How can we explain why people behave the way they do?
Explanations of human behaviour relevant to care, including the nature-nurture debate and how needs and experiences influence behaviour, and why behaviour should be understood rather than judged.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on how human behaviour can be explained, covering the nature-nurture debate, how needs and experiences shape behaviour, and why care workers should seek to understand behaviour rather than judge it.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain why people behave as they do, using ideas that are relevant to care. Two big ideas run through this: the nature-nurture debate (is behaviour inherited or learned?) and the idea that needs and experiences drive behaviour. The key message for care is that behaviour should be understood, not simply judged.
The nature-nurture debate
The most important explanation of behaviour in this unit is the nature-nurture debate.
- The nature side points to inherited characteristics, temperament and biology.
- The nurture side points to upbringing, relationships, experiences and what a person has learned.
As with development, the accepted view is that behaviour comes from both, working together. A person's inherited make-up and their experiences interact to produce how they act. This links straight back to the principle that development results from an interaction of the individual and the environment.
Behaviour is driven by needs
A powerful explanation in care is that behaviour is driven by needs. When a need is not being met, people act in ways that try to get it met.
For example, a young child who is tired or hungry may have a tantrum; the behaviour communicates the unmet need. An older person with dementia who is in pain but cannot say so may become agitated. If the care worker recognises and meets the underlying need, the behaviour usually settles. This is why care workers are taught to ask "what is this behaviour telling me?" rather than just reacting to it.
Experiences shape behaviour
A person's past experiences also influence how they behave now. Someone who has experienced loss, abuse or instability may find it hard to trust others or may react strongly to certain situations. Someone with positive, secure experiences may be more confident. Knowing a person's history helps a care worker make sense of their behaviour and respond sensitively.
Why this matters in care
Understanding behaviour is central to good, respectful care. If a care worker sees behaviour as communication and looks for the underlying need or experience, they respond with patience and meet the real problem. This protects the person's dignity, links directly to the care values in Unit 3, and usually works far better than judging or punishing the behaviour.
Try this
Q1. State what the "nurture" side of the nature-nurture debate argues. [1 mark]
- Cue. That behaviour is shaped by the environment, upbringing, experiences and learning.
Q2. Give one reason why a person in care might show difficult behaviour. [1 mark]
- Cue. An unmet need, such as pain, fear, loneliness or boredom (behaviour as communication).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA N5 style4 marksExplain how a person's needs can affect their behaviour. Use an example from a care setting.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark explain question wants developed points with an example, so link unmet needs to behaviour clearly.
Point 1. When a need is not met, a person often behaves in a way that tries to get that need met, even if the behaviour seems difficult. Behaviour is a form of communication.
Point 2. Example: an older person with dementia who is in pain but cannot explain it may become agitated or aggressive. The behaviour is caused by the unmet physical need (pain), not by the person being "difficult".
Point 3. If the care worker meets the underlying need (treats the pain, or reassures someone who is frightened), the behaviour usually settles, which shows the need was driving it.
Markers reward an answer that links a need to a behaviour and shows the care response, with a clear example. Simply saying "people behave badly when upset" without explanation would not gain full marks.
SQA N5 style3 marksDescribe what is meant by the nature-nurture debate in explaining behaviour.Show worked answer →
This is a describe question worth 3 marks, so make three clear points covering both sides and the conclusion.
Point 1. The nature side argues that behaviour is shaped by inherited factors, such as genes, temperament and biology that a person is born with.
Point 2. The nurture side argues that behaviour is shaped by the environment, such as upbringing, experiences, relationships and learning.
Point 3. The accepted view is that behaviour results from both nature and nurture working together (an interaction), not from one side alone.
Markers reward an answer that describes both sides and reaches the interaction conclusion. Describing only nature or only nurture would limit the marks.
Related dot points
- The principles of human development - that age groups are only general indicators of developmental change, that change does not always happen in discrete stages, and that development results from an interaction between the individual and the environment.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on the principles of human development, covering age as a general indicator, why change does not always happen in neat stages, and how development results from the interaction of the individual and the environment.
- The factors that affect human development - inherited (genetic), environmental, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors - and how each can support or limit development.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on the factors that affect human development - inherited, environmental, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors - and how each can support or hold back a person's development.
- The physical, intellectual, emotional and social (PIES) aspects of human development, what each covers, and how the aspects are linked.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on the four aspects of human development - physical, intellectual, emotional and social (PIES) - explaining what each one covers and how the aspects are connected.
- The care values and principles that underpin positive care practice - including dignity and respect, the right to choose, confidentiality, equality and anti-discriminatory practice, the right to be safe, independence and realising potential - and what person-centred care means.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on the care values and principles that underpin positive care practice, covering dignity and respect, choice, confidentiality, equality, safety, independence and realising potential, and what person-centred care means.
Sources & how we know this
- National 5 Care Course Specification — SQA (2017)