Arousal, Behavior, Stress, and Affect Worksheet

Physiological and Psychological needs

The concept of human needs arose from the very early beliefs and concepts about the set points of the human body. Claude Bernard hypothesized about the phenomena of a stable internal environment or set points of the human body and many of the vital human functions related to it, such as the amount of water, food and various nutrients (Deckers, 2010). Walter Cannon termed such constant state of the human body as homeostasis.

Need has been defined as a state of deprivation (Rathus, 2013). Physiological need is any disturbance from inside or outside the body which creates a discrepancy between the set points and the standard physiological states (Deckers, 2010). The human beings must meet the physiological needs in order to survive. They include hunger or thirst needs; needs for pain avoidance, proper temperature or elimination of waste products. For instance, we develop the physiological need of food or water when we have not drunk or eaten in a while (Rathus, 2013).

Any disturbance to the psychological states of human beings gives rise to the need which known as psychological need. Among a very large variety of such needs; autonomy, achievement, power and belongingness can be some of the examples (Rathus, 2013). In comparison with the physiological needs, the psychological ones are not material in nature (Deckers, 2010). Psychological needs can be acquired throughout our lives. For example, we acquire the need for achievement and social belonging in the early stages of our lives (Rathus, 2013).

Arousal and Behavior; It's Impact on Performance and Affect

Arousal precedes the behavior and is characterized as an intensified physiological or psychological state (Perkins, et al. 2000). Arousal mobilizes and activates the energy preparing the organism for any behavior or during it (Deckers, 2010). Organisms can be aroused physically or psychologically. Whatever the motive is both kinds of arousal accompany behavior. It either is the background which affects the efficiency of the behavior or the foreground which is an affective experience (Deckers, 2010).

It has been hypothesized that arousal acts as a mediator or intervening factor in various behaviors. Whether the arousal state is low or high, it acts likewise on the behavior (Bell, et al. 2001). Interpretation of arousal also has a significant impact on our behaviors. For instance, if someone attributes the arousal to one's own anger then he/she can react with hostility towards the ...