What Determines Human Actions? Essay Example

What determines human actions? It is challenging to understand how and why people behave the way they do and what factors motivate their choices. According to Toomela (563), psychology is the study of human behavior, from their choices to their reactions to conflicts.  The 2020 United States presidential elections attracted global attention since America is perceived as the world’s most powerful country. In the study of why people act as they do, perceptions can be influenced by past experiences, interests, and motives. Therefore, understanding various psychological aspects of life is essential in solving problems and conflict resolutions, leading to society’s harmony.

Trump’s final days by New York Times’s Peter Baker analyses President Trump’s reaction to the presidential election results. Trump uses Twitter to communicate his opinions as he insists that his prediction about the coronavirus outbreak was accurate than predictions made by experts. The article argues that Trump was sometimes moody and depressed that he could not show up to work, but the focus is on his denial of the election results, citing fraud as the reason for his loss. While in Georgia, the President told his supporters that they had won even though the declared results stated differently. I chose this article because American politics is of global interest, and the US government has always encouraged democracy in other countries. The claim by the sitting President that their elections were flawed makes it interesting to study.

The second article presented by Barry et al., Our President Wants Us Here’: The Mob That Stormed the Capitol,’ describes the Capitol’s storming as Trump supporters believed they would get justice by presenting their dissatisfaction with the election results to the stakeholders present there. The crowd aims at reversing the election results to favor Trump. The article further discusses the influence Trump had in the process and the effects it may cause the American government. The act of denial poses a threat to the incoming administration and may tarnish the incoming President’s legitimacy to his supporters. I chose this article because it is recent, affects many people’s lives, and impacts my life as a person interested in democracy. There are various aspects of the story that can be explained psychologically and suggest the appropriate solution.

The ego defense mechanism chapter describes why and how people unconsciously react to situations to protect themselves from anxiety due to unwanted feelings (Zienert-Eilts 972). The chapter on personality is also evident in this article, where different aspects of the President are revealed due to his reaction to challenging decisions like conceding defeat. Ego defense and personality are related since one aspect may influence the other. From the chapters mentioned above, there are several psychological concepts such as determinism, ego, law and effect, anxiety, aggression, conformity, contrast, depression, symptom, projection, dependent variable, denial, phobia, prejudice, traits, reaction formation, reinforcement, punishment, blocking and socialization.

From Trump’s Final Days of Rage and Denial, the first sentence of the second paragraph stating ‘moody…sometimes depressed’ relates to the concepts of anxiety and depression. Mazza (594) explains anxiety as emotions accompanied by tension feelings, while depression is the emotional state of feeling low. From the above article, President is feeling low and is hoping for the election results to be reversed. He does not feel happy about the outcome and is anxious about what action to take next. The article ‘Our President Wants Us Here’: The Mob That Stormed the Capitol by Barry et al., the first sentence in the fourth paragraph says ‘We’re not backing down anymore,’ relates to the concept of denial as an ego defense mechanism. This mechanism elaborates how people deny their reality to fulfill their psychological needs.

Psychology enables a person to understand human behavior and how to tame them. From the reaction in the article ‘Trump’s Final Days of Rage and Denial,’ if President Trump had psychology knowledge, he would understand that denial cannot solve the challenge he is facing; it only postpones the problem. If his supporters in Georgia had psychology knowledge, they would ignore the instructions given of denying the election results and congratulate the opposing side. In the second article, ‘Our President Wants Us Here’: The Mob That Stormed the Capitol,’ psychology knowledge would prevent trump supporters from storming the capital since they would view it as projection, a behavior of directing your anger to the wrong people.

The current global pandemic of the Coronavirus is one of the most challenging experiences I have ever had. The virus has made me fearful because I do not know whether I am the next victim since I have seen two of my neighbors die, and it was said the virus was the cause. The restriction of movement and limited opportunity to interact psychologically affects me because I am a social person, and being alone can be challenging. I think governments tighten health regulations to prevent further spread of the virus, and researchers should ensure the virus invented does not harm the users like I and other citizens. I am anxious and occasionally depressed, but I occasionally use denial and projection as defense mechanisms.

Coronavirus is seemingly going to stay for long because of its mode of transmission. The world had survived previous pandemics, and we shall surely overcome Covid 19. However, people must prioritize their safety even if they do not believe in some of the information governments provide. Knowledge of psychology is essential during this period because it helps a person solve the dilemma of going to work and get the virus or stay safe and die of hunger. Psychiatrists should ensure they give people solutions to people in need of mental support during this pandemic period.

Work Cited

Baker, Peter. “Trump’S Final Days Of Rage And Denial.” Nytimes.Com, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/us/politics/trump-presidency-election-loss.html. Accessed 6 Apr 2021.

Barry, Dan. “‘Our President Wants Us Here’: The Mob That Stormed The Capitol.” Nytimes.Com, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/capitol-rioters.html. Accessed 6 Apr 2021.

Toomela, Aaro. “Psychology Today: Still in denial, still outdated.” Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science 54.3 (2020): 563-571.

Zienert-Eilts, Karin Johanna. “Destructive populism as “perverted containing”: A psychoanalytical look at the attraction of Donald Trump.” The International Journal of Psychoanalysis 101.5 (2020): 971-991.