Careers
The field of biological psychology is diverse, and its applicability transcends the field of psychology to other disciplines and professions (Cicchetti, 2016). It entails the study, examination, and explanation of human behavior based on people’s psychological processes or the mind body phenomenal. Biological science helps in understanding why people behave the way they do especially in careers that entail day to day interactions with different kinds of people. Such careers include human resource, communication, customer care, sales and marketing, actuaries, law, and teaching among others (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). Foundation knowledge of biological psychology helps these professionals in assessing the customers' needs and tailors their responses to them in an efficient manner. In human resource particularly biological psychology plays a critical role in increasing employee motivation and improving their job satisfaction levels. Organizational psychologists use the foundation knowledge of biological psychology when evaluating employees and offering counseling services at the work place (Liu, Rosburg, Gao, Weber & Guo, 2017). Biopsychologists base their deductions about human behavior on the composition and structuring of the human body which they believe affects how a person behaves in different circumstances.
Professional practice
The principles and theories of psychology guide the practice of psychology when dealing with patients (Malti & Dys, 2017). Biopsychologists attribute people’s behaviors and character to their genetic makeup, their anatomy, their stage of development, as well as to their biological systems including the nervous and endocrine systems. A change in how a person behaves can be triggered by various factors including their development and maturation stage, infections, gene mutation, their diet, disease, traumatic experiences or by environmental factors (Cicchetti, 2016). Biological psychology operates under the premise that people’s biological structure determines how they behave which makes the knowledge critical to professionals not only in psychology but also in other disciplines when dealing with people at all levels. Biopsychologists also believe that the human body develops sequentially with the growth of the body being accompanied by maturity in the nervous and the endocrine system (Liu et.al., 2017). In the absence of the factors that negatively affect the system, the human behavior can, therefore, be determined using the different the maturational stages of development, genetic makeup, and hormonal state and neural readiness.
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Bio psychology is also based on the principle that genes affect the human behavior in people (Liu et.al., 2017). The gene is contained in the chromosomes found in the nucleus of the human body cells, and the deoxyribonucleic acid determines the genotype of a person which when affected by external factors is termed as a phenotype a physical manifestation of the genotype. The human body is also made up of the nervous system which is comprised of the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). The CNS is made up of the brain and the spinal cord while the peripheral nervous system is comprised of the cranial and spinal nerves and the autonomic nervous system. The peripheral nervous systems relay information from the nerves to the central nervous system and transmit commands from the CNS to the nerves thereby affecting how people react to certain stimuli. As part of the peripheral nervous system the cranial nerves connect to the brain, the spinal nerves to the spinal cord and the autonomic nervous system is responsible for controlling the internal organs (Cicchetti, 2016). It is made up of three parts which are the sympathetic nervous system responsible for the activation of the body, the parasympathetic nervous system that triggers rest and the enteric nervous system which oversees digestion.
The endocrine system is comprised of glands that are responsible for the secretion of hormones (Liu et.al., 2017). Hormones are responsible the reactions of people to situations and how they behave. The pineal gland is responsible for the changes during puberty while the hypothalamus gland is responsible for the regulation of the hormones in the pituitary gland which is in turn in charge of the stimulation of growth and development in the various maturation stages. The thyroid gland, on the other hand, controls the homeostasis and metabolic functions while the adrenal glands regulate blood sugar levels (Cicchetti, 2016). The gonads are responsible for the manifestation of sexual characteristics which affect how different sexes behave and react to situations. From the analysis of the principles that the biological psychology is based on it is clear that biopsychologists believe that aspects like a person’s sexuality which is determined by hormones affect how people behave (Liu et.al., 2017). The biological psychology theories postulate that genetics and evolution affect human behavior. Carl Rogers in the personality theory posits that all healthy creatures including human beings strive to become the best version of themselves and an absence of the motivation for excellence is an indicator of abnormality (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). In the process of attaining entelechy, cultural practices and norms are formed which affect hope people from a certain social group behave as a result of societal conditioning.
The biological theories and principles are important in professional practice because they help individuals to understand themselves which helps them serve others better and develop healthy relationships within the workplace (Malti & Dys, 2017). As a psychologist or as a professional in another line of work self-knowledge is crucial. Psychologists, doctors, and nurses assist people through health and general life issues by making diagnoses and administering therapies and medications for various behavioral disorders and illnesses (Liu et.al., 2017) . Once the medical professions have self-knowledge they can act objectively and professionally without letting their personal feelings affect their jobs when evaluating, counseling, diagnosing and treating medical problems. Self-knowledge is also important in the establishment of professional relationships in the work place which is not only limited to the medical profession (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014) . It helps professionals to develop interpersonal skills and guides them on the triggers of their behavior which helps them to stay grounded and professional when dealing with customers and their colleagues in the workplace.
Social conditioning can be applied in the professions that seek to persuade people to buy products or subscribe to a certain way of thinking (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). The study of biopsychology sheds light on how human behavior can be influenced through environmental and social conditioning. In professions like lobbying, sales, and marketing, advertising, politics and communication the professionals can use psychology to design their messages (Cicchetti, 2016). The principles and theories of psychology can also be applied to problem-solving in an all rounded manner across all professions (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). Bio psychology guides psychologists in the diagnosis of patients' psychological patterns and in psych evaluations to determine the right treatment or therapy to administer to a patient. In the corporate world, the knowledge acquired through biological psychology on the causes and triggers of certain human behaviors can be used in conflict resolution (Liu et.al., 2017). The human resource departments can use the knowledge to find ways to resolve conflicts and also avoid them by removing the triggers in the work place.
Values
Values are the standards or principles of behavior recognized by a certain group of people. In the society, there are certain values that members of a certain community are expected to live by failure to which one is regarded as immoral (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). In a society made up of people from different backgrounds cultural and social values often clash since what is perceived as moral by one person may be immoral to another. Biological psychology can be used in such cases to bring together people from different backgrounds and explain the differences and formulate a way to resolve the differences and the conflict in values (Malti & Dys, 2017). Social differences can take two forms either cross-cutting or overlapping social differences. Overlapping social differences occur in situations where members of one group perceive themselves as being more superior to another group (Liu et.al., 2017). Crosscutting social differences occur when people in the same community face the same challenges but hold differing opinions on the resolutions of the issues they face.
Gender differences is an area whose perception and interpretation differs from one culture and society to another (Liu et.al., 2017). Gender is a societal conferred characteristic whereby someone is considered either male or female based on established criteria of judgment. In some cultures gender is determined by the way people dress, how they talk and carry themselves which leaves transgender and gay people marginalized and considered as outcasts in the society (Malti & Dys, 2017). The processing theory by psychologist Richard Gregory postulates that perception is shaped by past experiences meaning that people judge what gender represents based on social conditioning passed on from the past generation to the next (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). This explains why in society there are gender roles assigned to men and others assigned to women and in this kind of society where perception is grounded on past experiences gay and transgender people may be discriminated against since there is no room in society values to accommodate them (Malti & Dys, 2017). James Gibson's bottom-up processing theory posits that perception comes naturally and is engineered by evolution and that perception is a survival tactic. In a modernized society where the perception of gender differences is as a result of the evolution of humanity and their way of doing things, homosexuals and transgender people are accepted since the societal values have evolved to accommodate the different sexualities and gender identities (Liu et.al., 2017). In this instance, therefore, biological psychology theories explain why some societies behave one way towards societal values like homo sexuality and gender roles and identity while others perceive the same issue in a different light.
Ethics refer to moral principles that govern people's behavior, and they act as a moral compass in the society where they play a major role in social practices and behaviors (Liu et.al., 2017). Ethics act as guidelines of what is right and guide the people on how to behave. In organizations ethics act as a standard directive of what people should or should not do in the work place. They, therefore, determine what people can do in a certain setting around certain people, therefore, reducing conflicts and maintaining order among colleagues and other stakeholders (Cicchetti, 2016). Ethics also act as a cultivator of respect and credibility in social practices and behaviors. Since they warn members of a certain social group against acting in some way that can reflect negatively on that social group they make the social group respectable and uphold its good name. In psychology, for instance, there is a code of ethics that dictates how psychologists should relate with their patients (Malti & Dys, 2017). The ability of psychologists to uphold those ethics and desist from forming unprofessional relationships with their patients makes the profession respectable and dignified.
Ethics act also maintains order in social practices and behaviors (Liu et.al., 2017). They direct what people can and cannot do which averts potential conflicts and eliminate difficult behaviors. They keep the people in power in check and stop them from misusing their power to intimidate others while they also direct how subordinates should behave towards authority and those that are at their level. They, therefore, protect the members of the group bound by them from intimidation and discrimination or any other form of mistreatment (Liu et.al., 2017). Ethics also act as deterrents to crime since they stipulate what is legal and what is prosecutable which keeps the members of the certain social group bound by the ethics from committing criminal activities (Malti & Dys, 2017). They also help avoid lawsuits since they spell out the acceptable social practices and behaviors ensuring that the subjects of the ethics are informed and free from ignorance and acting out of lack of knowledge. Ethics also play a crucial part in ensuring that professional and social bodies remain independent from government regulation and interference in their affairs. Once people set their code of ethics the number of malpractices that could call government attention to their dealings reduces( Malti & Dys, 2017). The professionalism and adherence to the code of ethics, therefore, leaves no room for the government to interfere and bring order to the social practices and behaviors of the group in question.
Future life
Studying biological psychology has been very relevant in my life because it has helped me gain insight on how the body and the mind work and how they affect human behavior (Fiske, 2017). The understanding has been important in knowing and understanding myself which has improved my self-confidence and facilitated my relationship with other people. The self-awareness has improved my health, daily routines and has promoted stress reduction in my life since I have also learned the triggers of stress and the effect it has on behavior and mental health (Fiske, 2017). The study of biological psychology has also educated me on mental illnesses and behavioral disorders and how to manage them and treat people who are affected by them. It has created a feeling of empathy and altruism in me which fuels my dream of becoming the best biopsychologist so that I can help patients get better (Fiske, 2017). Studying Biopsychology has also improved my communication and analytical skills immensely as well as my research skills since the course units offered guidance on the subjects.
With the knowledge I have acquired I intend to improve my life and the lives of other people (Malti & Dys, 2017). On a personal level, I will apply the principles and theories I have learned in improving how I relate with other people since they point to the causes of certain behaviors in people (Fiske, 2017). I will also apply the knowledge from the theories and principles in my job to ensure that I make the right diagnosis, evaluations, and prescriptions, where necessary backed by facts and professional, know how. I will also utilize the research skills I have gained to do further studies on the biological research field and contribute to the already existent body of knowledge in the field and assist future researchers with a basis for their research (Fiske, 2017). I intend to use these research and data analysis and evaluation skills to become published in reputable psychology journals.
I will apply the knowledge on the insight into human behavior to offer help where I can to people around me struggling with things in life (Fiske, 2017). The knowledge about mental illnesses and personality disorders will be applied at work and also at a local clinic where I intend to volunteer my services as a counselor during my free time (Malti & Dys, 2017). I will also apply the knowledge I have gained to improve my decision-making capabilities by using the six thinking hats which are the rational, the emotional, the intuitive, the creative, the positive and the negative hats for informed decisions (Fiske, 2017). I will also use the knowledge I have acquired as a motivation tool for both self-motivation and motivating other people by rewarding their good behaviors. In sum, the study of biological psychology is beneficial to many career areas including nursing, teaching, human resource and management, sales and marketing and communications since it imparts basic skills like analytical, persuasion and research skills. The principles and theories learned in biological psychology can be applied in professional practice in various areas like the diagnosis of diseases, patient evaluation, and formulation of persuasive messages and education. Within social, cultural differences analysis gender roles and differences exhibit the application of biopsychology to understanding values in society. Ethics play the role of maintaining order, preventing government interference and in upholding the integrity and dignity of the parties subject to the code of ethics. Biopsychology has been relevant in areas of communication, research, analytical skills and analysis of human behavior and I intend to use the knowledge and expertise in my job and to advance the body of knowledge in biopsychology.
References
Cicchetti, D. (2016). Socioemotional, Personality, and Biological Development: Illustrations from a Multilevel Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Child Maltreatment. Annual Review of Psychology, 67 (1), 187-211. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-122414- 033259
Fiske, S. T. (2017). Going in Many Right Directions, All at Once. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12 (4), 652-655. doi:10.1177/1745691617706506
Johnson, W. B., & Kaslow, N. J. (2014). The Oxford handbook of education and training in professional psychology . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Liu, Y., Rosburg, T., Gao, C., Weber, C., & Guo, C. (2017). Differentiation of subsequent memory effects between retrieval practice and elaborative study. Biological Psychology, 127 , 134-147. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.05.010
Malti, T., & Dys, S. P. (2017). From being nice to being kind: development of prosocial behaviors. Current Opinion in Psychology, 20 , 45-49. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.07.036
