Case Study on Human Behavior

Case 1: Prosocial Behavior 

Analysis of Behavior 

Who? 

The individual selected for this case study is one of my friends, who is a 22 year old male. The individual will be referred to as Ken within this report. I have known Ken for a period of more than 10 years after him and his family moved to my neighborhood. Me and Ken went to the same high school and college during which time I was able to know him better. Currently, Ken works for one of the local fast food joints as a teller. As part of subsidizing his income, Ken has taken up extra work with a local non-profit organization that deals with the homeless population in the community.

What? 

In my observation of Ken, I took note of the fact that he is very selfless in his bid to ensuring that he helps others. At times, the help that he offers to others often has detrimental effects on him considering that he often gives out his income from his employment at the fast food joint; thus, leaving him without any form of income. I would say that Ken shows altruism as one of the key behaviors that would help in describing him as an individual based on the concern that he places on others. An example can be seen from the fact that he would often seek to offer a helping hand to the elderly intending to cross the road arguing that this is part of what defines him from an individual perspective.

Where? 

I was able to observe Ken within different environments including his workplace environment as well as his home environment. In both environments, I took note of the fact that indeed Ken has a heart towards helping others considering that he would often seek to offer a helping hand in every situation. I focused my observation on the way in which Ken interacts with others within his immediate social environment and I was able to take note of the fact that indeed this he often guides others in a positive manner. In most cases, this meant that Ken would find himself in a situation where he would work extra hard when compared to some of the other individuals within his immediate environments.

When? 

I observed Ken for a period of 2 weeks during which time I was able to take note of everything that would suggest that indeed he believes in altruism. During this period, Ken showed a serious connection towards the idea of helping others, which would suggest that indeed he believed in the need for having to consider the wellness and welfare of others. Additionally, I was able to take note of his engagements with others where he would often seek to act as a source of hope and confidence for majority of the people that interacted with on a one-on-one basis. It was clear that his altruism behavior played a fundamental part towards defining him as an individual.

Why? 

The main reason for having to engage in a process of observing Ken during this period was because it would help in providing with a clear understanding of the main factors promoting him towards altruism. Additionally, this was important towards building on a standard through which to define how Ken would describe himself as an individual based on the concern that he raises towards others in his immediate social environment. Basically, this means that the observation was expected to justify that indeed Ken believes in altruism as one of the fundamental aspects that reflect on the basic standards through which to define the quality of his life.

How? 

The observation process involved having to follow Ken around within different environments, especially in his workplace and home environments. In some cases, I was able to record some of the interactions using a smartphone from where I would refer in defining the behavior that I found as being most prominent in the case of Ken. I believed in the fact that making a clear record of my observations would be of great value towards building an effective approach through which to determine whether Ken was showing a behavior that would be describe using a social theory.

Theory of Social Psychology 

The theory that would be of great value in explaining Ken’s behavior, as has been highlighted and discussed, is pro-social behavior. Jessor & Turbin (2016) define pro-social behavior as the intent to benefit others with the view being that this would be of great value to other members of the community or society. In the case of Ken, the fact that he shows altruism as one of his main behaviors suggests that he believes in the need for having to share, help, donate, and volunteer at any opportunity that he gets. It becomes clear that this would serve as one of the key determinants of his personality as an individual considering that it would be much more viable to build on a character that is reflective of his ability to help others in his immediate social environment.

Persons that show altruism are often motivated by empathy or by the concern that they hold about other’s welfare and rights while seeking to ensure that these welfare and rights are protected at all times (Ruci, van Allen, & Zelenski, 2018). The theory can be of great value in defining Ken’s behavior considering that he often shows the will allowing him to show concern towards others, especially when he believes that others’ rights and freedoms are not being protected. Additionally, Ken also focuses on the idea of having to show practical concern, which is reflective of his actions towards some of the homeless people that he interacts with within the non-profit organization. During the course of observation, it was clear that Ken believes it is within his expectations to buy food and clothing for some of the people regardless of the fact that he does not earn a lot of money.

From the observation of Ken’s behavior, it can noted that he does not engage in helping others with the expectation of acclamation or recognition. Batson, Ahmad, Lishner, & Tsang (2016) argue that persons showing pro-social behavior often help others purely based on concern rather while considering that they often believe it is within their responsibility to help others. In the case of Ken, this is evident from the fact that he has often been involved in acts of kindness that involve giving out everything that he has leaving himself to suffer. From his view, he believes that it is important for him to help others, as this would help towards improving the quality of life for the people that he interacts with as part of his everyday life.

Case 2: Social Comparison Theory 

Analysis of Behavior 

Who? 

In this case, the individual selected for the purpose of analyzing behavior is my sibling named Jane and who is a teenager aged 16years. Jane is currently pursuing her education and engages in various activities both in school and within the home environment. Being the second born in a family of four, Jane engages in taking care of her younger siblings during her free time and assists her mother with other house chores. In school Jane is considered a social student as she engages in discussions with the older students and the teachers on different issues concerning education and other extra-curricular activities. Within the home environment, Jane interacts with adults more that with the peers considering that she likes to engage in discussions with people considered to be more experienced. 

What? 

During my observations concerning her behaviors, I found out that Jane likes to interact with the elder students and with the teachers in a bid to learn more about different aspects concerning education and life in general. At home, Jane focuses on undertaking chores that are meant for the elder people, which would involve taking care of the younger siblings. In this case, Jane presents a behavior of upward comparison, which is represented in her day to day activities and interactions. The upward comparison behavior is depicted when she focuses on interacting with the elders and trying to imitate their behaviors in order to be like them. In my observations, Jane focused on the comparisons with the elders persons as a way of self-motivation and self-improvement. 

Where? 

The observation for the given behavior took place in different environments with the aim of identifying the appropriate nature of behavior perceived by the individual. Firstly, the observation took place within a home environment focusing on the interactions with the family members and with other peers. The second environment was in the school considering that Jane spend most of the time in school considering that she was focused on enhancing her educational performances. The two observations were appropriate considering that Jane’s life revolved around the two environments and therefore could portray the true nature of behaviors represented. 

When? 

The analysis of the behavior for this case took place in a one month in order to capitalize on effectiveness on the nature of behavior identified. The time taken was appropriate as it helped in ensuring that the behaviors are critically analyzed based on the given person identified for the case. During this time, I was in a position to take note of the key aspects of her behavior based on his engagements and interactions in order to have appropriate conclusions regarding her behavior. I focused on her social interactions focusing on factors that contributed to self-motivation and improvement in different aspects concerning her life and education. The time was appropriate considering that she was at a point in life when she focuses on peers and other people for motivation and advice. 

Why? 

The objective of the observation is to understand factors contributing to the nature of behaviors portrayed by an individual during her social interactions. The observations at the time were necessary in order to understand the underlying factors that influence the behaviors of Jane considering that she presented aspects that were not relatable compared to her peers. Additionally, understanding the human behavior is an important aspect during growth and development considering that it helps in understanding the issues relating to self-motivation and self-improvement. The observations relating to Jane’s behavior provided an avenue for understanding factors associated with the behavior of upward comparison among the teenagers. 

How? 

The process of the analysis of the behavior took place with the aim of understanding the overall human behavior in relation to their social interactions. The process involved monitoring of the interactions and character of Jane in relation to her peers in school and within the home environment. The process involved taking notes on the key aspects that concern the behaviors of social comparison focusing on the upward comparison considering the character presented by Jane. The analysis of the chosen behavior was appropriate for the report considering that it focuses on the social psychology, which is an aspect that helps in understanding the behavior of an individual in relation to different theories. 

Theory of Social Psychology 

The theory of social psychology that would be relevant in explaining Jane’s behavior is Social Comparison Theory. Social Comparison Theory maintains that an individual engages in comparisons with other people with the aim of determining their social and personal worth. According to Gerber, Wheeler, & Suls (2018), people tend to evaluate themselves based on different aspects that are perceived by other people who are considered better or worse to them. As part of the evaluations, people tend to compare their attitudes, behaviors, and character as a way of fostering self-improvement and motivation. Although social comparisons are inevitable at some point in life, it is important to note that there may be negative implications following extensive evaluations and comparisons. The implications associated with evaluation and comparisons may include promoting judgement and competition based on the nature of evaluation behavior perceived by an individual within a given case. 

In the case of Jane, the theory of social comparison can be implemented to describe the behavior based on the observations noted. According to Van de Ven (2017), people tend to compare themselves with people considered to have different attributes in order to evaluate personal life and behaviors based on that of others. The theory maintains that different factors results in the need for comparisons among different people. These factors may include negative feelings of dissatisfactions, guilt, or the need to be like other people in the society. In the case of Jane, the behavior of upward comparison is associated with the need for being like other people in the society who are considered to be better in terms of age, experience, and education. Jane engaged in interactions with the elder in order to act like them and be in a position to imitate their behaviors and character concerning various aspects. 

According to Zhang et al. (2017), social comparison may have different implications considering the nature of behavior presented. In the case of Jane, the major implication experienced involved the need to learn and become better. In that case, the intention of the upward comparison behavior was resulted to interacting with people considered better thereby leading to self-motivation and the enhancement of positive image in the society. Jane focused on ensuring that she created a positive image to her siblings by being a role model and engaging in activities that would otherwise be considered unfit for her age. The social comparison in this case contribute to making more efforts to ensure that one is in a position to obtain the desired qualities of the people considered better. 

Case 3: Social Identity Theory 

Analysis of Behavior 

Who? 

In this case, the individual selected for purposes of observation and behavior identification was one of my neighbors, who works as an online journalist and blogger. I will refer to the individual as John in this case study. Throughout his career as an online journalist, John has been involved in writing a wide array of articles focusing on governance, leadership, and business. In his view, John believes that his role as a journalist gives him the authority of having to conduct investigations for stories that he believes have not been emphasized in mainstream media. Basically, this means that the internet gives him a front through which to write a wide array on matters touching on the society today.

What? 

John spends up to 13 hours on the internet daily, which has resulted in him creating a virtual identity as part his approach to defining his personal expectations within the internet. From that perspective, it can be argued that a key behavior that John shows involves an intertwined identity considering that he seeks to balance between his physical and virtual identities. John believes in the fact that his physical identity does not have any connection to his virtual identity, which seeks to create a rather proactive framework through which to define his engagement within the different online platforms. That acts as a key challenge considering that John is often expected to divert from his personal identity when engaging within different online platforms.

Where? 

I was able to observe John in two specific environments. Firstly, I engage with John in his everyday life where I was able to learn more about his physical identity as an individual. The engagement with John also provided me with a clear understanding of the fact that indeed John loves leading a quiet lifestyle considering that rarely engages with others except for when he seeks to get a story for his blog. Secondly, I was able to follow John through different online platforms from where I was able to learn more about his virtual identity. John’s virtual identity serves as a key determinant of the fact that indeed he seeks to build on his capacity to deliver on a message that would resonate with his audience on the internet.

When? 

Taking into account that I engaged with John on two different platforms, I took a period of 1 week for each of the processes of engagement. During this period, I was able to build on a rather proactive platform through which to learn more about John’s personality considering that this would help in creating a profile touching on an intertwined identity. I focused much of my interactions on both platforms towards learning more about the existing similarities and differences that can be noted with regard to John’s identities. That was of great importance for me in trying to highlight exactly how John’s identities intertwined, which would be of great value towards building on a rather effective understanding of his personality as an individual.

Why? 

The main reason or having to embark on a process of observing John’s behavior was to try and determine the extent to which John’s identities would relate to the social identity theory. I sought to examine the extent to which John was building on his identities while seeking to create an understanding within which to determine whether indeed John has intertwined identities. Additionally, I also sought to engage in a process of having to examine John’s intertwined identities with the aim of having to understand the existing relationship between his physical and virtual identities.

How? 

The engagements and interactions with John were focused on both physical and virtual interactions. As has been indicated above, I was able to embark on a process of both physical and virtual interaction, which was expected to provide me with a clear basis through which to understand how John has been able to build on his personal identities. I embarked on a process of having to understand how John was able to balance between his physical and virtual identities while establishing a clear framework through which to ensure that each of his identities remains separate. I took note of every aspect associated with the interaction that I had with John as a way of highlighting how his identities have been intertwined.

Theory of Social Psychology 

From the analysis of John’s behavior with regard to his intertwined identities, it is clear that a theory that would be of great value in explaining the identities would be the social identity theory. Hogg (2016) takes note of the social identity theory as a theory that seeks to predict specific intergroup behaviors while considering the status of the group status differences. In the case of John, this can be seen from the fact that he seeks to embrace two different identities considering that he seeks to engage within two different group statuses. An example can be seen from the fact that he embraces the idea of using a virtual identity in his engagement through the internet.

The social identity theory builds its perception on the fact that people often consider their perceptions and engagements within different social groups to serve as key determinants of whether individuals would be able to modify their behaviors (Cannella Jr, Jones, & Withers, 2015). In other words, this means that individuals are often driven towards changing their respective behaviors depending on their social engagements and interaction. In the case of John, what is clear is that his personal social interactions cannot apply in his virtual interactions. That means that he is expected to embrace multiple identities that would seek to ensure that he maintains his connection to the different social environments within which he operates. While on the internet, he seeks to embrace his virtual identity that reflects more on the idea of having to create a standard platform through which to ensure that he builds on the expected levels of attachment.

Social identity theory builds on a standard through which to create a balance between continuum of interpersonal behavior and intergroup behaviour (Hogg, Abrams, & Brewer, 2017). That means that one’s social identity is defined by the immediate social environment in which one engages while ensuring that the behaviors are influenced in a manner that is reflective of social expectations. In the case of John, this is evident from the fact that he does not use the same behaviors associated with the different identities in alternate identities. That is driven by the fact that he believes in the fact that the behaviors that he embraces as part of his virtual identity can only apply in this identity and not within the physical identity.

References

Batson, C. D., Ahmad, N., Lishner, D. A., & Tsang, J. (2016). Empathy and altruism.  Oxford handbook of hypo-egoic phenomena: Theory and research on the quiet ego , 161-174. 

Cannella Jr, A. A., Jones, C. D., & Withers, M. C. (2015). Family-versus lone-founder-controlled public corporations: Social identity theory and boards of directors.  Academy of Management Journal ,  58 (2), 436-459. 

Gerber, J. P., Wheeler, L., & Suls, J. (2018). A social comparison theory meta-analysis 60+ years on.  Psychological bulletin ,  144 (2), 177. 

Hogg, M. A. (2016). Social identity theory. In  Understanding peace and conflict through social identity theory  (pp. 3-17). Springer, Cham. 

Hogg, M. A., Abrams, D., & Brewer, M. B. (2017). Social identity: The role of self in group processes and intergroup relations.  Group Processes & Intergroup Relations ,  20 (5), 570-581. 

Jessor, R., & Turbin, M. S. (2016). Problem Behavior Theory and Adolescent Pro-Social Behavior. In  The Origins and Development of Problem Behavior Theory  (pp. 181-203). Springer, Cham. 

Ruci, L., van Allen, Z. M., & Zelenski, J. M. (2018). Pro-social personality traits, helping behavior, and ego-depletion: Is helping really easier for the dispositionally pro-social?.  Personality and Individual Differences ,  120 , 32-39. 

Van de Ven, N. (2017). Envy and admiration: Emotion and motivation following upward social comparison.  Cognition and Emotion ,  31 (1), 193-200. 

Zhang, H., Chen, S., Wang, R., Jiang, J., Xu, Y., & Zhao, H. (2017). How upward moral comparison influences prosocial behavioral intention: Examining the mediating role of guilt and the moderating role of moral identity.  Frontiers in psychology ,  8 , 1554.