WHY STUDENTS BEHAVE

THE WAY THEY DO

Dr Shaheen Islam, Professor and Chairman
Educational and Counselling Psychology,
Director Student Counselling and Guidance Office, Dhaka University
Advisor, Psychosocial Unit, Ain O Salish Kendra
OUR TIME TOGETHER- OVERVIEW
Recognize behavior
Differentiate types of behavior
Appraise push-n-pull factors
Identity ego-states underlying
behavior
Understand context of
behavior
Look into neurological basis
Getting feedback
Interactive adult learning facilitating participation and exploration
LEARNING APPROACH
THEORETICAL SOURCE
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)
Eric Berne (1910-1970)
Urie Bronfenbernner (1917-
2005)
Neuroscience
Thought, Emotion and Action
Internal and External
HOW DO WE DEFINE BEHAVIOUR?
HELPFUL AND UNHELPFUL BEHAVIOUR
Controversial issue
Interactive and interdependent
NATURE VS. NURTURE
VOGOTSKY POWER OF OPTIMAL
DEVELOPMENT
Child development as
consisting of passing
through a series of
periods of stable
development, namely,
infancy, early
childhood, pre-school
age, school age and
puberty.
These periods of
stable development
are punctuated by
periods of crisis: at
birth and at the ages of
1, 3, 7, 13 and 17.

SOCIAL SITUATION OF DEVELOPMENT
Conceives of the
social environment in
which the child finds
itself and the
relationship of the child
to other people, not
just as a collection of
factors, as influence or
resource or context or
community, but
concretely as a
predicament.
ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT
The range of psychological
functions between, on the
one hand, those functions
which the child is able to
master without assistance,
and on the other hand,
those functions which the
child can manage if given
assistance.
The functions which lie
within the childs reach and
the child can be taught
http://www.codeotaku.com/blog/2010-
05/zone-of-proximal-development/index
Sarah Mae Sincero (2011). Social Development Theory. Retrieved 08 Sep. 2012 from
Experiment Resources: http://www.experiment-resources.com/social-development-
theory.html
BERNE CONCEPT OF EGO STATES.
When we interact
with other people,
our state of mind
affects what
happens
Three states of
mind in all humans,
no matter how old
they were
PARENT
ADULT
CHILD
13
14
P
A
C
Adult
Child
Personality Structure of Ego State
Parent
CHARACTERISTICS OF EGO STATES
Building blocks representing ways of acting,
thinking and feelings
Each ego state has particular verbal and
non-verbal characteristics, which can be
observed while watching people.
Each ego state has a positive and negative
aspect

15
When we behave, think, and feel as we did
when we were a child
CHILD EGO-STATE
CHILD IS PROBABLY AT CONTROL
When a person:
Act on feelings and/or act impulsively and/or make an
emotional decision
Use words such as wont, cant, hate, love, give me, now,
damn, and so on
Get upset with other people or when something gets in
the way
Look for and do whatever seems to be the most fun
(rather than what one should do in terms of common
sense or morals).
17
When we are behaving, thinking and feeling in ways which
are a direct here-and-now response to present events
ADULT EGO STATE
ADULT IS PROBABLY IN CHARGE
When a person:
Gather information for making a rational decision
Check out reality to see if certain beliefs are actually true
Weigh the pros and cons for several courses of action,
considering the long-term practical consequences, the
moral values and the pleasure involved
19
When we behave, think and feel in a way we copied from our parents
PARENT EGO STATE
PARENT IS PROBABLY IN CONTROL
When a person
Obey rules or follow customs unquestioningly
Use words such as awful, food, silly, cute, disgraceful,
disgusting, dirty and so on
Do what other think one should rather than what one
prefer to do
Are bossy, give advice or instructions, and explain a lot of
things to others
Stand over others, point ones finger at them and lecture
21

FUNCTIONAL EGO STATE
22

A



CP NP



AC FC

Controlling Parent
Nurturing Parent

Adult
Adapted Child
Free Child
FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF PARENT
Nurturing parent:
Caring
Concerned
Forgiving
Reassuring
Permissive
Warmly protective
worried
23
FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF PARENT
Controlling parent:
Opinionated
Powerful
Strong protective
Principled
demanding

24
FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF CHILD
Adapted Child:
restrained
Compliant
Industrious
Obedient
Hurtful
Rebellious
Resentful
Arguing
Defying

25
FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF CHILD
Free child
Spontaneous
Creative
Playful
Impulsive
Regardless
Unconcern
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FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF ADULT
Autonomous
Take social control
Make decision

27
EGOGRAM
CP NP A AC
FC
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BERNE CONCEPT OF EGO STATES.
When we interact with other people, our state
of mind affects what happens
Three states of mind in all humans, no
matter how old they were
BRONFENBERNNER - ECOLOGICAL MODEL
Four types of systems which
contain roles, norms and rules that
shape development.
Microsystem is the family,
classroom, or systems in the
immediate
environment in which a person is
operating.
Mesosystem is two
Microsystems
interacting, such as the connection
between a childs home and school.
Exosystem is an environment in
which an individual is indirectly
involved and is external to his
experience, yet it affects him
anyway i.e. a childs parents
workplace.
Macrosystem is the larger cultural
context.
www.aspe.hhs.gov
BRONFENBRENNERS THEORY
Attempts to explain the differences in
individuals knowledge, development and
competencies through the support, guidance
and structure of the society in which they
live.
According to Bronfenbrenner, the interactions
between a number of overlapping
ecosystems affect a person significantly.
www.therapydogblog.blogspot.com
NEUROSCIENCE AND BEHAVIOIUR
www.neuroscienceforum.com
TLC-BRAC University