Psychologists play an important role in society
Psychologists play an important role in society since they strive to modify people’s thoughts and program them in a specific dimension. The study of psychology is founded on several ideas, the combination of which aids these professionals in their daily tasks. Attribution, cognitive dissonance, self-perception, Schemata, and behavior theories are some of the fundamental theories of psychology. However, before employing these ideas, psychologists must first determine their application areas. The primary goal of this research is to establish a common factor of the HCAP model and explore how it might be applied in one of the several psychological theories. The one common factor of HCAP that this paper discusses is the attitude and links it to the behavior theory. The rationale behind the choice of this psychological theory and its relevance in the social sphere is also discussed within the paper.
Theory and HCAP Factor
The study of psychology has tremendously transformed in the recent past. The dynamicity of the current times has forced psychologists to adapt to changes in the political, social and economic spheres (Burke, Joseph, Pasick, & Barker, 2009). Consequently, these professionals strive to find the best set of theories that can best help in assessing the current issues faced by their clients. The HCAP presents a set of factors that are useful in the study of human psychology. This model strives to find solutions to the various challenges in life while promoting change and improving the overall quality of life. The main goal of the High Capacity (HCAP) model is to achieve well-being and resilience. Consequently, the key concepts of this model include optimism, attitude, social interests, motivation, the manner of life, holistic manner, and purposeful behavior. A common feature of this model is that it takes the holistic approach that accounts for the mind and body rather than ascribing to the reductionist approach to behavior and personality. This paper assesses the behavior theories and the attitude factor of the HCAP model and explains the manner in which they can be employed simultaneously to achieve the desired outcome.
Review of Factors
The success of the high capacity model depends on how a scholar uses its factors. While the HCAP model presents many factors that may provide numerous solutions, a psychologist must assess the various aspects of these concepts and identify a given theory that can be applied concurrently. Attitude is a common factor that acts as the lens in which the other HCAP traits are displayed (Siev, 2009). Attitude refers to the relatively enduring composition of feelings, beliefs, and behavioral tendencies that an individual possesses towards people, events, objects, and groups that they deem as socially significant (Bohner & Dickel, 2011). An individual’s attitude has several implications on the ways in which he or she interacts with the colleagues and peers. Attitude can be a measure in which psychologists can utilize to evaluate human behavior basing on an individual’s degree of favor and disfavor (Oldham, 2012). The other factors that strongly relate to attitude include the manner of life, social interests, and motivation.
The structure of an attitude
The structure of an attitude can be described basing on three components namely behavior, cognitive, and affective components (Bohner & Dickel, 2011). The latter aspect of attitude involves a persons’ perception or emotion regarding a given object. The conative or behavioral component dictates the manner in which attitude relates to how people behave. Lastly, the cognitive aspect involves the knowledge or belief that a person has in connection to a particular attitude object.
The evaluation of the strength of an individual’s attitude
The evaluation of the strength of an individual’s attitude is of extreme relevance to the study of psychology (Oldham, 2012). Different persons have varying degrees of attitude on various objects. In counselling psychology, a professional first identifies the attitude object before proceeding on with the other processes of counselling (Bohner & Dickel, 2011). The psychologists then relate a persons’ attitude to the object before proceeding with the identification of the strength of the HCAP trait. There exists a solid relationship between the strength of a person’s attitude and their behavior (Oldham, 2012). If the attitude of an individual is strong, the behavior will be greatly affected. Consequently, the identification of the various factors of attitude strength assists in the evaluation of how attitude affects other HPAC traits.
Personal relevance and knowledge
Personal relevance and knowledge are some of the underlying factors that impact on the strength and nature of an individual’s attitude (Oldham, 2012). Personal relevance, also referred to as importance, is the relationship between the significance of a person’s attitude and his or her values, self-identification, and self-interests. Knowledge, on the other hand, refers to the various degree of a person’s conception of a given attitude object (Siev, 2009). The people with much understanding and comprehension towards a given topic tend to develop a strong positive or negative attitude towards the subjects or objects.
Functions of Attitudes
Attitudes have several functions in people’s lives. This trait assists individuals in obtaining and retaining knowledge, thereby providing a meaning for life (Bohner & Dickel, 2011). Persons who have strong attitudes towards given subjects develop more interests, thereby making them more knowledgeable in the field. However, those who develop poor attitudes towards a given topic strive to forget the relevance of the topics in their lives, making them less informed. Attitudes assist individuals in predicting future occurrences. For instance, learning the attitude of an individual assists in the prediction of their behavior. Secondly, this trait assists individuals in communicating their identities and egos. Thirdly, attitude also functions as a tool for determining social acceptance. People can use their attitudes to adapt to any environment or fit in any social setting. Consequently, many individuals vary their attitudes towards different aspects to assist them to fit in any environment (Siev, 2009). Attitude is one of the most relevant factors of the HCAP model as it encompasses almost all of the other high capacity traits.
Behavior Theory
The behavior theory, commonly referred to as behaviorism, is one of the most important ideals that have gained popularity and wide application in the field of psychology. This theory attempts to explore, analyze and explain human behavior basing on an examination of the consequences and antecedents of an individual’s setting (Gavetti, 2012). Behavioral psychology utilizes the psychological approach to analyze people’s behaviors. The behavior theory, as applied in psychology, has several assumptions. First, behaviorists believe that the behavior of an individual dictates his or her social standing. Persons with excellent behaviors tend to hold high positions in society. The second assumption of this theory is that leadership and behavior go concurrently (Gavetti, 2012). Leaders are individuals with excellent behaviors, and all the guidelines used by these persons are based on morality rather than convenience. Thirdly, behaviorism is not concerned with internal events such as thinking but observable behaviors (Peterson, 2015). Psychologists also hold the assumption that stimuli are the causes of an individual’s behaviors and that it is simply a response to a given inducement. Lastly, behaviorism is a learnable process. People are neither born with a particular behavior nor acquire them through heredity (Gavetti, 2012). The surroundings of a person will determine the different ways in which they perceive different concepts, thereby shaping their behavior. An individual’s trait is a replica of their learning environment, role models, or the things that they are taught by their teachers, families, and other members of the community.
Different types of behaviorism
Different scholars have emerged with diverse types of behaviorism. However, behaviorism can either be considered as radical or methodological (Burke et al., 2009). Methodological behaviorism is whereby a person develops a particular behavior basing on a scheme of investigation. People tend to adopt behaviors that have been researched and deemed as socially acceptable (Peterson, 2015). Radical behaviorism, on the other hand, purports that people learn behaviors basing on a particular control trait. This control behavior acts as a point of reference for the process of learning a given trait.
Classes of the behavior theory
There exist different classes of the behavior theory, such as the behavior learning theory, operant conditioning, contiguity theory, and the classical conditioning theory (Gavetti, 2012). Operant conditioning refers to the evaluation of the magnitude of the results of behavior. This theory primarily deals with voluntary behaviors. The classical conditioning theory, on the other hand, refers to the tuning of the mindset of an individual to respond to diverse life aspects differently. This behavior theory was first experimented by Pavlov and his dog while studying the digestive system of these animals (Gavetti, 2012). The classical conditioning theory finds wide application in the classroom atmosphere where educators teach their students to develop different responses to specific situations. This theory satisfies the assumption of behaviorism that states that behaviors are learned and not acquired through heredity. The Contiguity behavior theory proposes that there exists a strong connection between stimulus and responses (Peterson, 2015). For instance, hard work and consistency can be linked to success. Lastly, the behavioral learning theory explores the concept of knowledge acquisition in different educational settings. This theory strives to provide the relationship that exists between the process of learning and a person’s behavior from the psychological dimension.
Applications of Behavior Theory
The behavior theory has a wide scope of application. This theory is majorly utilized in leadership to explain the mannerisms in which individuals in leadership positions should conduct themselves when dealing with their colleagues (Siev, 2009). In psychology, the trait theory has wide application in counseling. The main philosophy of behavior theory is that patients play a crucial role in the change of behavior; change can happen without tracing the cause of the behavior, the treatment is different for every client’s specific behavior (Barclay, 2013). The behavior theory is the most suitable psychological concept that can be employed in the analysis of the different traits of the HCAP model.
Use of Attitude in the Behavior Theory
The discussion of attitude might be deemed as incomplete without the mention of the word “behavior.” Attitude and behavior have several common traits. Psychologists that use behavior as a control trait for defining and evaluating an individual’s attitude towards an object tend to get positive results (Siev, 2009). The best approach in evaluating the use of attitude in the behavior theory is to examine the described types of behavior theory differently.
The operant conditioning learning theory
The operant conditioning learning theory has a close relationship with an individual’s attitude. Educators and learning psychologists can employ a positive attitude to inflict positive behavior in an individual (Siev, 2009). Varying attitude can be employed in operant conditioning to attain a particular desired behavior.
Attitude and the behavioral learning theory
One of the primary functions of attitude is that it enhances knowledge acquisition. While the behavioral learning theory explores the idea of knowledge acquisition in different educational atmospheres, a psychologist can employ attitude to enhance knowledge retention (Peterson, 2015). This HCAP factor will aid in the development of interests in different topics, thereby advancing the course of the behavioral learning theory.
Attitude and classical conditioning theory
Attitude has significant influences on the conditioning of the behaviors of people and propagating a culture in which they associate different situations with a given event. A person’s attitude determines their urge to conceptualize a given phenomenon (Gavetti, 2012). The classical conditioning theory proposes that a person must first learn the different phenomenon before determining the mannerisms of relating to them. Positive attitude facilitates the process of the mannerisms of connecting a phenomenon to the expected response, thereby enhancing the success of operant conditioning.
Attitude and the development of behaviors
A person’s response to a given object dictates their attitudes towards them. Whenever the stimulus is unpleasant, humans will develop negative feelings and beliefs (Siev, 2009). Consequently, a person will have a negative attitude towards the stimulating factor. The same response occurs in behaviorism. The negative attitude that a person develops towards a given factor incites the development of a given behavior that might be unpleasant, as the person will be connecting the stimulus with the consequences (Siev, 2009). The contrary occurs with the positive attitude towards a given stimulus. For instance, whenever a person works hard and succeeds, positive attitude will be developed towards hard work, and the individual will develop a behavior of hard work and diligence with the hope of succeeding.
Conclusion
In summary, the dynamic world presents different psychological challenges in which psychologists must strive to solve by the use of different theories and professional techniques. There exists a myriad of psychological theories that are at the disposal of a professional. However, the choice of the different techniques determines their applicability and the magnitude of their success. One of the most outstanding theories utilized not only in psychology but also in other academic fields is Behavior Theory. This paper successfully analyzes the relationship that exists between this theory and a common high capacity model’s factor. Attitude was the selected HCAP trait due to its strong connection with this theory. The link between attitude and the behavior theory first manifests in its definition. This HCAP model factor refers to the relatively enduring composition of feelings, beliefs, and behavioral tendencies that an individual possesses towards people, events, objects, and groups that they deem as socially significant. Therefore, attitude is widely applied in the analysis of the different behavior aspects in the trait theory.
References
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Gavetti, G. (2012). PERSPECTIVE—Toward a behavioral theory of strategy. Organization Science, 23(1), 267-285.
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Peterson, R. B. (2015). Beyond A Behavioral Theory. Negotiation Journal, 31(4), 505-508.
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