Behavioral and Social/Cognitive Approaches

Behavioral and Social/Cognitive Approaches

Introduction

Habit is defined as a behavioral pattern that is acquired by frequently repeating psychological exposure that shows itself in regular or increased performance (MerriamWebster Dictionary Online, 2011). It is also described as a learnt behavior that becomes nearly, or in some cases, completely involuntary. There has been high debate of approaches of formation. The behavioral and social/cognitive theories of habit formation are the most significant and highly regarded approaches in understanding the habit formation. From a psychological perspective, habit is a fixed way of feeling, thinking and willing which is acquired due to previous behavior. Social/cognitive theories on habit formation are gaining enormous support. According to the social/cognitive theory, habit is behavior that is repeated so much that it becomes less enacted by purposeful and intentional thinking.

Analyze one of your habits. How did you develop this habit? Were there role models for this habit? Which people influenced the adoption of this habit?

My urge for checking out my Facebook profile has become so high that I think it has become my habit to log in, every time I open a browser. Be it home, or any other place, I log on to facebook without any purposeful thought. This has become such a bad habit that I even tend to log in facebook in school. When I started using facebook a few years back, I loved it and kept using for hours.

Usually, our brain is designed to search for new patterns always. However, once a particular action is repeated with high frequency, it becomes hard to teach an “old dog”. Not necessarily, there were role models for my habit. There were certain people who in some way or the other influenced adopting this behavior. Direct impact is not necessary; a mere observation is usually enough.

Why do you continue it? Has there been a time when you have attempted to break this habit?

Neural pathways that are repeatedly followed and used tend do me dominant and stronger. It becomes difficult to have purposeful and intentional decisions before conducting such behavior. I maintain this habit of checking facebook whenever I try to surf the internet. I open facebook on the first page, and use second tab for more purposeful searches. I continue it, only because I cannot help it. I can not hold myself conducting this behavior. Changing a habit is very difficult. In case, it becomes almost impossible to change. Some people try lifetime to quit a bad habit, few may succeed, others may not. There is no scientific evidence to prove that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit (Layton, 2013).

I have never attempted to break this habit. Most of the time, I realize that I have done something unintentional after I log on to facebook. Sometimes I get irritated by the situation as if I do not have control over my actions. So sometimes, people tell us their own view of changing habits, we do not feel appreciating ...