Concept of Homeostasis (With Criticism) | Human Behaviour | Psychology

After reading this article you will learn about the concept of homeostasis with its criticism.

Scientists working in the area of psychology towards the early part of this century were fascinated by the concept of homeostasis. They borrowed this concept from physiology and tried to explain psychological processes along these lines. Claude Bernard, a physiologist coined the word ‘homeostasis’ to explain the stability of the inner environment or physiological equilibrium.

The function of all the biological drives is to regulate and maintain the physiological equilibrium of the individual. When the internal state is disturbed the conditions propel the organism to seek activity. Such activity continues until the equilibrium is restored and this state is called homeostasis.

Many homeostatic processes are physiological and automatic, e.g. maintenance of body temperature, adequate supply of nutrition for growth and maintenance of the body and so on. Any type of deficiency can create imbalance in the organism and this imbalance leads to a state of disequilibrium. When an organism is in this state, it tries its best to restore itself to the state of balance or equilibrium.

This is seen clearly when there is a tear on the body. Under normal conditions our tissues grow and patch the tear and bring the skin to its normal state. It has also been proved that a child who is deficient in salt prefers food with extra salt. Similarly, a child who is deficient in calcium is found to prefer food with calcium content or exhibit tendencies like eating chalk, licking walls and so on.

The concept of homeostasis can satisfactorily explain the behaviour of a biological man whose needs are the same as those of animals. However, psychologists who extended this concept tried to classify this form of biological equilibrium under the heading static equilibrium or static homeostasis.

This involves a limited part of the organism, mostly reflexes or chains of reflexes, where activities are controlled by the spinal cord and the brain. But the human being is more than a biological creature. Our mental capacity makes us far more complex animals. So the concept of dynamic homeostasis has been suggested to explain man’s complex behaviour.

This behaviour takes place as a consequence of the functioning of the cerebral cortex. Just as an organism strives to restore its balance when there is physiological deficiency so does it strive when there is psychological imbalance.

This could be inferred from the processes of adjustment or ego defence mechanisms and other ways and means employed by human beings to resolve conflicts and reduce the tension arising out of such conflicts at least for the time being. This state is referred to as dynamic equilibrium by Kurt Lewin. Thus, it can be concluded that static and dynamic homeostasis are key concepts in understanding human motives.

Criticism of Homeostasis:

The concept of homeostasis has been borrowed from physics and physiology to explain psychological processes. Trying to explain psychological processes with this concept is like fixing a square peg in a round hole. Critics argue that many a time man exhibits such a variety of behaviour that it can be explained neither by static nor dynamic homeostasis.

An organism might behave in such a manner that it deliberately upsets its equilibrium and destroys itself. For example, striving for adventure, revolting against society or bringing about social reforms often means an increase in tension, discomfort and disruption of the constant state of equilibrium.

Sometimes men choose death and torture to dishonour, prefer ascetic and religious experiences to the satisfaction of their hunger or thirst. So we see that homeostasis, though a valuable concept, does not give the entire picture of human motivation.