Social Response

Relevance in My Life

Positive reinforcement becomes relevant to me through my choice of occupation/major. This can actually be applied to integrated marketing communication tactics towards influencing consumers/customers to purchase more of a particular product or at a specific location. Incentives, such as discounts and coupons, are used to influence buyers to shop more at a store or buy more of a product. A lot of times this is to gain revenue, or rather to draw revenue away from competitors. This can be seen as a form of positive reinforcement; their spending behavior is being influenced by an incentive presented to them in order to gain their business and as a way of showing appreciation for their choice in spending.

Positive reinforcement is also seen in my life through rewards in classes. This can come about by professors offering extra credit opportunities to students who have worked hard, or are willing to go the extra mile in class for good grades. This is more direct. An indirect example in my life might be receiving pleasure from doing well in classes as a result of extensive studying. The good grades influence me to try harder and keep working hard towards success in school.

Chapter 9 - Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Explanation of Topic

The basis of the theory is that some needs are more basic than others and, therefore, must be fulfilled first. According to Maslow, the lowest (most basic) order of needs is out physiological needs. These are the biological demands our bodies make for things such as food, water, rest, and exercise. He included sex among this list of most basic needs, but in a way that compared it to the continuation of species. Safety is next in the order of needs. By safety needs Maslow talks about such thing as personal security, comfort, and orderly surroundings. Thirdly, Maslow ranks acceptance, also referred to as love and belongingness. At this level, he says we seek out love, a sense of belonging, and an affiliation with others through group memberships. Under Maslow's hierarchy, one is willing to endure any annoyance or embarrassment or indignity that may occur from uncomfortable situations because of the safety the shelter one is in may provide. Fourth, Maslow ranks self-esteem needs, for which one strives to earn recognition and to view one's self as being successful in the eyes of others. Everyone, basically, wants to be seen as a winner. Lastly, Maslow feels that self-actualization is at the peak of his chart of needs. He says that people reach self-actualization when we achieve a goal just for the sake of achieving that goal. An example of this might be something like climbing a mountain. You do it so you can say “I did that once”. Some people never achieve self-actualization because they haven't fulfilled the requirements imposed by lower-order needs.

Relevance in My Life

I feel that this topic related the most to my life, because it would be hard to find someone that this chart did not embody. Everyone wishes to achieve all their goals in life and to feel that they have a sense of purpose and meaning in life. For me, I have several goals. One of my biggest and most direct goals at the present moment is to do well in school. This is in order to be prepared for the workforce that I will soon enter. Secondly, one of my top goals is to prepare and train during the off season for soccer so that I play at my best ability when the new season begins. Although it is just a sport, I have a passion for it, as well as a close bond with the team that I have met here. I feel like I have adopted a close family through my team, so naturally, we all wish to learn to be patient and accepting of one another, as well as play well so that we are impressive to other members of the team and other teams we play. Our coach always tells us to show up at least an hour early before games to prepare, and when the other team sees our team practicing, he always tells us to give all we have to make a good impression. He feels we can cause an intimidation factor, a strong level of esteem. Many of the lessons that I have learned through soccer I apply to my daily life. The best example of this in relation to Maslow's hierarchy is my first week of soccer. It might be one of the hardest things I've had to overcome in my life. I hurt and wanted nothing more to give up, but not wanting to be a quitter and look weak was a big encouragement to keep going no matter what it took. Now, when we discuss first impressions, my teammates recognize all that I had to overcome and work through to reach the level I am now at.