Psychology of behavior

To begin with, behavioral psychology is basically interested in how our behavior results from the stimuli both in the environment and within ourselves. There are different theories developed by psychologists like Freud, Erikson and Maslow. There are many psychologists, so it is almost impossible to tell something about all of them. Thus, I would like to focus on some theories with divergent views about how to explain human behavior.

Firstly, biological basis can influence treatment. Behavior, which can vary from driving a car to making a difficult mathematical exercise, depends on various processes in the human body. The relation between these processes is regulated by the nervous system.

Secondly, like other social species, humans live in groups and depend on one another for survival. The most basic requirement of a social group is that of mutual beneficence -- members of the group must coordinate their actions so that they help one another more than they harm one another -one for all and all for one. And there are many aspects, which help us to do it. For instance, social emotions. Natural selection has provided us with mechanisms that serve to attract us to the social group and to help us coordinate our behaviors with those of others in the group. To a great extent, these mechanisms produce emotional states in us. Emotional expression can communicate important information to other group members, and such communication is likely to help those others coordinate their behavior so as to serve the needs of the emotional individual and the group. For example:

• Sadness is a cry for help. If the individual is still valued by the group, then expressions of sadness should elicit helping behavior from other group members.
• Expressions of love signal that one is receptive to intimacy.
• Anger warns others that their behavior is offensive and should be changed.
• Happiness communicates one’s pleasure with the company of others.

Smiling is very interesting for me, because several studies of persons in natural settings have shown that people only smile when they are around others. We may sometimes be happy when we are alone, but apparently we only smile when we are with others.

Other factor, which influences person’s behavior is social pressure. At any given moment, there are likely to be several forces that are pushing you towards or away from particular courses of action. Those forces that come from other persons or from your beliefs about other persons are referred to as social pressure. Theory proposed that a person is like a piece of iron floating in a world where it is influenced to move in various directions by electromagnetic forces from different sources. As a simple example, consider your decision to come to class today. Some forces work to push you towards coming to class, such as your desire to learn psychology and your belief that your parents would be disappointed if you flunked the class. Other forces may push toward different, incompatible goals. For example, your sleep-deprived body may be pushing you towards just staying in bed and going back to sleep, forces from some of your friends may be pushing you towards getting up and going fishing with them, and so on.

I want to emphasize that behavior occurs either for the individual, or in the context of a group and there are many factors, which can influence treatment and how a person will behave depend on environment, biological factors, cognitive processes et cetera.

Psychology studies at Mykolas Romeris university and McGill university

Comparing Mykolas Romeris university with McGill university I wuold like to review some issue which are intresting for me and useful for students who are thinking, which university is better for him or her. In my opinion both universities are good, but which university is better for yuo depend on your wihes. Firstly, I woold like to focus on McGill university.
McGill University is located in downtown Montreal, a cosmopolitan city with diverse linguistic and cultural groups. McGill is an English-language institution with a long and distinguished history in Quebec and Canada. The Department of Psychology is one of the oldest and best known in North America. The department enjoys extensive professional ties with other institutions in Montreal, including English and French universities, schools, hospitals, and social service centres.
Why do students from over 150 countries come to McGill?
Their reputation is built on strong academics. McGill's 21 faculties and professional schools offer programs in some 300 areas of study.
Their outstanding faculty bring the latest research directly to their students.
The name McGill sparks recognition worldwide and our graduates are prominent in every field of endeavour.
Their international reputation for teaching and research attracts the best and the brightest students and faculty from around the world.
The Department of Psychology offers two full-time, research-intensive graduate program tracks, ultimately leading to a PhD: a program in Experimental Psychology and a program in Clinical Psychology.
The primary objective of the graduate program is to provide an environment in which students develop skills and expertise that will aid them during a professional teaching, research, and possibly clinical career. Success in the program depends up on a student's ability to self manage, organize and use available time and resources provided by the department. In the clinical program there is a substantial course load during the first two years, after which the emphasis shifts to research and professional training.
The Department of Psychology at McGill University is among the oldest in the world.

In comparison, Mykolas Romeris University is a modern and dynamic University seeking to have a well-established position in European higher education. The mission of the University is to educate young people, to amass and nourish intellectual potential, and to train leaders of society capable of creating and implementing innovations, which influence the overall scientific, cultural and technological progress of society.
Mykolas Romeris University fosters autonomy. This allows to independently tailor the content of studies and areas of research, while applying the latest management principles to improve and change one’s activities, taking into account contemporary European higher education development tendencies and the needs of the labour market.
Bachelor’s degree in Psychology offered by the Department of Psychology at Mykolas Romeris University. It gives students a comprehensive general coverage of the central topics of psychology. Courses provide students with the knowledge of research, theories, and their applications in psychology. The programme also gives an opportunity for some specialization through the optional courses. Students of psychology become sought-after professionals due to their ability to understand human behavior, collect, analyze, and interpret data, master statistics and experimental design. They also develop the competences to apply gained knowledge in pursuing their personal and professional goals. The primary mission of Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology is to provide a quality education prepares students to enter a broad range of careers in psychology and related fields.

References:

1. http://www.mruni.eu/en/index.php

2. http://www.psych.mcgill.ca/