Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Understanding
Human Behavior
A Guide for Health Care Professionals
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Understanding Human Behavior: A Guide for Last three editions, as applicable: © 2018, © 2012, © 2004
Health Care Professionals, Tenth Edition Copyright © 2024 Cengage Learning, Inc.
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Contents
iii
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iv Contents
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Contents v
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vi Contents
Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
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Preface
Introduction
Understanding Human Behavior: A Guide for Health Care Professionals is designed to assist
students in health care education programs to learn basic principles of human behavior.
These principles provide a basis for increased self-understanding and improved interpersonal
relationships. With technological advances in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, it is
easy for a health care professional to focus on procedures and routines. Patients, however,
want personalized care that conveys respect for the patient as a person.
Patients’ expectations are more likely to be met when health care professionals aim for
effective interaction with each patient. By consciously attending to each interaction with
patients, the health care professional will experience greater job satisfaction.
Organization
Understanding Human Behavior: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, Tenth Edition, is
organized to proceed from relatively simple information to more complex concepts, from the
known to the unknown, and from application to self to application in a variety of interper-
sonal situations. For that reason, Chapters 1 through 18 are designed for sequential study.
Chapters 19-21 do not follow the sequential pattern. Chapter 19 describes historical con-
tent and current developments in health care; Chapter 20 explores the nature of healing and
suggests guidelines for evaluating the legitimacy of various therapies. Each of these chapters
can be studied independently at any point in the course. Chapter 21 introduces the impor-
tance of managing stress and can potentially be assigned early in the program, so students
can start practicing stress management. Undertaking the role of a student, introduction to the
clinical setting, and care of the sick all include stressful experiences. Preparing to become
a health care professional includes learning the importance of self-care, and stress manage-
ment is an essential component of self-care.
Section I (chapters 1-3) provides an orientation to the role of health care professional, the
importance of accepting each patient as a worthwhile human being, the challenge of striv-
ing for self-understanding, and guidelines for personal and professional growth. Section II
(chapters 4-8) presents information about various influences on human behavior: the role
of heredity, basic physical and psychological needs, developmental factors, role of the social
environment, emotions and their power to influence behavior, and adjustment as a compos-
ite of all these factors. Section III (chapters 9-12) presents more complex concepts related to
human behavior: stressful events that occur in the lives of most people, domestic violence
and bullying, and the mental and emotional effects of traumatic experiences. Many victims
of a traumatic event subsequently require health care. For both personal and professional
reasons, health care professionals need to be aware of the mental/emotional and physical
effects of these traumatic experiences, as well as the potential for long-term adverse effects
on the victim. The remainder of Section III covers other factors related to one’s adjustment:
common defense mechanisms, inner conflict, and frustration.
vii
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viii Preface
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Preface ix
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x Preface
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Section I
T
his section introduces some of the challenges, responsibilities,
from all walks of life require health care. As a health care professional,
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1
Chapter
Key Terms
Client-centered care Self-confidence Standards of
Empowerment Self-reliance performance
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4 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
Congratulations! You have decided to become a health care professional. During your edu-
cational program, you will have the satisfaction of learning new information and developing
new skills. As a health care professional, you will be able to make a significant contribution
to your community. This chapter introduces some of the challenges, responsibilities, and
satisfactions of being a health care professional.
Challenges
Health care providers have always faced challenges, including long work hours, staff
shortages, and potential job burnout. In recent years, events such as changes in the health
insurance system and the COVID-19 pandemic have increased these challenges. Many
health care facilities experience high turnover, and health care professionals often cite
stress, burnout, and long hours as factors in their decision to leave their jobs. Yet many
health care professionals also report finding great satisfaction in their work. The habits
and attitudes you practice now as a student will impact your effectiveness and your satis-
faction in your work later.
© Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com
FIGURE 1-1 Qualified health care professionals are expected to be in high demand in the future.
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Chapter 1: Challenges and Responsibilities of Health Care Professionals 5
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6 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
When making that little bit of extra effort to do tasks well has become a habit, it becomes
an essential part of your performance. Thus, excellence as a health care professional will
depend upon setting high standards of performance for yourself now.
As a Student
Your commitment to providing quality, client-centered care begins now, while you are a
student. Your first responsibility as a student is to take full advantage of every opportunity to
learn. Try to see the purpose in each assignment; look at it as an opportunity to learn, rather
than as a chore to complete. With this attitude toward learning, you will not be tempted to
skip class without good reason.
Your second responsibility is to decide what standards will guide your performance as
a student. Imagine that your school has set a certain grade, such as 70, as passing in your
program. Now imagine yourself saying, “I’ll study this material until I know it well enough to
make 75.” In many courses of study, a grade of 75 is acceptable; a deficiency in the student’s
knowledge of subject matter is unlikely to cause harm to someone else.
In an allied health course, however, the
implications of “just passing” are much more
serious. Any gaps in your knowledge and
For Discussion and Reflection performance of skills can affect every patient
1. Explain the importance of setting high served. Do you want your future services to
standards for yourself as a student and patients to be of “just passing” quality? Or do
as a health care professional. you wish to give the very best service you can
2. Tell about a time you felt proud of give? If your educational program is prepar-
something you worked hard to ing you to provide health services, can you
accomplish. What made your be content to learn only 70 percent of what
accomplishment so satisfying? your teachers expect you to learn? Can you
be content to develop your skills just enough
to get a passing grade in a laboratory course?
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Chapter 1: Challenges and Responsibilities of Health Care Professionals 7
Of course, you won’t earn perfect scores on every assignment or test, nor should you
expect to. Grades can be viewed as feedback from your instructor about what material
you have mastered and what you need to review. Make it a habit to look back over your
graded tests and assignments to see which topics you need to revisit. If you are uncertain,
ask your instructor to discuss the test or assignment with you, not in an effort to raise your
grade, but in order to increase your understanding and skills. The mark of a good student
is not someone who receives a high score every time, but rather someone who uses each
assignment, especially difficult ones, as an opportunity to learn more.
Practicing Empowerment
Adults should control most aspects of their lives. During adolescence, learning to make deci-
sions is an important developmental task. If you entered adulthood with a tendency to let
your parents, spouse, friends, or anyone else make decisions for you, it is time to recognize
that you are giving away your power—the power to be a self-reliant, responsible adult.
When you are planning to eat out with a friend, who decides which restaurant? Do you
usually say, “Oh, I don’t care—you choose”? Does your significant other give you a choice?
If you do not participate in small decisions that affect you, how can you expect others to
include you in big decisions?
How does empowerment affect you? Suppose you have informed the family that your
study hour will begin at 9:00 each evening. During the second day of this plan, your
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8 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
teenager calls you to the phone at 9:15; the caller is a relative, who talks about their prob-
lems for a full half hour. Two days later, your 10-year-old opens the door at 9:30 and says,
“I need a note for my teacher about the field trip next Monday.” Each time you permit
these violations of your study hour, you are giving away your power. You gave your two
children the power to interrupt your study hour. You gave your relative the power to use
30 minutes of your study time for their own purposes. You probably responded to these
requests because you are accustomed to meeting the needs of others, even if doing so
interferes with your own needs.
When you take an active role in making decisions, you are taking responsibility for your
life. If you have not been in the habit of making your own decisions, you can start claim-
ing your power by requiring others to respect your needs. For example, after informing all
members of your family that a certain time is your study time, do not permit any violations to
occur. Remind those who interrupt you that you are not available during study hour. If you
are consistent, the interruptions will eventually stop.
Then you can use the same approach with another of your needs. You may choose
to make the next decision about where to eat or which movie to see, instead of allowing
someone else to make that decision. You may wish to inform your partner or friend that
you want to be involved in any decisions that affect you. This change will not occur rapidly;
be content with small changes initially. By persisting, you will eventually gain more control
over your life. Do not be surprised if others resist your decision, especially if you are just
beginning to participate in making decisions. Give your family and friends time to accept
your change in behavior. Ideally, decision making is a give-and-take situation. Sometimes
your decision is accepted, whereas at other times another person’s decision prevails.
© areetham/Shutterstock.com
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Chapter 1: Challenges and Responsibilities of Health Care Professionals 9
Activities
1. Interview someone who works in health care to ask about what challenges they experience
in their job and what they find satisfying about their job.
2. Describe the steps you can take as a student to prepare yourself to provide client-
centered care in your future work.
3a. Complete each of the following using Worksheet A (see page 11) at the end of this
chapter.
a. List the things you have to do each day.
b. List the things you have to do each week, but not every day.
c. List the things you have to do occasionally.
d. Beside each item in a, b, and c, write the name of someone who could help you
complete that task, at least some of the time. For example, could you and a friend
rideshare so that you alternate days picking your children up from day care or
school?
3b. Use Worksheet B (see page 12) at the end of this chapter to develop a tentative study
plan. Note times you have class, work, or other commitments. Decide when you will
study each day, and when you will devote time to other tasks or hobbies. Try this plan
for two weeks. If your plan seems to be effective, continue to use it. If it is not effective:
a. List problems that interfered with the effectiveness of the plan.
b. Modify the plan by changing the schedule, the place where you study, or other
details. If other people are part of the problem, try to involve them in developing
the “improved plan” to increase the probability of getting their cooperation.
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10 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
4. Explain what empowerment means and why it is important for adults to control most
of the decisions about their own lives. To what extent do you make your own decisions
about the following: your finances, your daily schedule, your meals, and your relation-
ships with others? Are there areas of life in which you would like to take a more active
decision-making role?
Reference
CHG Healthcare. (2021, April 6). Survey: Healthcare career satisfaction drops, burnout rises amid
COVID-19. https://chghealthcare.com/blog/survey-healthcare-career-satisfaction-drops-burnout
-rises-amid-covid-19/
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Chapter 1: Challenges and Responsibilities of Health Care Professionals 11
Worksheet A
Tasks I Have to Do
Every day:
Once a week:
Occasionally:
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12 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
Worksheet B
Study Plan
Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
6 a.m.
10
11
12 Noon
1 p.m.
10
11
12 Mn
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2
Chapter
Key Terms
Bias Cultural competence Socioeconomic
Cultural awareness Equity
13
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14 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
As a health care professional, you will meet people from many different backgrounds.
Patients have varying incomes, educational levels, and occupations. Your coworkers and
patients will likely represent many cultural groups and nationalities. In addition to back-
ground, each person has unique qualities that make them who they are, including their
gender identity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, value system, interests, abilities, and
preferences. As a health care professional, you are responsible for showing respect to
coworkers and providing quality care to all patients.
© Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com
FIGURE 2-1 Everyone, regardless of personal circumstances or personal qualities, has worth and is
entitled to respect as a human being.
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Chapter 2: The Philosophy of Individual Worth and Equitable Care 15
What Is Bias?
Bias refers to making assumptions or judgments about a person, group, or situation based on
our own beliefs, expectations, or previous experiences. When we encounter people with whom
we have something in common, our expectations and assumptions tend to be positive, and we
are more likely to give others the benefit of the doubt. When we perceive a person or situation
as unfamiliar, we may feel cautious or unsure. If a person or situation reminds us of a negative
experience or a strongly held belief we have,
we may assume the worst or approach the
person with a judgmental attitude. For Discussion and Reflection
Feeling some degree of bias in our
encounters with others is normal. However, Have you ever felt that another person’s
effective health care professionals learn to behavior toward you reflected bias based
recognize and question their own biases. on your race, ethnicity, gender identity,
Rather than making assumptions or judging religion, socioeconomic status, lifestyle,
a patient or a situation, they practice an atti- or other factors? How did the person’s
tude of openness, curiosity, and willingness behavior show bias, and how did you
to recognize each person as a unique, valu- respond?
able individual.
© pixelheadphoto digitalskillet/Shutterstock.com
FIGURE 2-2 For health care professionals, quality of service does not vary because of the patient’s race,
nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, economic level, occupation,
education, diagnosis, or any other characteristic.
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16 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
Promoting equitable access to health care means being sensitive to these and other
barriers patients may face. Health care providers can listen with understanding to
patient concerns or take extra time to explain medical information in familiar language.
When appropriate, they can provide information about community resources to assist
with finances, transportation, or child-
care. They can be familiar with their
employer’s procedure for accessing an
For Discussion and Reflection interpreter.
Have you or a member of your family Health care providers can also practice
ever had difficulty accessing health care? self-awareness about their own feelings
If so, what barriers created the difficulty? and reactions toward patients. Rather than
Were you able to overcome these judging or making assumptions about a
barriers? If so, what helped? If not, what patient’s behavior, providers can seek to
resources were needed? understand the patient’s perspective and
to address barriers the patient may be
experiencing.
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Chapter 2: The Philosophy of Individual Worth and Equitable Care 17
© New Africa/Shutterstock.com
FIGURE 2-3 Promoting equitable access to health care means being sensitive to barriers patients may face.
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18 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
Studying a Situation
It is not easy to serve all patients equally well. Sometimes there is a strong desire to escape—
to carry out an assigned task and leave the patient as quickly as possible. If you find your-
self trying to avoid a patient, consider the situation carefully: Why do you find this patient
difficult to serve? Have you tried to understand this patient’s personal and health needs?
Have you tried to see the situation as the patient sees it? If you make a habit of studying
such situations, applying your knowledge about human behavior, you will grow in your
ability to form effective relationships with your patients.
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Chapter 2: The Philosophy of Individual Worth and Equitable Care 19
Activities
1. In your own words, explain the philosophy of individual worth. What attitudes, words,
and actions can you take to practice this philosophy?
2. Notice how social media, television, movies, and politicians speak about different groups
of people. Can you find examples that reflect a philosophy of individual worth? Which
examples illustrate bias?
3. Review the list of barriers to care listed in this chapter. Research online resources in your
community that can assist patients in overcoming these barriers. Based on your research,
what additional resources does your community need?
4. Think about someone you know whose background is different from your own. Describe
how this person’s life (past and present) is similar to or different from your life.
5. Consider how you can apply cultural competence to these patient situations:
a. A 15-year-old patient is pregnant and is afraid to tell their family.
b. A patient states that they do not want to take a prescribed medication because they
read online that weight gain is a common side effect.
c. A patient who has had a heart attack states that it is difficult to follow the doctor’s
dietary recommendations because their partner does the cooking, and the family
enjoys eating traditional meals together.
d. A patient who has been diagnosed with colon cancer declines treatment because
they do not wish to place a financial burden on their family.
e. A patient tells you that some aspects of the treatment plan outlined by their doctor
conflict with their religious beliefs.
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20 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
Greene-Moton, Ella, & Minkler, Meredith. (2019). Cultural competence or cultural humility? Moving
beyond the debate. Health Promotion Practice, 21(1), 142–145. doi:10.1177/1524839919884912.
Henderson, Saras, Horne, Maria, Hills, Ruth, & Kendall, Elizabeth. (2018). Cultural competence in
healthcare in the community: A concept analysis. Health & Social Care in the Community, 26(4),
590–603. doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12556.
Radix, Asa, & Maingi, Shail. (2018). LGBT cultural competence and interventions to help oncology
nurses and other health care providers. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 34(1), 80–89. doi.org
/10.1016/j.soncn.2017.12.005.
Sharifi, Majmeh, Adib-Hajbaghery, Mohsen, & Najafi, Maryam. (2019, November). Cultural compe-
tence in nursing: A concept analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 99(103386). doi
.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.103386.
Shepherd, Stephane M., Willis-Esqueda, Cynthia, Newton, Danielle, Sivasubramaniam, Diane, &
Paradies, Yin. (2019). The challenge of cultural competence in the workplace: Perspectives of
healthcare providers. BMC Health Services Research, 19, 135. doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-3959-7.
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3
Chapter
Self-Awareness
Objectives
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:
●● Distinguish between learning information, applying skills, and modifying your behavior.
●● Explain the benefits of a growth mindset.
●● Explain why health care professionals must clearly understand their role.
●● Identify your life roles and appropriate behaviors for each role.
●● Discuss time management strategies.
Key Terms
Ethics Procrastinate Self-Awareness
Fixed Mindset Proficient
Growth Mindset Role
21
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22 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
You are studying to become a health care professional. When you graduate, you will likely
work at an agency that provides health services to the community. How best can you, the
student of today, prepare to become you, the health care professional of tomorrow?
Understanding Learning
As a student, you must gain knowledge, learn to apply it appropriately to a wide variety of
situations, and develop skills in performing certain procedures. Your teachers have created
learning experiences to guide your progress toward a future role in health care. To benefit
from these experiences, you will need the desire to learn, the willingness to make the neces-
sary effort, and the determination to gain as much as possible from each learning experience.
Learning Information
Based on past experiences, many students view learning as a series of terms to memorize
and tests to pass. If you can answer the questions on a test, but do not apply that information
in appropriate clinical situations, have you really learned? Do you approach assignments as
though you are storing information that can be played back on demand? Memorizing infor-
mation is just a first step toward becoming proficient, or developing the professional skills
you will use daily in your work as a health care professional.
Applying Skills
Do you constantly ask yourself how a new idea can be used? Does new information guide
you in selecting appropriate behavior for situations where that information is relevant? If you
can answer “yes” to these questions, then you are truly learning. You are using mental pro-
cesses such as thinking, reasoning, selecting, decision making, and evaluating for conscious
control of your behavior.
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Chapter 3: Self-Awareness 23
© fizkes/Shutterstock.com
FIGURE 3-1 H
onestly assessing your strengths and weaknesses is a first step in developing your
potential.
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24 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
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Chapter 3: Self-Awareness 25
abilities through effort and practice. Statements such as “I’m just not good at math” indicate a
fixed mindset and can make it more difficult to learn new skills.
Students with a growth mindset, on the other hand, tend to have the following attitudes
and beliefs about learning:
●● While not everyone will become a “genius,” anyone can learn and improve their skills.
●● By reviewing what has or has not worked previously, we can determine whether a new
strategy or approach is needed.
●● An unsuccessful attempt should not be viewed as a failure, but as feedback about how to
improve future efforts.
Dweck (2015) cautions that while effort is an important part of the growth mindset, effort
alone may not lead to improvement. Rather, Dweck says, “Students need to try new strategies
and seek input from others when they’re stuck” (pp. 20, 24).
Consider these differences in how individuals with a fixed mindset tend to approach
learning and life situations, compared to how individuals with a growth mindset approach
these same situations. Someone with a fixed mindset may avoid challenges and new expe-
riences, while someone with a growth mindset may seek out challenges. After making
a mistake, someone with a fixed mindset may hide the mistake or blame others, while
someone with a growth mindset will ask, “What can I learn from this situation? How can I
do better next time?” Someone with a fixed mindset may avoid asking others for help, not
wanting to look weak, or may say, “Can you do this for me? I don’t know how.” Someone
with a growth mindset is more likely to ask for help by saying, “Can you show me how to
do this so I can learn?”
No one has a fixed mindset or a growth mindset all the time, in all areas of life. Most
people have a fixed mindset in some areas of life and a growth mindset in other areas.
For example, Darian (from the public
speaking example earlier in this chapter)
may have a fixed mindset about giving
oral presentations but a growth mind- For Discussion and Reflection
set about learning to play a sport. What Do you have a particular subject area or
about you? How would you describe your skill that you tell yourself “I’m just not good
mindset toward learning? Toward certain at?” On the other hand, do you have skills
subjects such as math, reading, or science? that you have worked hard to develop
By noticing how you think about your through effort and practice? How do the
abilities in these areas, you can intention- concepts of a fixed mindset and a growth
ally choose a growth mindset that will mindset apply to either of these skills?
support your progress in your health care
preparation courses.
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26 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
Certain behaviors that are appropriate for a specific health care role may not be
appropriate for personnel in a different role. For example, the behaviors appropriate
for laboratory personnel are distinct from those appropriate for nursing personnel. Also,
within individual departments there are differences in roles based on level: Within nurs-
ing there are nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, head nurses,
and supervisors, all of whom have specific roles; similarly, within the hospital laboratory,
there are numerous roles such as pathologist, medical technologist, clinical laboratory
assistant, and others. The same is true of other hospital departments such as physical
therapy, radiology, food service, and so on, as well as for medical offices. In the dental
field, dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental laboratory technologists are
all concerned with oral health. Their roles vary according to the specific functions and
educational preparation of each.
Knowing one’s role is essential to effective functioning. Most roles within the health field
require accepting instructions from someone at the next higher level. If you do not like “tak-
ing orders,” then you may not be happy as a health care professional. If you feel anger or
distrust toward persons in authority, you are likely to resent the ethics of the health field;
the policies of your health agency; and relationships with those on the health team who have
responsibility for giving instructions, making assignments, and evaluating performance. On
the other hand, if you can accept a defined role, function within that role to the fullest extent
of your educational preparation, and accept the limitations of the role, then you are likely to
find much satisfaction as a health care professional.
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Chapter 3: Self-Awareness 27
© Daniel M Ernst/Shutterstock.com
FIGURE 3-2 Learning to manage your time will reduce stress and help you meet deadlines.
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28 Section I: Becoming a Health Care Professional
●● Throughout the day, stop periodically and ask yourself, “Am I working to meet my goals?
Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing?”
●● Review your list of goals each evening, mark off those that were completed, and plan the
list for the next day.
●● Start tasks well ahead of time to avoid the stress of having to rush.
●● Break large tasks into small chunks and tackle one chunk at a time.
Personal Growth
Consider the following strategies you can use to understand yourself and set goals for
personal growth and achievement as a student and health care professional:
●● Recognize that learning occurs only if you make the effort to learn, if you are willing to
change, and if you recognize opportunities for learning.
●● Study yourself in relation to specific traits, such as willingness to change, ability to be
honest with yourself, and readiness to correct weaknesses and change habits.
●● Identify your strengths and make full use of them to achieve your goals.
●● Identify your weaknesses—the traits or habits you need to change to be more effective in
each of your roles.
●● Study your various roles in terms of desirable behavior. Identify differences, such as
habits used at home that are not appropriate at school, interpersonal relations between
a parent and child that are not appropriate between the health care professional and a
pediatric patient, or relations between friends that are not appropriate between a hospital
employee and a patient.
●● Study your ability to make distinctions between different life roles and change your
behaviors accordingly.
●● Study your tendency to use old habits in new situations. Do you allow habits to determine
your behavior in any situation? Do you need to improve in adapting your behavior to
each situation?
●● Mentally review past experiences to understand how your own behavior contributed to
the outcome. Consider the important question “Would the outcome of that experience be
improved if I had behaved differently?” This practice can serve as a “rehearsal” for future
similar experiences.
By considering the questions above on a regular basis, you will identify ways you can
grow in your personal life and in your role as a health care professional.
Activities
1. Describe learning strategies you have used in the past, both in class and in nonschool
activities such as sports or learning a new hobby. Which strategies are likely to be
effective in your health care preparation program? Which strategies are not likely to be
effective?
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Chapter 3: Self-Awareness 29
2. Identify one area of your life in which you have a fixed mindset and one area in which
you have a growth mindset. What differences do you notice about how you approach
each of these areas?
3. Identify one behavior in your personal life that is not an acceptable behavior with
patients or coworkers.
4. Which of the following roles do you play in your current life situation? Add other roles
to the list as needed.
Student in a health-related educational program
Spouse or partner
Parent of a child
Family member
Employee
a. Beside each role that applies to you, estimate how much time per day you devote
to that role.
b. Mark the role that you value most with an asterisk (*).
c. If other demands (e.g., job, school) limit the amount of time you devote to the role
you value the most, describe how you can improve your approach to that role so
that quality can compensate for lack of quantity. For example, “When in the role of
_______, I will give it my full attention and not allow concerns about my other roles
to distract me.”
5. Consider a situation in which you ran out of time to complete a task. Discuss how time
management strategies might help you handle a similar situation more effectively in the
future.
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Section II
Understanding Human
Behavior
T
he interpersonal skills of health care professionals are very
team, may distrust them, and may not comply with the health care
behavior.
31
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4
Chapter
Influences on Behavior
Objectives
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:
●● Identify the basic purpose of human behavior.
●● Discuss how people are alike and different.
●● Describe genetic influences on behavior.
●● Summarize the developmental process.
●● Describe how the physical and social environments influence development and behavior.
●● Discuss the importance of taking responsibility for one’s behavior.
Key Terms
Behavioral genetics Genes Heredity
Chromosomes Genetics Human Genome Project
Congenital Genotype Phenotype
DNA Hereditary Rapport
33
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whispering he was privileged to answer “Perfect.” Now, in fact, the
pupils formed cliques and agreements to such an extent that they
made almost a complete farce of this attempt at discipline. They lied
with the greatest liberty and seemed to feel no restraint from their
principal. He appeared not to know that they were guilty of
deception and insubordination, and of course he became the butt of
ridicule because of these and many other unwise acts.
The girls would be found by him crying over the low grades they
received. Through their hands they joyously watched him as he
marched back to his desk and silently changed the numerals.
Occasionally he returned and reported, “After thinking over your
work further I have decided to give you a better grade.” He was more
than paid for his trouble as the smiles drove back the tears and the
eyes of the poor, grieved ones hung for a moment on his.
He suffered from note-writing. Jim was a source of anxiety on this
score. The unvarying procedure was the following:
“Where is the paper you had a moment ago?”
“It’s in my desk.”
“Is there any writing on it?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Hand it to me.”
Silence on Jim’s part.
“Jim, aren’t you going to give me that note?”
“No, sir.”
“Jim, you go at once to Mr. Evans’ room,” or, “Take your books
and go home.”
Not once, nor twice, but scores and scores of times this same
routine was followed. Jim never handed him a note in the whole two
years. Mr. Bradley never discovered the intense satisfaction that Jim
had in drawing attention to himself, in defeating the principal and in
thus creating a general sensation.
Mr. Bradley’s temper was easily aroused. At first his face would
turn white; the pupils quickly noted his pallor and laughed at him;
his anger then drove him to a few tears, which one by one trickled
down his careworn cheeks.
In these moments of ill-temper he was more helpless than ever. He
did not attempt to do much teaching for a short period, but marked
time until he could recollect himself and get his pedagogical machine
back on track again.
In the frequent, extreme cases of refractory pupils that he had to
dispose of, his main resort was to send or accompany pupils to Mr.
Evans, the superintendent of schools. In reporting the misdemeanor
or in remarking on the items of a report of misconduct by the pupil
himself he adopted the very poor method of exaggerating the
circumstances insufferably. Often he interrupted a pupil’s account
with single words or phrases that exaggerated the offense and so
attempted to justify himself in referring the case to higher authority.
These unfair methods enraged even a guilty pupil to an extent that all
hope of his returning to the high school room with any little good will
toward the principal was lost.
You at once inquire, How was it possible for a man of this sort to
keep his position for two years? The answer is two-fold: his
treatment of pupils and citizens generally outside of school hours
was such as, in a way, to discredit the impressions reported by
dissatisfied pupils; the superintendent was capable enough himself
to neutralize, in part, the ill effects of the principal’s poor disciplinary
methods and thus to enable him to retain a well informed instructor.
You want to know more about this remarkable superintendent,
Mr. Evans? His personal presence was somewhat in his favor. He
was a man of good height, but very slender. The look of his eye was
direct and lingering. His hand-grasp was warm, kindly and
reassuring. He was never in a hurry, but disposed of mountains of
work. He always took time to hear all that pupils had to say—one of
his strongest assets.
It was a valuable lesson in school discipline just to observe him in
an interview with an offending pupil.
“Well, Jim, what is it this morning?”
“I suppose I’ve got to tell you about a little affair that occurred in
the Latin class yesterday.”
“Come and have this chair over here by the desk. Excuse me until I
pull down the shade a bit. Well, now, go on. What is it all about?”
But these cold words do not convey to the reader the impression
that they made on Jim. There was a yearning in the voice that fairly
drew Jim out of himself. He had just come from a fresh combat with
Mr. Bradley and was in a mood to do battle; in fact, strange to say,
this thought crossed his mind, “All right, I’ll go in to see Evans. If he
has it in for me, I’ll show them both a new deal; I’ll give them the
time of their lives in this town!”
How easy it would have been to set fire to this piece of tow and so
produce an uncontrollable conflagration. But there was Mr. Evans’
voice, so suave and appealing. He assumed that Jim had something
interesting to tell; that he had suffered some accident; that he was in
search of a friend. Mr. Evans was that friend. He said, “You know, of
course, that I’ll want to hear the other side of the story, but you go
ahead and tell me everything just exactly as it is.”
Jim told his story. The superintendent nodded assent to the
several statements, indicating that he had taken in their full
significance and was laying the ground for a just disposition of the
matter. About the time Jim finished, Mr. Bradley stepped in. He
soon began his account of the affair. Mr. Evans listened with a
judicial air, by no means disclosing any antagonism toward his
principal, but very cautious not to give Jim any notion that the
principal had the inside track in the mind and sympathy of his
superior. There were no comments, no nodding of the head, no
knowing smiles that meant, “We’ll fix this fellow, all right.”
Since Mr. Evans had previously frankly said that he would hear the
principal’s story, in the first part of the interview, Jim was not
surprised that it was given unremitting attention. But he was highly
pleased to see that favoritism for the principal was not going to play
any part in the final settlement of the matter.
In fact, every pupil expected to see Mr. Evans go the second mile in
any case where he came intimately into contact with a pupil, either in
the ordinary affairs of the school, or when disciplinary problems
must be adjudicated. It was, in a way, a painful experience to meet
Mr. Evans under circumstances such as these; he made one feel
grieved to impose on him by wrenching his heart with
disappointment. There was no fear of consequences, but an anguish
over injuring the feelings of the superintendent.
When the facts were all before him, this friend of boys and girls
would say:
“I don’t believe it would be right in this case to ...” and he would
mention penalties that were severe, though perhaps often employed
by other teachers, perhaps were even not condemned by the
community. He would finally come to the conclusion of the matter by
saying:
“I think we can fix this up in this way ...” a method that was almost
without exception such as to strengthen the discipline of the school,
to rescue the pupil from provoking circumstances and probably to
serve as a deterrent to future misconduct.
At the conclusion of every case of discipline, Mr. Evans left the
situation in a better status than before. The boy or girl who had to
settle accounts with the superintendent, when all was said and done,
knew that the issue was disposed of according to the principles of
right and for the good of both the pupil and the school. Wisdom,
sympathetic understanding, willingness to make concessions,
positive devotion to the pupil’s comfort and welfare, were written all
over the man’s actions so plainly as to disarm criticism and to bind
every pupil to him as a life-long friend.
Throughout this Course for teachers, we have steadily laid
emphasis on the need in the pupil for the cultivation of self-control
as a basis for any satisfactory building of character. Scarcely less
have we insisted that the same trait of character is essential in a
successful teacher. Our survey of the blunders of disciplinarians
leads to the conclusion that by far the larger part committed by
school teachers can be traced back to an inexcusable lack of this
central virtue of self-control.
The passionate, selfish teacher can not see the pupil’s point of
view. The measureless transformations of the adolescent period
throw a vast majority of people out of sympathy with the adolescent
and still more with those of younger years.
The system of school discipline advocated in this Course for
teachers, frankly rests on coöperation with the pupil, initiative being
taken by the teacher in working out disciplinary problems in frank,
wholehearted adjustment to pupil needs and characteristics. No
teacher can adopt the policy represented by this principle without
attaining, in a measure, and further developing his own self-control.
Our experience and observation, our fresh survey of all the facts
while compiling the data presented in these volumes, have deepened
immeasurably the conviction that the teacher who seeks the level of
the life of the children whom he wishes to govern, assisting them,
aiding them, guiding them according to the dictates of their natures
rather than contrariwise, will cure himself of one of his own worst
vices, namely, anarchy in mood, temper and judgment; and will
develop in its place the basic element of a noble character, self-
control.
By presenting, as a final word, the contrast between these two
teachers, we hope to heighten the impressions that have repeatedly
been made as the reader has followed the narratives and discussions
contained in the preceding pages. Remember that the two men here
described worked under the same circumstances, during the same
two years, with the same pupils, in the same building; that each had
the benefit of consultation with the other, that both were well
received in public and had many friends among the business men
and in the homes of the city. The advantage in physical organization
lay with him who failed. The essential difference between the two is
found in the inner, basic attitude of each toward his pupils.
The one ruled by personality and broad, humane principles; the
other was an apostle of force, fitfully administered, as, in fact, it must
of necessity be administered. The one was conscious of his authority;
the other forgot it and worked man to man with his pupils. The one
exhausted his force and failed; the other scarcely ever drew upon his
reserve and never lost a pupil friend. The one ground his teeth in
rage at the perversity and rebellion of his pupils, the other enjoyed
their friendship and reveled in the memories of sympathetic
appreciation of his labors. In short, one was beloved by all, the other
despised.
Of all the words from tongue or pen that explain the more
desirable of the two methods described, none is better than the word
Coöperation. This is the capstone of our five fundamental principles
—Suggestion, Substitution, Expectation, Approval, Coöperation.
Approval of good effort, in fact, turns out to be one mode of
coöperation with the pupil. It ministers to his self-love and elicits
further effort. A teacher can not exemplify this one principle of
coöperation without hitting upon or consciously employing all the
others we have named and illustrated. “I work with my pupils,” is the
highest self-praise a teacher can utter. It is a simple, modest,
unassuming statement; if true in its deepest sense, he who thus
speaks of himself is a perfect teacher and disciplinarian.
We commend this gospel to coöperative school-room discipline to
every aspiring teacher who reads these volumes; we can only hope
that every one may be converted heart and soul to this mode of
action and with religious devotion set about remoulding his
treatment and management of school children so that he truly may
be a Friend to Man.
INDEX
PAGE
Absences, 764
Acquisitiveness, 309
Adaptive instincts, 361
Adenoids, 58
Altruism, 586, 727
Anti-social tendencies, 672
Approval, 51, 55, 58, 61, 92, 103, 108, 132, 137, 139, 147, 161, 171, 181,
190, 201, 210, 213, 222, 235, 244, 266, 272, 277, 294, 303, 376,
388, 394, 401, 411, 415, 422, 440, 448, 450, 486, 507, 519, 588,
595, 662, 735, 774, 868
Athletics, aid in discipline, 96, 405, 530, 726, 737, 739, 740, 831
cheating for sake of, 284, 289
fights in, 249
Attention, desire to attract, 23, 50
in school work, 55, 368, 554
Authority, excessive use of, 81, 94, 95, 183, 220, 634, 644, 661, 697,
860
Awkwardness, 61, 141, 143, 148
Card-playing, 115
Carelessness, 83, 562, 567, 765, 801
Cheating, on examination, 269
how provoked, 268
in recitation, 273
sentiment against, 269, 282
Chewing gum, 388
Choice and disobedience, 31
Church-going, 817
Cigarettes, 402
Class rivalry, 253
Cleanliness, 76, 449
Cliques, 471, 474, 717
Cloaks and overcoats, 79
Clumsiness, 140, 148
Collections of curios, 70, 209, 236, 310, 311, 502
Commands, how to give, attention to be secured, 55
be near child, 50
choose what child wants to do, 51
privately given, 60, 103
repetition to be avoided, 55
rights of pupil to be conserved, 93
speak intelligibly, 53, 753
time to be opportune, 72
Community, understanding conditions in, 43, 775
Companions, choosing, 321, 474, 812, 841, 843
Competition, leading to fighting, 249
Conceit, 192
Confession by pupil, 73, 101, 163, 212, 242, 294, 302, 308, 309, 340,
565, 568, 837
by teacher, 124
Confidence, 31, 32, 52, 60, 68, 71, 85, 89, 96, 105, 116, 121, 150, 167,
196, 201, 209, 212, 266, 299, 376, 406, 496, 499, 642, 667, 776
Conspiracy, 106, 378, 384, 464, 536, 695
Conventionalities, submission to, 803
Coöperation, initiative in, 45, 50, 60, 70, 74, 79, 81, 82, 87, 91, 96,
103, 108, 114, 119, 124, 142, 149, 158, 160, 162, 165, 171, 181, 190,
198, 201, 203, 209, 213, 222, 231, 241, 243, 256, 262, 265, 282,
313, 317, 320, 337, 372, 386, 392, 396, 397, 410, 416, 420, 424,
447, 467, 478, 492, 503, 508, 569, 637, 662, 711, 718, 738, 772,
797, 819, 824, 842, 866, 868
Coughing epidemics, 380
Crying, 257
Curiosity, 549
Jealousy, 700
Jokes on teacher, 366, 368, 370, 373
Joking teacher, 205, 505, 507