Prof. K S Chandrasekar
Human behavior is the potential and expressed capacity (mentally, physically, and socially) of human individuals or groups to respond to internal and external stimuli throughout their life. A study on human behavior has revealed that 90% of the population can be classified into four basic personality types: Optimistic, Pessimistic, Trusting and Envious. Optimistic person believes that good things will happen and is generally hopeful about the future. They tend to see opportunities and potential in situations. Pessimists tend to anticipate negative outcomes. They may focus on the potential for things to go wrong and are often more concerned with avoiding bad situations. Trusting person is characterized by their willingness to cooperate and collaborate with others. They are less concerned with winning or losing and more focused on working together for mutual benefit. Envious individuals are primarily concerned with how they compare to others. They may feel unhappy when others experience success and may even find satisfaction in the misfortune of others. However, the latter of the four types, Envious, is the most common, with 30% compared to 20% for each of the other groups
Factors that influence behaviour are Situational – personal comfort, stress levels, work satisfaction, Historical – family background, events in life, culture, personal history, Developmental – midlife changes, new roles – marriage, children, etc. and Dispositional – intelligence, other aspects of personality. In order to find whether a person is glass hall full or glass half empty, certain questions need to be asked which include expecting the best or worst outcome, outlook affecting your motivation, trust and faith in people, expect the best, if something can go wrong, will it influence a person and whether good things happen to a person. Optimism is the overall view that the world is a great place and that things will turn out ok. The optimist believes (for example) that events will turn out for the best, or that people are trustworthy. Most people are generally optimistic about things that have turned out well for them in the past, or about things that have good associations for them. People can also be optimistic about their internal lives and still pessimistic about external world events.
The Benefits of being Optimistic are Live longer, A 10 year study on elderly revealed those with a positive outlook not only live longer they’re also less likely to require permanent care. Optimists live roughly 8-10 years longer than pessimists. Beat Cancer, A 1 year follow up in a study on 101 French head and neck cancer patients found that optimistic people were less likely to die. Better Overall Health, An Australian study on 9501 women found optimistic people had greater overall health. The study used the SF-36 survey which measures overall vitality, mobility, pain and many other factors. Enjoy more love, It seems optimistic people were more hopeful about the future and were subsequently more constructive during relationship adversity. Career Success, A longitudinal study on MBA graduates revealed optimists found jobs more easily and were more likely to be promoted. Finally Less Stress, Numerous studies into the relationship between our outlook and mental health have demonstrated that being optimistic improves our overall wellbeing, stress included. Pessimism is essentially the direct opposite of optimism in that it is the belief that the world is a bad place and that things will turn out for the worse. One may be pessimistic, for example about the prospects of getting a new job, or about the partner forgiving you for an indiscretion. The idea of “Person-Environment Fit” was first theorized by Powell Lawton nearly 30 years ago. This concept suggests that it is the interaction between the abilities of an older adult and the environment in which they live that creates the conditions for overall well-being. Person-environment fit (PE fit) theory explores the relationship between a person’s characteristics and their environment. The theory suggests that a person can influence their environment, and that their environment can also affect them. The fitness between a person and their environment can affect their motivation and behavior. Sociologists emphasize that the personality of the individual develops in a social environment. It is in the social environment that he comes to have moral ideas, social attitudes and interests. This enables him to develop a social’ self which is another term for personality.
However, the environment plays a very important role in behaviour. Physical Environment includes the influence of climatic conditions of a particular area or country on man and his living. Social Environment is not the same everywhere. A child has his birth in society. He learns and lives there. Hence, the social environment has an important point in the personality development of the child. Family is the cradle of all social virtues. The first environment the child moves in is his home. Here the child meets his parents and other family members, his likes, dislikes, stereotypes about people, expectations of security and emotional responses all shaped in early childhood. The type of training and early childhood experiences received from the family play an important role in the development of personality. The cultural environment refers to certain cultural traditions, ideals, and values etc., which are accepted in a particular society. All these factors leave a permanent impression on the child’s personality. Schools play an important role in molding the personality of the children because a significant part of a child’s life is spent in school between the ages of 6 and 20 years. In school, the teacher substitutes for the parents. The school poses new problems to be solved, new taboos to be accepted into the superego and new models for imitation and identification, all of which contribute their share in molding personality. According to research, people tend to be more satisfied and comfortable, less depressed and irritable, and more likely to report beneficial effects on their self-esteem in environments that they perceive emphasize the human relationship dimensions. Hence it is imperative that the younger generation in Jammu and Kashmir understand these aspects while growing so that they become a personality who values time, respects people and overall people around them always feel optimistic. School education can change and can become a harbinger of better things to come.
(The author is Vice Chancellor, Cluster University of Jammu)
