Explanation of Human Behavior Essay

Psychology is a vast field that studies the behavior of a person. Because of psychology there is a better understanding of the disorders people may be affected by, the choices people make, and even the sexuality of the human race is understood by psychology. How psychology came to be, is a question that I had asked myself in the past. When researchers chose to directly observe psychological events, such as timed reactions, 130 years ago, psychology emerged into a scientific field of its own. The first psychological lab was created in 1879 by Wilhelm Wandr. Since the field of psychology was originally developed by Caucasian males, many beliefs were biased. As the field of psychology has grown, so has the diversity involved in psychological study; leaving us with more accurate understanding. As I happened to mention earlier, psychology is a vast field. This leaves room for many different perspectives. There are three primary perspectives with several sub-fields of psychology. First there is the biological perspective which includes biopsychology and evolutionary psychology. Second, is the psychological perspective that includes behaviorism, cognitive psychology, the psycho-dynamic approach, and humanism. The third perspective of psychology is the sociocultural perspective. Together, these three perspectives and their sub-fields have helped in advancing knowledge in the field. A long standing debate in the field of psychology is the effect of nature and nurture on a person’s behavioral development. I feel that both are equally important factors in how a person behaves. Some people are born with psychological disorders, but their upbringing helps them live a comfortable life without being controlled by their disorder. Others grow up in a bad environment that brings out the worst of their disorders. There are some people who aren’t born with psychological disorders, but develop some over time due to their upbringing. For example, I was born without any  abnormalities and was completely healthy. Unfortunately I was born into a family of addiction and violence. As a child I was sexually, physically, and emotionally abused. As a result of this abuse I suffered from depression and even now as an adult, many of my choices are influenced by the environment I grew in. I do feel that a lot of personal choices are in our own control, though. Another example, though I was raised in the type of family I was raised in, I chose to be better. I chose to break the pattern of addiction and abuse and become a better person. I know other people who grew up in the same situation as me, and they choose to follow the path and they choose to carry a grudge that the world owes them something. I feel there are too many factors involved in behavior for it to be caused by only one perspective. Reference Mitterer, & Coon. Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior with Concept Maps and Reviews (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Cengage Learning.