Biological Level
Humans are complex beings whose behavior depends on many factors. They can be divided into three main levels, which are the basis for analyzing behavioral reactions and their causes. The first of these is biological, the essence of which is the brain’s response to various bodily signals. It includes genetics and heredity, chemical processes, and neural structures that affect actions (Passer et al., 2016). The biological level is significant for a psychologist because it allows to establish the root causes of certain conduct and understand the functions of the nervous, hormonal, and immune systems.
Psychological Level
The next level is psychological, which focuses on thoughts, feelings, and motivation. Personality constructs associated with individual characteristics determine reactions to situations – an optimistic or pessimistic view of things, the level of awareness of one’s destiny. Based on the formed attitude, the subject chooses a certain behavioral strategy. The psychological level is particularly relevant as it allows for determining certain properties that can make a person more vulnerable to the effects of a certain range of stressors (Passer et al., 2016). They are associated, in particular, with the loss of control over the situation, personal self-esteem, or inability to achieve ambitious goals.
Environmental/Social level
The environmental and social level is responsible for the person’s current physical and social setting, specific stimuli, and cultural habits. Social conditions should be analyzed in the context of interaction, following individual needs and values. Social mediation significantly impacts the formation of personality, basic attitudes, and behavior patterns (Passer et al., 2016). Understanding the mechanisms of inter influence is a prerequisite for ensuring the effectiveness of psychological programs. It is essential to remark that it is connected with other levels, and only their integrity can provide a comprehensive picture of human behavior.
Attitudes to Studying and Learning
I dedicated a huge amount of time to my education, but I had no significant results or accomplishments. When I started to explore the three levels of behavior analysis, I was finally to apply them and improve my progress in my learning. Thus, research on the biological level enabled me to realize how the brain functions. For example, through brain research, I have found that our brains cannot perform many tasks at once in a quality way (The University of Queensland, 2021). Additionally, I read that the flow of information and heavy pressure on the brain is not conducive to the high-quality assimilation of knowledge. Therefore, I focused on one process in the future, which let me enjoy studying and obtain excellent grades. At the same time, my approach towards learning changed because understanding the principles of the brain allowed me to gradually learn new data (The University of Queensland, 2021). Consequently, the opportunity to achieve good grades with a minimum of work has motivated me and changed my attitude to education for the better.
It is significant to mention that previously I could not push myself to have an improved attitude to learning and receive better grades, which put me in a depressive state. Although investigating the psychological level, I noticed that I was not motivated. For example, I received disapproving responses to assignments, and my mood became pessimistic. Now I understand that motivation, spirits, and thoughts are connected; therefore, I started thinking positively and searching for inspiration (The University of Queensland, 2021). As a result, I found a source of motivation in sports, which gave me the ability to control my emotions and taught me not to project one failure into my entire learning process.
Moreover, my friends were not interested in acquiring new knowledge and in the prospect of successfully applying it. That is why they tried to convince me that learning was not an essential skill when we went out together. Collectively, the depressing thoughts, the words of friends, and the absence of results after a long period of preparation led me to believe their arguments. However, after analyzing the social level probably influencing my attitude towards learning, I realized that the environment has a huge impact. For example, I constantly observed how friends procrastinated and thought this was normal, which would not interfere with receiving high results in the study (Fagan, 2019). Therefore, now I try to communicate with well-rounded people, which helps me continually develop and enjoy learning. Thus, understanding all three factors affecting my attitude to study let me be passionate about the learning process, gain a good experience at the university, and maintain my mental health.
References
Fagan, A. (2019). 6 common causes of procrastination: The roots of procrastination are more complex than you might guess. Psychology Today. Web.
Passer, M. W., Smith, R. E., & Norris, K. (2016). The science of psychology. In T. Grifflin (Ed.), The individual in society (3rd ed, pp. 5-34). McGraw-Hill.
The University of Queensland. (2021). Science-based tips to improve learning. Web.