Factors That Can Affect Your Behavior

Behavior changes overtime. It will depend on your environment and also from the things that happen in your life. There are factors that may affect your behavior which can be from internal or external factors.


The most important thing to do is to make them feel that you care. There's nothing wrong with asking your friend or a loved one if everything's good with them. You can do it from time to time whenever there's a sudden behavior change that you may have noticed.

Most of the time, either an illness or addiction will be prevented or treated if people will open up right away. So it is important to always extend a helping hand when you feel that someone close to you needs your help.


Factors That Can Affect Your Behavior

Internal Factors

It can be caused by what you have experienced or you're going through. This can be from an illness. Your behavior changes when you are sick. It can be because you lack the energy to do the same activities that you were doing before.

Health can greatly affect someone's behavior. It depends on what illness you may have. Some people who happen to be mentally ill, can have a major behavior change. It can alter one's personality. Most of the time, they switch to another personality which is way too far from their original behavior.


• Personality Disorder

Being troubled by your personality can totally diversify your behavior. People who suffer from this disorder may develop another personality which is different from how they used to be.


• Schizophrenia

This is a major mental health issue. People who happen to be schizophrenic really believe in this abnormal way of thinking. Behavior change is very noticeable at this stage.


• Bipolar Disorder

Bipolars cannot control their behavior like most normal people can. From being subtle, they can all of a sudden display violence. Thus it is one of the obvious symptoms of this disorder.


• Dementia

Most people with dementia exhibit very unusual behavior from their original self. It is as if they have transformed into a different person already.


• Alzheimer's Disease

Older people mostly suffer from this illness. It is when an affected individual almost forgets everything. They are out of control of their behavior as well. They might also behave as if they were kids.


External Factors

Our environment plays a big role when it comes to behavior change. This can be something that you acquire from your peers. If your friends behave differently from yourself, you tend to also do the same in the long run.

Addiction is also classified as an external factor which affects your behavior.


• Alcoholism

Since alcohol can easily be accessed, it is one of the most common addictions around. Alcoholics tend to have behavior change whenever they are unable to consume alcohol. They can have violent outbursts and even become destructive.


• Substance Abuse

People who suffer from addiction to any illegal substance can literally change their behavior from one minute to the next. It is because when the substance wears off, they experience withdrawal symptoms. It is a must to have it treated immediately to avoid further damage to themselves.


• Shopaholics

It is usually getting overlooked because it seems as if it is just normal behavior. However, shopaholics can also become destructive to themselves. They feel better whenever they spend and buy just about anything. But when the time comes that they are no longer able to do this freely, they might resort to shoplifting or even theft.


Best Solution to Control Behavioral Change

When someone's behavior is already affecting their lives negatively, it is time to intercept. However, it may not be applicable for some conditions.


1. Self Discipline

Behavior change can be changed from negative to positive as simple as introducing self discipline to the person again. It can work for those who are affected by external factors.

In most cases, teenagers who seem to be in their rebellious stage can be stopped by lecturing them. If it is hard for them to control the negative behavior by themselves, adult supervision is required.

However, for adults who should know what's right and wrong already, it can be challenging. They should be handled differently.

2. Rehabilitation

For some people whose behavior is affected because of their illness, it is best to seek help from a professional. If the individual suffers from mental health, it is a must for them to be confined into a mental institution so they can be treated right away.

If the person's addiction is already uncontrollable, rehabilitation centers can be their best bet. This is where they can get the proper treatment. It is also best to have them confined to avoid harming themselves or even become a threat to others.


3. Support Group

For some physical illnesses, the best thing to do is to provide them proper care and treatment. It will also help them to be with people who are in the same situation as them. It can help them relate and avoid feeling sorry about themselves. It is important for them to feel that it's not just happening to them.

In some cases of addiction, rehabilitation may not be what they need yet. They can attend support group discussions so they can admit the addiction to themselves and get past the denial stage. Since the group is composed of people with the same situation,it will be easier for them to communicate. The addiction may actually get resolved by conditioning and they can get out of it eventually.


Final Thoughts

Behavior change can be caused by an illness or an addiction. This can be a symptom that something is wrong with the person especially if the change is negative. It is important that you can detect the sudden change in order to help someone right away. This is easier to address while it was just beginning to happen. Although most of the time, they will keep it a secret. This can be challenging to even notice it.