Factors affecting your behaviour

Objective: To identify and explain how genetics and environment can affect your growth and development.

Key Terms-Find out the definitions for the

following words. Nature Nurture Sociology Social Class Socialisation Secure Attachment Insecure Attachment Cognitive Development Bereavement Bullying Unfair Discrimination

What makes us who we are???

The genes that I inherited from my parents

Influences from my environment Parents Friends and Family School Media Out social position Other influences

From your homework last week.

You looked different disorders from the DSM-IV. Do you think your disorder is nature or nurture? Why?

Case Study
Jane is 45 years old and has a syndrome called Munchausen by proxy, this means that she fabricates/induces illnesses through other people. In most cases this is through children. Her daughter Sarah has diabetes and throughout her life she has been in and out of hospital being hypo, hyper or lack of food. Sarah is now 16 years old and has Munchausen Syndrome . There have been a number of occasions when Sarah has been admitted to hospital. This is because she is injecting too much insulin, or not injecting enough. Her other symptoms are: Vomiting Intake of Poison Fainting & Fitting. Manipulating her medication has major affects on her diabetes and has been admitted on to the Intensive Care Unit on many occasions. This could be because she likes to be within the hospital environment.

Questions to Consider
Is this

Nature or Nurture? Are we aware of the history of the Mother? Is it an external stimulus or genetics? Does she have Munchausen Syndrome because of her Mum (genetics) or developed a pattern of behaviour? Or is there a genetic disposition to Munchausen?

Why do people have problems?

Types of Problem Problems that may result from genetic or biological factors Problems that result from an accident or single event Examples Syndromes such as Down Syndrome Schizophrenia Autism and Dyslexia Brain damage following a road traffic accident Cerebral Palsy Post Traumatic Stress Many Mental health problems: Low self esteem; depression. Slow cognitive development, delayed language

Problems that result from environmental factors

Environmental Influences
Focuses on how our behaviour could be shaped by the influences that come from our environment. Placed into two categories
Psychologists- the focus is on the person as an individual, they look at the influence of early experiences and early socialisation

Sociologists- these focus on the influences that arise from our membership of certain groups within society. E.g. Gender, Social Class and Ethnic Group. These groups within society influence our behaviour

Nurture - Our Early Experiences

A lot of psychology is based around the idea that our first relationships are essential for future relationships in our lives.
Psychodynamic Theory - Freud Argued that the bond between mother and baby is essential for future relationships. Mothers were said to have maternal instinct that fathers and other relatives do not have. This has influenced practice in maternity hospitals how? Why might the research evidence be contradictory? Why is a warm, caring environment important for a childs development?

Nurture Early Experiences and Language/Cognitive Development

As well as building relationships parents and carers also provide children with stimulation and models to help communicate and develop a language. Conduct some research into cognitive/language development in children. Include: The stages an infant/child goes through. How a parent/carer can help language to develop. What are the causes of a delay in language development?

Later Experiences
Psychologists have been criticised for the emphasis that is placed on early years, which often leads a lack of attention being paid to later experiences.

Bereavement separation and loss.

People deal with bereavement and loss in different ways. Find out what typical stages people go through.

Insights from Sociology

Sociologists do not try to describe or explain behaviour or how it is affected. It uses the social groups within society to enable them to analyse and explain the issues. You know the links between gender, social class and ethnicity which will help you for the sociology side. One thing that care practitioners will need to bare in mind is that they work with an individual service user, so they will need to know about the social group they belong to in order to provide the effective care. As humans we are likely to be subject to many experiences that are similar to others. The environment that we live can shape the way that we are as individuals. E.g. the way in which you bring up your children. The question that is left for sociologists to answer is are the life experiences and influences, attitudes or ways of behaving which are common within the group different to some extent from another group?

How could this affect your behaviour?

How can a care practitioner bring positive change?

Create a poster that gives information of how care practitioners can bring a positive change to service users that have been subject to factors that affect their behaviour. Think of the CVB New Experiences

Questions
Explain why most care practitioners focus on the influences that come from peoples environment, rather than those that come from their genetic makeup? Which environmental influences would be of interest to a sociologist? Write down three key points you have learnt about bonding. Explain how early experiences may be important in language and cognitive development. Describe, in your own words, the stages a person goes through following a bereavement.

Answers
1 Most practitioners focus on the influences that come from peoples environment rather than on those that come from their genetic make-up, because the latter cannot be changed. Environmental influences, such as the experiences their service users will have, may be altered. 2 A psychologist would be interested in the experiences of the service users as individuals, such as their early experiences, early socialisation and other things that happen to them within their lives. A sociologist would be interested in the sort of influences that arise because of service users membership of certain groups within society, e.g. gender, social class and ethnic groups. 3 Students might have said: attachment to a parent or carer; early experiences are important for emotional development; or evidence on bonding is contradictory. 4 Early experiences provide stimulation and models to help children communicate. Play gives opportunities for a childs environment to be explored. This means they develop thinking skills. 5 Following bereavement, a person goes through shock and disbelief, then a longing for the person who has died, and perhaps denial. This leads to a period of deep sadness and, finally, the pain and sadness will start to fade.

Check your understanding

1 Explain what is meant by naturenurture influences on our lives. 2 Give two examples of genetic factors and two examples of environmental influences. 3 Define what is meant by cognitive development. 4 Explain how children who have missed out in earlier years may still progress well. 5 Read the case study about Jemma (page 249). Explain how she has been affected by bullying or unfair discrimination. 6 List the different ways, other than gender, age and ethnic group, that sociologists might group people. 7 Explain what the most important experiences are that care practitioners can offer to their service users.