Describes about mind and body relationship.

1. UNIT-2
BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF
HUMANPSYCHOLOGY
Prepared by:
Mrs Priyanka Rana Kamboj
Nursing tutor
CIMS college of nursing

2. INTRODUCTION
 The biology of behavior is the study of behavioral
functions of the nervous system, particularly the
brain.
 “Physiological psychology” is that branch of
psychology which seeks to determine how activity in
the nervous system is related to behavior & the mind.
 Human behavior involves the body-mind interaction of
the various bodily factors. The most important are:
1) The sense organs, called receptors.
2) The muscles & endocrine glands called effectors
3) The nervous system known as the connecting or
integrating mechanism.

3. RECEPTORS
 Behavior in all its forms &
shapes has definitely a
biological or physiological
base.
 The behavior is based on the
various stimuli present in the
external environment & lying
within our body.
 The stimuli in the form of
various sensory experiences
are received by our sensory
systems known as receptors

4. RECEPTORS
EXTERNAL
RECEPTORS
 External receptors are those
sensory mechanisms that
help us make contact with the
outer world, for example,
eyes, ears, nose, tongue &
skin.
 The specific receptor cells for
receiving the external stimuli
lie within these sensory
systems.

5. RECEPTORS
INTERNAL RECEPTORS
 These receptors are associated with the
internal stimuli present in our body.
 They are responsible for feelings of pain,
hunger or nausea.
 Another variety of these internal receptors
helps us in maintaining balance, bodily
posture & equilibrium & also exercise control
over the muscle.

6. RECEPTORS
SENSE ORGANS
 Our sense organs help in assimilating knowledge
of the world around us. Each of our sense organs
has a distinct function to perform.
 Sense organs consist of receptors, which are
specialized sensitive cells associated with ending
of sensory nerve fibers. These receptors are
stimulated by objects outside the body & also by
internal conditions.
 When the receptors are not functioning properly,
they lead to sensory defects or disorders- visual,
auditory, cutaneous, olfactory, gustatory,
kinaesthetic & static disorders.

7. EFFECTORS
 Effectors are termed as the organs of responses.
 What is received through the sensory organs in the
form of sensory input is responded through bodily
reactions & motor activities carried out through
muscles & glands, particularly the hormones
secreted by the ductless gland which are responsible
for most of our behavior patterns.
 The under-activity or over-activity of these glands,
causes deficiency or excess of hormonal secretion.
 This affects the entire personality make-up of the
individual.

8. EFFECTORS (CONTD..)
MUSCLES
 Our behavior & activity involves movement of
different parts of our body.
 Muscles help the organism to carry out motor
activities in order to respond to various
stimuli.
 There are mainly three types of muscle –
smooth muscles, cardiac muscles & skeletal
muscles

9. EFFECTORS (CONTD..)
GLANDS
 Glands play an important
role in human behavior.
 They also assist in the
digestion of food,
elimination of waste
products, production &
prolongation of emotion
states & regulation of
metabolism of the body.
 There are two types of
glands:
1. Duct glands
2. Ductless or endocrine
glands.

10. EFFECTORS (CONTD..)
GLANDS
 The duct glands release their chemical secretion
through little ducts or tubes into the body cavities
or on the surface of the body. Some of the duct
glands are
 Salivary glands
 Gastric glands
 Sweat glands
 Lacrimal glands
 Kidney
 Sex glands

11. EFFECTORS (CONTD..)
 The ductless or endocrine glands secrete chemical substances
called hormones.
 The hormones are released into blood stream & are carried to
all parts of the body.
 They play a vital role in the determination of human personality.
 They affect the development of the body, general metabolism,
mental development, development of secondary sex
characteristics & emotional behavior.
 The endocrine glands are
 The pituitary
 Thyroid
 Parathyroid
 Adrenals
 Male sex glands or gonads
 Pancreas
GLANDS

12. CONNECTORS
 Connectors or adjustors help in regulating,
controlling or coordinating the activities of
receptors & effectors
 The ability to play a piano, drive a car or hit a
tennis ball depends on muscle co- ordination.
 It is necessary for the body to provide messages
to the muscles to coordinate.
 These messages are passed through specialized
cells called neurons.

13. NEURON
 A nerve cell with all its branches is called a neuron.
 These are the basic elements of the nervous system.
 A neuron has a nucleus, a cell body & a cell
membrane to enclose the whole cell body called
dendrites.
 Their role is to receive message through electrical
impulses from the sense organs or adjacent neurons
& carry them to the cell body.

14. NEUROTRANSMITTERS
 Neurotransmitters are a particularly important link
between the nervous system & behavior.
 Deficiency or an excess of a neurotransmitter can
produce severe behavior disorders.
 Some major neurotransmitters are:
 Acetylcholine - sleep, arousal, pain perception,
modulation & coordination of movement and
memory acquisition and retention.
 Norepinephrine-associated with “fight & flight”
 Dopamine – regulation of movement &
coordination, emotions ,voluntary decision making
ability.
 Serotonin -sleep, arousal,libido, appetite, mood,
agggression & pain perception.
 endorphins – helps to deal with stress.

15. NERVOUS SYSTEM
The human nervous system can be divided into two
parts
Peripheral Nervous
System
It constitutes of the somatic
system & autonomic system
CENTRAL NERVOUS
SYSTEM
It constitutes of the brain &
spinal cord

17. CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

18. CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
THE FOREBRAIN
 It’s important structures are
thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic
system & the cerebrum.
 All sensory impulses pass through
from thalamus to the higher
centers.
 The thalamus has plays a role in
the control of sleep & alertness.

19. HYPOTHALAMUS
 It lies below the thalamus.
 It exerts a key influence on all
kind of emotional as well as
motivational behavior.
 Centers in the hypothalamus
have control over the
important body processes like
eating, drinking, sleeping,
temperature control & sex.

20. The limbic system
 It consists of structures in the thalamus,
hypothalamus & cerebrum which form a ring around
the lower part of the forebrain.
 The limbic system often called the emotional brain,
functions in emotional aspects of behavior related to
survival, memory, smell, pleasure & pain, rage &
aggression, affections, sexual desire etc.

21. The Cerebrum
 It is most complex &
largest part of the
brain.
 The cerebrum is
covered by a thick
layer of tightly packed
neurons called the
cerebral cortex.
 It is divided into two
hemispheres; the left &
right hemispheres

22. The midbrain
 It is concerned with the relaying of messages particularly
those related to hearing & sight to higher brain centers.
 One of its important structures is known as Reticular
Activating System (RAS).
 With the help of this structure an individual is able to
decide which impulses should be registered consciously
& which should be rejected.
 It is composed of three structures - the medulla, the
pons & the cerebellum.
 Medulla controls breathing & many important reflexes &
it also regulates the digestion, respiration & circulation.
 The pons assists in breathing, transmitting impulses
from the cerebellum to the higher brain regions.
 Cerebellum is responsible for body balance & the
coordination of body movements like dancing, typing,
playing, etc.

23. SPINAL CORD
 It works as a channel of communication from & to
the brain.
 It is a rope like structure made up of long round
nerve fibers.
 It also works as an organ for effective reflex actions
like withdrawal of the hand when something is hot.
 These reflex actions are almost automatic in nature.

24. BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
 The entire behavior is effectively managed &
controlled by the co-ordination & functioning of the
nervous system.
 How we will behave in a particular situation
depends upon the judgment of our brain.
 The sense impressions, which are received through
the sense organs, do not bear any significance
unless they are given a meaning by the nervous
system.

25. IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM&
GLANDS TO A NURSE
 It helps the nurse to understand the physiological
basis of patient behavior.
 It helps the nurse to understand how glandular
secretions influence personality.
 It helps the nurse to understand the various
diseases of nervous system & glands & their
effects on human behavior.
 It helps the nurse in understanding the process of
attainment of knowledge & learning, by knowing
this she can make desirable changes.

26. LEVELS OF FUNCTIONING
The individual functions at three
levels:
1. Conscious level
2. Preconscious level
3. Unconscious level

27. 1. Conscious Level
 It constitutes all those experiences of which an
individual is immediately aware of at any particular
time.
 It consists of his current thoughts & experiences. •
For example; attending to something, observing,
thinking, reasoning, judging, imagining.
 Every conscious experience has three aspects
cognitive(to know), affective(feelings /emotions) &
conative(to do).

28. 2. Pre-conscious Level
 Pre-conscious thoughts are memories of which an
individual may not be aware of, but can recall to
mind when he wishes.
 Pre-conscious mental process are also called
subconscious mental process.
 For example; sometimes we forget a name in the
course of a conversation. We do not become
conscious of it, we make an effort & try to recollect,
after sometime, the name which we were in search
of, springs all at once into consciousness.

29. 3. Unconscious Level
 Experiences those which are not easily reached by
our conscious thoughts as the pre-conscious
experiences.
 We are not aware of our unconscious functions &
cannot understand them at any one time.
 Unconscious experiences cannot become
conscious but must be inferred from our behavior.
 For example; certain things make you very angry
but you cannot understand why you become so
angry.

30. BODY-MIND RELATIONSHIP
 Psychology studies human behavior which involves
both body & the mind.
 They are interrelated & interact upon each other.
 Mental functions & physical states affect each other.
 Body & the mind are two aspects of the living,
dynamic & adjusting personality.
 Mind is regarded as a function of the body; it does
not exist apart from the body.
 It is some total of various mental process such as
observing, knowing, thinking, reasoning, feeling,
imagining, remembering, judging & others.

31. Modulation Process in Health and Illness
Effects of bodily conditions on mental functioning
 Increased blood pressure causes mental excitement.
 Severe pain reduces the concentration level
 Chronic illness causes depression
 Malfunctioning of the endocrine glands for example, may
exert a full influence on one’s personality, resulting in
lethargy, nervous tension, etc.
 Unpleasant emotions like fear, anger & worry cause
irritability, insomnia, headache etc. mental processes are
intimately connected to brain or cortical processes.
 Emotional conflicts are responsible for peptic ulcer,
ulcerative colitis etc.
 Deep thinking & concentration can cause physical strain

32. HEREDITY AND ENVIORNMENT
Heredity is considered as “the sum total of inborn
individual traits”.
Biologically, it has been defined as “the sum total of
traits potentially present in the fertilized ovum”.
According to Douglas & Holland “one‟s heredity
consists of all the structures, physical characteristics,
functions or capacities derived from parents, other
ancestry or species”

33. GENETICS ANDBEHAVIOR
 Heredity is the basis for the development of
human personality.
 Many aspects of human behavior &
development ranging from physical
characteristics such as height, weight, eye
& skin color, the complex patterns of social
& intellectual behavior are influenced by
person’s genetic endowment.

34. Environment
 The child inherits the traits & characteristics of his
parents & forefathers through genes at the time of
conception.
 Environment covers the social, moral, economical,
political, physical & intellectual factors which influence
the development of the individual from time to time
 Types of Environment
1. Intercellular environment: It relates to embryonic
development.
2. Intrauterine environment: It shelters the baby during
prenatal life.
3. External environment: It divided into three kinds:
a) Physical environment
b) Biological environment
c) Psychosocial environment.