What does It Mean to Say Behavior Serves a Specific “Function”?
Every action of people occurs for a certain reason. In some cases, the reason is quite clear while it can be hidden in others. People behave the way they do to meet specific needs. Behavior serves a certain function to meet those needs. For example, when a person moves from one place to another he or she pursues some aim, be it just walking or moving to another city.
Human behavior is a personal orientation as well as socially meaningful actions the sources of which are people themselves. Behavior that the person demonstrates repeatedly always serves some purpose performing a certain function. The function of behavior answers the question of why this behavior occurs. The scholars distinguish the four key behavior functions including access, avoidance, attention-seeking, and sensory stimulation.
At this point, it is essential to note that specific behavior can perform more than one function. For example, children could learn how to harm themselves to leave the classroom and avoid tasks and harm themselves in the playground to attract the attention of adults. In this case, the same behavior performs two different functions depending on the situation.
What are the Two Primary Functions of Behavior?
Among the two primary functions of behavior, one can note access and avoidance. The purpose of certain types of behavior is aimed at receiving the desired item or access to the desired occupation. For example, children cry and yell until their parents buy them a new toy (desired item) or take them to the zoo (occupation). However, not every behavior occurs for the reason that the person does some actions to get something.
Sometimes, challenging behavior causes avoidance to escape uncomfortable situations. For example, the child may show aggression as he or she wants teachers to stop giving them the educational tasks while the other child can inflict injuries on himself to not be forced to play with classmates. The person tends to avoid doing something he or she does not want to that, in turn, needs to be prevented by certain interventions.
Why is a Functional Perspective Important for Understanding Behavior?
The evaluation of behavior in the context of a functional perspective helps to understand the reasons for certain actions. The functional perspective promotes the identification of specific alternatives to the existing behavior in case it is problematic. It is especially important to understand behavior deviation reasons in children. The use of the functional perspective helps to eliminate inappropriate behavior or at least reduce it to a minimum.
The functional approach can significantly improve the relationships between parents and children. It should be noted that the functions of every child are individual and unique and, therefore, require particular interpretation. As a result, the conflicts appearing based on certain conditions can be resolved most appropriately due to the understanding of the child’s behavior functions. The mentioned perspective impacts communication of the person with others. In their turn, people improve their adaptation to the social environment becoming an integral part of the community. Thus, the functional perspective promotes an in-depth understanding of human behavior by accurate interpretation.