Author: mzj53

Our everyday lives are shaped by different reinforcements and punishments that help to determine our behavior, a learning process known as operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is when one forms an association between behaviors and the results they produce. Sometimes these results are consequences, but they can also include rewards. Additionally, these results can come from both positive and negative behaviors. Events that increase these behaviors are known as reinforcers. Positive reinforcement is when a desirables stimulus is added to increase behaviors, such as receiving candy or getting paid. On the other hand, negative reinforcement is removing a negative stimulus to increase behavior, which can include cleaning a room to stop someone’s complaining or turning off an alarm clock to make the sound stop. Rather than being strengthened, behavior can also be diminished with punishment. Positive punishment is when an aversive stimulus is given, while negative punishment is when a desirable stimulus is removed. An example of positive punishment is when one is given a fine for speeding or touching a hot stove and getting burned. Negative punishment can include having privileges taken away, such as going out with friends or playing video games. Behaviors that are rewarded are likely to recur, while behaviors that have negative outcomes are likely to stop. I understood that this was the case after looking at an experience with my niece. 

When my niece was born, she was a relatively quiet kid. However, when she reached her toddler years, she began to act out and became louder. She would constantly yell, fight, and make big scenes in public. When she was around 2 years old, she would jump across the couch or beds. But, one time she fell off and had to go to the hospital because of how bad she hit her head. After she healed, she never jumped on the couch again. This act demonstrated positive punishment, since her behavior became good after receiving an aversive stimulus (getting hurt). My niece also used to hit her sisters all of the time, but after not receiving snacks anytime she hit them, she stopped hitting them and would hug them instead. Her behavior here, demonstrated negative punishment since her behavior increased after having a desirable stimulus removed (snacks). My niece never liked vegetables, but she wouldn’t be allowed to leave the dinner table until eating a few bites of them. One time at dinner she wasn’t allowed to play with her sisters until she finished her carrots. She took a few bites and then was allowed to get up. Negative reinforcement is shown her since she was removing a negative stimulus (vegetables) by eating her vegetables, which increased her behavior (playing with her sisters). Recently, anytime my niece would behave well for the day, my family would give her a treat, which ultimately made her act well most of the time. This demonstrates positive reinforcement, since her good behavior is being reinforced by a desirable stimulus (a treat). Ultimately, all of these can be shown as operant conditioning because they demonstrate how my niece’s behavior changed after being faced with rewards and negative consequences. 

There are several perspectives that help make up modern psychology today. One of these perspectives, the psychodynamic perspective, can be understood as an approach that focuses on the interactions of drives and experiences, or, in other words, nature vs. nurture. This concept not only helps one to understand how our childhood experiences have influenced our behavior and feelings as we get older, but also where certain psychological problems may have rooted from. There are three parts that make up our personality: id, superego, and ego. Id can be understood as our innate personality traits and our instincts to seek pleasure, but avoid pain. Superego is the constraints and morals placed upon someone by society or parents, or the “rules” we have to follow. Ego helps to negotiate between id and superego and reflects in the decisions that we make.

Personally, looking at this perspective helps me to understand why I have a calm disposition, while my brother has a more intense temperament. As a kid, I struggled with speech and hearing problems, so I was always being tended to by my mother and received more attention. This meant that I received my natural instinct for love and protection, while my brother was neglected. Furthermore, after my father left, my brother explained that he began to feel a sense of betrayal and that he wasn’t wanted by my father. However, since I was still pretty young and was receiving somewhat more attention from my mother, it didn’t affect me as much, which is why I still have a relaxed temperament. To put it simply, my brother’s id seeked attention and love, but his superego received neglect and parental rejection. As a result, his ego created a way for him to deal with this by influencing bad behavior and creating a defense mechanism where he can’t build close relationships with people now. Although this was this case when he was younger, my brother’s disposition was able to change after finally meeting someone who could fill the void in his superego. Ultimately, our personalities and development are heavily influenced by how we are treated in early childhood and the influences from society or our parents.