Individual differences |
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Human behavior is the collection of behaviors exhibited by human beings and influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics.
Behavior should not be mistaken with social behavior, which is more advanced action, as social behavior is behavior specifically directed at other people. The acceptability of behavior is evaluated relative to social norms and regulated by various means of social control.
In 1970, a book was published called "The Social Contract: A Personal Inquiry into the Evolutionary Sources of Order and Disorder" written by the anthropologist Robert Ardrey. The book and study investigated animal behavior (Ethology) and then compared human behavior as a similar phenomenon.
Curiously "human behavior" is not a term in the APA thesaurus.
Factors affecting human behavior[edit | edit source]
- Attitude – It is the degree to which the person has a favourable or unfavourable evaluation of the behaviour in question.
- Social Norms – This is the influence of social pressure that is perceived by the individual (normative beliefs) to perform or not perform a certain behaviour.
- Perceived Behavioural Control – This is the individual’s belief concerning how easy or difficult performing the behaviour will be.