ID No.: 2005HZ67001
NAME OF THE STUDENT: Rozaliya Radeva
DISSERTATION TITLE: Contextual Defining of Behavior
ABSTRACT
In the long run of the nature vs. nurture debate one thing becomes clear that the one-sided approach to decipher behavior is not enough. Reductionism, no matter how useful in depicting the invisible for the naked eye molecular mechanisms, does not give the full picture of what exactly lies behind the different behavioral expressions in living organisms. More and more research reveals that the ultimate structural and functional unit of the cell-the gene, is a necessary and important part but not the only determinant in actions and reactions of the organism. The proper communication between the different cells is crucial for the correct development of the body which includes precise regulation of the biochemical processes. Apart from the cellular physiology, the observations in the society show clear analogy between the cell’s structures (tissues, organs, etc.) and the social groups where the individual part contributes to the whole benefiting from it as well for its own survival (or destruction). The interactions between the individuals in the ever-changing environment stimulate adaptive mechanisms of the individual dynamics to that of the external ambience. The sum of all reactions of the organism to the environment constitutes its behavior which can be modulated over time in dependence on the circumstances which the social and natural environment provides. For psychologists like Mead, even mind or intelligence emerges from social interactions which could be valid for insects with social structure (termites, ants) where the abilities of the individual merge with these of the others to form the intelligence of the species as a whole. My objective of the study will be to explore those relations within and between the organisms and their environment for what makes their actions the way they are.
