Diversity of human potential Essay

Gardner meanwhile developed the concept of multiple intelligences to reflect diversity of what human beings can do. He argued that there aptitudes or different propensities including linguistics, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences. Learning as a social behavior Bandura’s social learning theory extends the concept of the human potential and noted the role of obtaining competencies through the process of response consequences or observational learning which is essentially imitation or modeling. Modeling according to this theory has four components. Attention, the first component is perception of the significant attributes of a particular behavior. Retention is the next component or coding or committing the behavior to memory. Motor reproduction is the ability to reproduce the modeled behavior. The fourth component is motivational or reinforcements – the necessary push to do set of actions associated with the particular behavior (Bandura, 1975). The three basic psychological concepts outlined above just about cover the domain of psychology and points us to the direction that although there are individual competencies or potentials what happened if these individuals co-exists at particular setting. Bandura posited learning would be impossibility without a social setting even assuming the individual has the potential to learn (Bandura, 1962, , 1975). Accounting for variations. Levels of permanence and variability defines features of the individual like body shape which is relatively permanent than mental recognition or perception which could change quickly which may be internal or influenced by external factors. If modeling is a way of learning accounting for changes through time would be the next step, which is progression. In the case of suicide which has very strong negative association Kolb’s experiential learning cycle model would be helpful and may provide an expanded understanding on how groups or social networks form. This is very important as it has been shown modeling or experiencing losing someone because of suicide is a difficult phase which has proven significant as shown by Bearman and Moody, in terms of suicidal ideation or making the person who committed suicide a model figure (Bearman & Moody, 2004). Kolb identified four phases which has interesting interrelationships if taken not as phases but states of mind which is simultaneously being processed. Psychological diversity would be immense because of possibilities of dominance of each of the state of minds. Concrete experience (CE) and abstract conceptualization (AC), for example could be taken as off tangent to each other as experience could be taken as activity which is cyclical in itself but abstraction and conceptualization (AC) is progressive. Human potential may have been the same in the past 300 years but the explosion of knowledge because of science and technology what Bruner may call as powerful amplifiers. Reflective observation (RO) and active experimentation (AE) meanwhile in context of CE and AC could explain possible changes or how situations develop. To tie these all up is talking about the process cognition. As applied to understanding of the complex act of committing suicide, we see that actual experience or feeling the pressure from the environment as continuing until the final act. It is easy to understand what clinical psychologist would point out that suicidal tendencies should be seen as a form of mental illness an irrational behavior wherein the mind or the will has ceased to function. Kolb’s model is posited on the positive or rational thinking and development towards a higher plane of competence and learning as the rule or trend of human behavior. But still we could use Kolb’s and others thinking on human development as operative albeit the outcome is generally considered unacceptable. A lot of cases tends to point out there are risky social situations which may push some people into progressive stages until the act of committing suicide. For this we explore the sociological perspectives.