Human Behaviour: Breaking the cognitive code – New Delhi Times – India’s Only International Newspaper

Isn’t it true that human mind and internal conflicts
have always been a subject of contention? It truly adds to the complexity of
modern existence as many of us are constantly engaged in deciphering the
behaviour of self and others with the best of the knowledge at our hand.

You might be aware that human behaviour is the
reflection of their mind and holds significant potential to vary immensely depending
upon the situation a person is in, the time and space he or she inhabits, and
the person he or she is interacting with. Don’t you find it interesting; I
certainly do?

Don’t you find yourself in a situation when you have
completely no idea about why a person is reacting in a certain way. Comprehending
behavioural pattern of anyone is a daunting task for people who hold a limited
sense of understanding. To come any near to a conclusion about a particular
behavioural pattern, deep psychological study is required. But we are not
delving into it.

Isn’t is quite funny that how so ever intelligently we
claim to understand one’s behaviour, still there are situations where our
reaction to it, we ourselves are unable to understand, forget about justifying
it. Can we claim to have a staunch and fixed believe system?

We being the progeny of a complex world order, have a
very intricate behavioural pattern and this very conflict within the self,
causes a sense of discomfort or unease. In philosophy, we term it as ‘cognitive
dissonance’ that refers to the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs,
or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioural decisions and attitude
change.

Conflicting behaviour within, bars us to comment on
any situation or thing to be absolutely correct or absolutely wrong. Isn’t it
that in our day to day life, we encounter situations that we pass judgements
upon, but deep inside we know that we ourselves are no saints? Even if in our
own hypocrisy we do so, internally we would know that we are deceiving our own
selves.

It brings us to the question of right and wrong? Who
decides what constitutes as right and what not? None of us would ever get the
answer of this ‘who’ because it is as vague and undefined as our behaviours.
When we are with our loved ones, we often try to dilute our anger and hurt to
an extent, but our reaction will vary drastically with a person we hate,
keeping the situation same. So, we can’t say that it in our inherent behaviour
to get angry and shout at others, but honestly it is quite situational.

Our behaviour is a reflection of how we feel in a
defined space and time. Despite being aware of the odds, our reaction comes as
an instantaneous impulse. Sometimes even the most mature of us are unable to
hold on to our patience and the outburst of our emotions sends a shock wave in
the close vicinity of people who think of the person as an embodiment of
endurance.

What do you think, how will you react when you imagine Mahatma Gandhi or Lord Buddha getting involved in some sort of heated argument with someone? Won’t we be shock? Yes, definitely we will.

Our
behavioural complexes not just affect the understanding of others about
ourselves, but our own sense of self sometimes comes under the arena of doubt
and this self-doubt has a very destructive potential. As humans we are destined
to commit mistakes and have conflicting emotions. Have you ever found yourself
in situations when at the same time you might be thinking about different
things and one thought stand in stark contrast to other? This situation deems
us helpless to weigh the consequences and come up with a definite stance.

Is in solitariness, we are true to one’s personality?
Not always. In the wake of time we have repressed our true emotions so much that
we find it very difficult to come to terms to our true selves. Under societal
pressure we tend to cover our true identity under a veil that best suits us in
different situations. This is the major reason why most of us have different
attitude and behaviour towards different people. In our closest of circle, we
try to be freer and more expressive, still we don’t show our cent percent to
others, how so ever dear they are to our heart.

Deciphering the cerebral code is no less than solving
a jigsaw puzzle that requires full attention and dedication along with a
commitment to never give up. At first all hints might add to the confusions,
but step by step things start making sense. The same is with human behaviour. So,
it is better we find our own personal ways to deal with the conflict within and
emerge victorious.