Self-Help and Self-Management
UNDERSTANDING YOUR OWN BEHAVIOUR
HOW YOUR NEEDS INFLUENCE YOUR BEHAVIOUR
Musings of a Veteran
By
VIKRAM KARVE
NEEDS DRIVE YOUR BEHAVIOUR
You see a man driving his car very fast – quite recklessly and dangerously.
You wonder why he is doing so – why is he behaving in this reckless way...?
Well – there can be many reasons for his behaviour.
1. Maybe – He is driving fast to experience a sense of thrill
(to satisfy his need for excitement).
2. Or – He may be driving fast to save time
(to satisfy his need for urgency)
3. Or maybe – he is driving fast to reach his destination on time
(to satisfy his need for punctuality)
Thus – the same behaviour or action may have different motives – depending on the need you want to satisfy – at that point of time.
This is one simple example – but all your behaviour is governed by your intrinsic motivation to satisfy your needs.
Motivation is a psychological drive that arouses you to act in a certain way – to achieve your desired goal – which is – the satisfaction of your needs.
Thus – motivation is the psychological driving force that stimulates goal directed behaviour towards your desired goal.
Remember:
Your desired goal is the “satisfaction of your need”
For example – hunger is a motivation that elicits a desire to eat and satisfies your need for food – or – at a very basic level – your need for survival.
SIXTEEN (16) BASIC NEEDS THAT INFLUENCE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
According to Professor Steven Reiss – there are 16 basic desires (16 psychological needs) that guide nearly all human behaviour.
Here is the list of 16 basic needs that influence your behaviour (in alphabetical order):
1. Acceptance – the need for approval
2. Curiosity – the need to learn
3. Eating – the need for food
4. Family – the need to raise children
5. Honour – the need to be loyal – to the traditional values of your country/clan/religion/ethnic group/profession/society
6. Idealism – the need for social justice
7. Independence – the need for individuality
8. Order – the need for organization – for organized, stable, predictable environments
9. Physical Activity – the need for exercise
10. Power – the need for influence of will
11. Romance – the need for sex – and for beauty
12. Saving – the need to collect
13. Social Contact – the need friends (peer relationships)
14. Social Status – the need for social significance (importance in society or at the workplace)
15. Tranquility – the need to be safe, secure and protected
16. Vengeance – the need to strike back – to retaliate – to take revenge – for perceived injustice – against persons/organisations who you feel have caused harm to you.
PROCESS OF MOTIVATED BEHAVIOUR
Of course – as you will realise – this list is not all encompassing – and there are so many other needs that influence your behaviour.
Some of these “needs” are tangible – and some “needs” are intangible.
Why do you behave in the way you do...?
You behave in a certain way to satisfy your needs.
FOUR STEP BEHAVIOUR PATTERN
The process of human behaviour can be summarized in four steps:
1. A need is aroused within you
2. You behave in a way to satisfy the need
3. The need is satisfied
4. You relax
SIMPLE EXAMPLE OF NEED MOTIVATED BEHAVIOUR
Let me give you a very simple example.
1. You feel Hungry (the need to Eat is aroused in you)
2. You Eat Food (this may entail related behaviour like cooking/ordering/going to restaurant etc)
3. Your Hunger is Satiated (need is satisfied)
4. You Relax
Well – this is a very simplistic example – but – you have a choice of responses to satisfy your hunger – you can choose either to cook, order or eat out – and you can also choose the type of food to eat.
You may behave in different ways depending on the situation – and – of course – different people will behave in different ways to satisfy their hunger ( someone may even steal food).
For other more intricate needs – the behaviour may be more complex too.
HUMAN BEHAVIOUR IS “NEED MOTIVATED”, “VALUE DRIVEN” and “SITUATION SPECIFIC”
You have seen how it is your needs – that influence your behaviour.
The way in which you behave to satisfy your needs – it depends on your values, attitude and mindset – at that point of time in your life.
Yes – it is your values and mindset which will influence you to behave in a “certain way” to satisfy your needs in a given situation.
Your behaviour is value-driven and situation-specific.
For example – the “need for romance” will be satisfied by different persons each in their own unique way – depending on their values and the situation.
Some may satisfy their need for romance by indulging in platonic love – whereas others may resort to physical sex.
Nowadays – some lonely people find it easy to satisfy their “need for romance” via online relationships.
It is best to try and satisfy your needs to the extent feasible – because – from the moment a need is aroused – till it is satisfied – you will be in a state of tension – which will “motivate” your behaviour.
Yes – during the period between “need arousal” and “need satisfaction” you will experience a sense of tension – a condition of unrest or uneasiness – which will propel you to behave in a certain way.
Once the need is satisfied – you will relax.
Needs can be immediate, short term or long term.
When you cannot satisfy a “need” – you will experience feelings of “frustration”.
HOW FRUSTRATION AFFECTS YOUR BEHAVIOUR
(ADAPTIVE and MALADAPTIVE RESPONSES)
The degree of your frustration will be related to the magnitude of the unsatisfied need.
Your frustration will affect your behaviour and may cause you to behave in different ways.
You may find a new and acceptable way of reducing or substituting the (unsatisfied) need – in order to make it attainable (adaptive response)
Or – you may continue futile efforts to achieve the unattainable need (maladaptive response)
One of the typical maladaptive responses to “frustration” is “aggression”.
Another maladaptive response is to go into “depression” or indulge in negative activities like “alcohol/drug abuse”.
I have seen many individuals turn to alcohol when their need for success was frustrated.
CONCLUSION
Dear Reader:
Reflect on your own behaviour in the past few days (or recall some of your own memorable behavioural disasters/fiascos or some curious behaviour you may have witnessed).
Explore the dynamics between your needs and your behaviour.
Is there a connection between your values and mindset – and way you behaved in certain situations...?
Your “needs” influence your behaviour
Do you agree...?
Please comment and let us know.
Whenever you behave in a certain way – introspect and analyse:
Which was the “need” that drove you to behave in that particular way...?
Do you want to change your behaviour...?
Remember – the key to changing your behaviour is to work on changing your needs.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
1. These are my personal views. Please use your own due diligence because they may or may not work for you.
2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. All examples and tips are illustrative in nature. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
This a revised and updated version of my article first posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2013 by me, Vikram Karve, in my blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve (
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