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2 - The Psychology of AC4P Behavior

from INTRODUCTION TO PART I - EVIDENCE-BASED PRINCIPLES OF AC4P

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2016

E. Scott Geller
By
E. Scott Geller
E. Scott Geller
Affiliation:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
E. Scott Geller
Affiliation:
Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
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Summary

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

– Winston Churchill

The large-scale, long-term health, safety, and welfare of people require us to routinely go beyond the call of duty on behalf of others. We call this “actively caring for people,” or AC4P – the theme of this book. Usually AC4P behavior involves self-motivation, as explained in the next chapter. Often AC4P behavior requires a certain amount of courage, and this is clarified in Chapter 4. Research in social psychology, applied behavioral science, and person-based psychology provides principles and practical strategies for increasing the occurrence and improving the quality of AC4P behaviors throughout a culture. These are reviewed in this chapter, as well as in Chapters 3 to 8.

WHAT IS AC4P BEHAVIOR?

Figure 2.1 presents a simple flow chart summarizing a basic approach to culture change. We start a culture-change mission with a vision or ultimate purpose – for example, to achieve an AC4P culture of compassion. With group consensus supporting the vision, we develop procedures or action plans to accomplish our mission. These are reflected in process-oriented goals that denote goal-related behaviors.

The popular writings of Covey, Peale, Kohn, and Deming suggest that behavior is activated and maintained by self-affirmations, internal motivation, and personal principles or values. Unfortunately, these authors, as well as many motivational consultants, miss a key component of human dynamics – the power of consequences.

Consequences Are Critical

Appropriate goal setting, self-affirmations, and a positive attitude can indeed activate behaviors to achieve certain goals related to a vision. But we must not forget one of B. F. Skinner's most important legacies – selection by consequences. As depicted in Figure 2.1, consequences follow behavior and are needed to support the right behaviors and correct wrong ones. Without support for the “right stuff,” good intentions and initial efforts fade away. How long does a weight-loss plan last as a New Year's resolution (vision) if one cannot see initial weight loss (consequence) after the first few weeks of exercise (behavior) in an effort to lose 15 pounds (an outcome goal)?

In How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie affirms, “Every act you have ever performed since the day you were born was performed because you wanted something.”

Type
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Applied Psychology
Actively Caring for People
 , pp. 45 - 82
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

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