Animals have satisfactory and unsatisfactory responses. If an animal does something and found pleasure due to the action, the creature will repeat the act for the same satisfying result. However, if an animal does something and had a bad response, it will process as an unsatisfying reaction and most likely will not repeat the action anytime in fear of the same bad result.
Humans are much more complex then animals but we too live to devote to the pursuit of pleasure but we also strive for self-gratification. We make every effort to be happy, to feel pleasure, be it smoking, drinking, sex, getting an A or a promotion, etc. We enjoy how it makes us feel and will do anything to get that good feeling again.
Unfortunately most humans cannot emotionally stop doing something no matter what the consequence, either emotionally or physically.
One example, say one falls in love, things go wrong you brake up and are left hurting (emotionally). One may hold off a relationship so that feeling doesn’t happen again. But others, will keep looking to find what they felt before, forgetting the possible hurt it could create. Because one may enjoy the feeling of love, one may risk the possible consequences.
A second example is the constant need for physical pleasure like taking or drinking drugs, things that are harmful to your body, you still continue because it all makes us feel so good. It’s satisfying (physically).
People will do anything in order to be satisfied. Like animals, we repeat actions to get that satisfactory response. But unlike animals, we repeat actions for quick pleasure even though we know the end result will be unpleasant. So in a way, humans are hedonistic, because our motivation is pleasure even if it is for a few moments. Then again we are not because we do not avoid certain situations to bypass the bad result.
What do you think?
Image from:http://medicblog999.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/happy-sad-faces.jpg
hummm.
ReplyDeletewell humans respond differently. We do seek for pleasure, after all we are pretty selfish creatures. However, some people give up their own happiness/pleasures to see others happy. Like they would sacrifice themselves. I don't know if animals have that same instinct, of caring. My 'consumer motivation in fashion' teacher though used to relate all of our 'behavior' to the life of wild animals. :)