Human behavior has various features associated with people’s emotional reactions. One of these features is procrastination, which is a hesitance to the beginning of a particular action, despite the delay worsening the situation (Zentall, 2021). An individual can apply methods of behavioral modifications to combat procrastination. In particular, positive reinforcement involves positive rewards for desired behavior – by forcing oneself to do a specific action after procrastination began, a person can associate actions with positive emotions. For example, a positive reinforcement for me is to praise myself and acknowledge my achievements. After several repetitions, an automatic response to combating procrastination is formed. This process is a specific type of learning – conditioning used in various situations.
Classical conditioning can produce positive and negative emotions in response to various actions. For example, the festive period of Christmas has many pleasant moments accompanied by a characteristic environment – decorations, songs, or films. As a result, having heard a specific melody, a person can feel the happiness and excitement associated with the holidays. The negative reaction forms in response to a recurring unpleasant experience. For example, attending classes at a school where a student is not successful or uncomfortable can lead to fear and anxiety each time before this lesson. Such reactions can significantly affect the daily life of an individual.
My experience includes various examples of reactions based on conditioning and other types of learning. For example, as soon as I smell delicious food, such as pizza, I have an appetite, which is classical conditioning. Through operant conditioning methods, I learned to constantly finish my tasks, associating it with the pleasure of completing work and rewarding myself with a cup of delicious tea or other resting behavior. Using another type, observational learning, I learned many habits from my parents. I repeated their actions and adopted attitudes towards certain things. For example, my parents are very kind to animals, which is also characteristic of me. Thus, different types of learning that form specific emotional responses significantly determine an individual’s life, feelings, and behavior.
Reference
Zentall, T. R. (2021). Basic behavioral processes involved in procrastination. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-12. Web.