Perspectives on Behaviour

Book excerpt: This book is a practical guide to the following eight perspectives on behaviour: biological - focusing on biological and biochemical processes in accounting for behaviour; behavioural (or behaviourist) - focusing on overt, observable and measurable behaviours and their reinforcement in accounting for behaviour; cognitive (or cognitive-behavioural) - focusing on cognitive processes (beliefs, attitudes, expectations and attributions) in accounting for behaviour; combines both the cognitive and the behavioural perspective; social learning - focusing on observational learning, perceived self-efficacy and expectancies in accounting for behaviour; psychodynamic - focusing on unconscious conflicts in early childhood as accounting for current behaviour; humanistic - focusing on low self-esteem and problems in coping with and exploring feelings in accounting for behaviour; ecosystemic - focusing on positive and negative interactions between teachers and students within the school and those that externally affect the school; these interactions are seen as accounting for behaviour; ecological - focusing on the influence of systems and the environment in accounting for behaviour. The aim of the book is to enable the reader to develop a structured approach to emotional and behavioural problems by drawing on one or more of the above perspectives.