PCB pollution is such that fishing for the purpose of human consumption is prohibited in the upper Hudson River, and permitted only to a limited extent downstream, by health advisories3. While cleaning the Hudson River through dredging and remediation are essential, the technological feasibility, the overall environmental benefits, the adverse impacts caused by hazardous waste from the operations, and the problems caused to nearby communities need to be taken into consideration. Thesis statement: The purpose of this paper is to discuss Hudson River dredging and remediation to remove PCBs; and to examine the environmental benefits and disadvantages resulting from the operations. The Hudson River in New York State is one of the best known examples of a large river system with widespread sediment contamination with PCBs. The upper forty miles of river will undergo cleaning operations, with 2.65 million cubic yards of sediment proposed to be removed. Cleanup has yet to begin, although dredging of 265,000 cubic yards from 94 acres is planned for the first year of dredging operations4. The United States federal government is compelled to address the problem of polychlorinated

The Controversy of Government Subsidized Student Loans Research Paper

The Controversy of Government Subsidized Student Loans - Research Paper Example Besides, students must fill the application of the loans in order to determine the persons who are in need if the loan and to what amount should the loan be of benefit to them. The following article, therefore, outlines the loans that the students receive and the benefits of the loans towards the students and the state. The essay also covers the controversy that arises as a result of the loans. The controversy is because the role of the loans does not materialize since most of the students are not capable of servicing their debts. There is the need of the lenders to find other ways to make sure that the whole perspective of supporting the higher learning education is successful. The reference list is a provision at the completion of the document. The instance is in a manner to authenticate the propositions therein. Student’s loans refer to aids that are in forms of funds that are given to students to be of assistance in paying their taxes, to buy books and to help in their living. The loans are very different from other loans since they have very low interest rates. The loans exist because most students do not have the capability of taking care of the tuition fees once they enroll in a higher learning institution. However, t5he students are repayable once a student completes his or her studies. If a student does not repay, there is mostly a cost to penalize the act in an instance of discouraging the same from happening. The main argument that arises is that not all students are capable of repaying the loans since not all the students tend to acquire job opportunities. Therefore, some of the penalties that the lender of the student loans imposes may not be enough reason to do against defaulters (Houck, 2008). From another perspective, the loans that the government lends to students tend to be a huge portion of the national budget. Besides, the education system is a continuous process that becomes a yearly expense.