What is the behavior?

We explain what behavior is and what types of behaviors exist. What factors regulate it and its role in the adaptation of the individual.

1. What is the behavior?

Behavior refers to the behavior of people . In the field of psychology it is understood that behavior is the expression of the particularities of the subjects, that is, the manifestation of personality . That is why the concept refers to the visible and external factors of individuals.

It is understood that there are three factors that regulate or influence behavior, these are:

• End. First the end. It is from the objective of behavior that behavior acquires meaning and gives rise to an interpretation.
• Motivation . In the second place is motivation, that is to say that behavior has something that mobilizes it.
• Causality. The conduct also possesses or occurs for a particular cause.

It is also considered that there are two more elements that direct behavior, they are the elements of society and the environment , and the biological elements.

• Elements of the environment. In the first case, reference is made to the environment in which the subject is immersed, both in relation to the physical and social environment, including the institutions that comprise it. In other words, reference is made only to external factors.
• Biological elements. Linked to genetic issues that are determinants in the biological process . In other words, they have an internal character. In addition you can add other factors such as food or months of gestation in the womb. That is why the basis of human behavior is related both to the psychological and the physiological part of people, in a complementary way.

It is understood that people have different behaviors, defining in this case behavior as a reaction. The diversity of behaviors is due to the fact that individuals want different purposes , are in different circumstances and are different as people. In this way it is exposed that the behavior responds to the end, the stimulus and the precise moment in which the subject is.

2. Behavior as an adaptation tool

The behavior is in turn a tool that allows the individual to adapt to the environment in which he is immersed. That is why there are behaviors of different kinds:

• Reflexes. They are automatic behaviors that are very simple since they represent the response to a given stimulus.
• Intelligence. It is another type of behavior that is very difficult to analyze and understand and also presents great changes.
• Unconscious behaviors. They respond to an adaptation to the situation very quickly, without necessarily knowing the reasons that move the subjects in this case.
• Adaptive behaviors They are used by individuals to be able to insert themselves socially. For this they require learning , motivations and memory .
• Communicative behavior It is expressed through language , whether oral, written, signed, etc.

3. Behavioral psychology

The  behaviorism is one of the most important trends of psychology. It is supported by the philosophy of praxis. This current understands that behaviors must be analyzed in a scientific way , integrating planes such as emotional, motor, cognitive and sensory.

For this, it raises three moments of the process:

• the behaviorism itself,
• the analysis of the behavior through experience,
• The structure of behavior.