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Behavioral script

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In the behaviorism approach to psychology behavioral scripts are a sequence of expected behaviors for a given situation. For example, when an individual enters a restaurant they choose a table, order, wait, eat, pay the bill and leave. People continually follow scripts which are acquired through habit, practice and simple routine. Following scripts is useful because it saves the time and mental effort of figuring out an appropriate behavior each time a situation is encountered.

Psychology

American and western social structure encourages a strong degree of behavioral scripts to be utilized within everyday interactions with others, and sociocultural norms dictate that humans utilize behavioral scripts.

Some people may have a tendency to habituate behavioral scripts in a manner that can act to limit consciousness in a subliminal manner, which can negatively influence or affect the subconscious mind, and subsequently negatively affect perceptions, judgments, values, beliefs, cognition and behavior. For example, over-reliance upon behavioral scripts combined with social norms that encourage people to utilize behavioral scripts may encourage people to stereotype others based upon socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, etc., and then subsequently develop prejudice toward other people that becomes subconsciously psychologically habituated and then manifested into personal behavioral scripts.

See also