Arousal, Behavior, Stress and Affect: Differences Between

Arousal, Behavior, Stress and Affect:

Differences between Physiological and Psychological Needs:

While human beings share some simple requirements for sustaining life and health, these needs are always confused with wishes, desires and wants. Human needs can therefore be defined as the basic requirements for health and well-being which is both physiological and psychological in nature. In order for a person to remain healthy, his/her physiological and psychological needs should be satisfied. Actually, these needs are inter-connected since they both work together for the purposes of life and well-being. When each of these needs is fulfilled, it fosters integration and well-being while promoting fragmentation and ill-being when it's not fulfilled. Human physiological needs are defined as those needs that are required for the sustenance and growth of a healthy body while psychological needs are those that are required for the sustenance and growth of a healthy mind. Whereas examples of physiological needs include air, food, water, sanitation, sleep and shelter, the examples of psychological needs include autonomy, belonging and competence (Beaumont, n.d.).

There are several similarities and differences that exist in these two classifications of human needs. One of the key differences is their purpose in the life and well-being of an individual since physiological needs are for a healthy body while psychological needs are for a healthy mind. Secondly, psychological needs of human beings tend to follow a certain hierarchy while physiological needs do not follow any hierarchy. Another key difference between the two classifications of human needs is the essence of a social setting in order to fulfill them. While none of the physiological needs require a social setting in order to be fulfilled, one of the psychological needs requires such settings. The psychological need for belonging or relatedness requires a group such as friends, family or work colleagues in order to be fulfilled.

Arousal and Behavior:

Arousal is primarily considered as a physiological and psychological condition of being reactive to stimuli or being awake. Moreover, arousal is also described as the energy produced through the interaction between internal and external stimuli as well as the interaction between physiological and psychological needs. Consequently, arousal is significant to the regulation of attention, consciousness and information processing. In many learning theories, the concept of arousal is a major aspect because of its significance to other important concepts like motivation, attention and anxiety (Clark, 2009). There is a significant relationship between arousal and behavior since arousal is crucial for the motivation of certain behaviors like mobility and sexual activity. Arousal not only activates or motivates certain human behaviors but it also regulates the direction of those behaviors. In relation to behavior, arousal tends to moderate the energy behind certain behaviors and motivates the behavior to carry out a certain course of action.

The relationship between impact and arousal has a significant impact on performance and affect since an individual's level of performance is dependent on the state of arousal in that person. For instance, when the state of arousal in an individual is high, the person's level of performance will also be high. The impact of the relationship between arousal and motivation on performance and affect has been demonstrated through the Yerkes-Dodson law which suggests that inverted U-shaped function between the two. This law states that low arousal usually results in maximum performance on complex tasks while high arousal results in maximum performance on relatively simple tasks. This is due to the fact that the dominant response on difficult tasks is incorrect response while the common response on easy tasks is correct response. Additionally, this impact is because arousal increases focus and attention while energizing behavior.

Effects of Stress on the Body, Brain and Behavior:

The body's reaction to changes which require physical, mental and emotional responses is usually known as stress. Therefore, stress has become a normal part of life and has a significant effect on the body, brain and behavior of an individual. While the human body is designed to experience and respond to stress, this stress can either be positive or negative. Positive stress keeps an individual alert in order to avoid danger whereas negative stress is usually as a result of continuous challenges without relief. Such continuous challenges without relaxation or relief between them can result in a condition known as distress which is a negative stress response. The most important and central tool to the adaptation and reaction to stress is the brain since it perceives possible danger. In addition to determining behavioral reactions to stress like eating, the brain also regulates the immune, hormonal and metabolic processes which have a significant effect on other body processes (McEwen, 2011).