Successful Achievement of the Required Result
The completion of any behavioral act directly depends on how closely the actual outcome matches the initial goal. The process of successful completion follows a clear algorithm:
- Information about the characteristics of what the body has actually achieved is transmitted through mechanisms of afferent feedback (reverse afferentation).
- These signals arrive at the action acceptor, where they are compared in detail with the parameters of the expected (required) result.
- If the parameters match completely, a positive emotion of satisfaction arises. It acts as a subjective indicator that the initial need has been met.
As soon as the act is successfully completed, it terminates. Immediately afterward, a new need is actualized in the body, and the systemic architecture is re-established for the next behavioral cycle.
Errors and Behavioral Correction
The planned result is far from always achieved on the first attempt. If an inadequate outcome is obtained instead of the desired result, the system reacts instantly to the error:
- Afferent feedback delivers the parameters of the incorrect result to the action acceptor.
- Comparison reveals a mismatch (discrepancy with the standard).
- This conflict triggers an orienting-exploratory reaction.
Thanks to this reaction, the body does not dwell on failure. A radical restructuring of afferent synthesis takes place, a new and often "alternative" decision is made, and a corrected action acceptor is formed. As a result, an updated action program is built, which is directed once again toward satisfying the initial need.
Role of Emotions and Emotional Stress
Emotions play the role of a vital regulator in the systemic organization of behavior.
Negative emotion forms precisely at the moment when signals indicate the absence of the desired result or when a mismatch is detected in the action acceptor. From a biological standpoint, this is a powerful activating factor. Negative emotion mobilizes the body, forcing it to overcome obstacles (both biological and social in nature) on the path to the goal.
However, if an individual encounters a conflict situation (when a critically significant need exists, but achieving the result is impossible for a prolonged period), the negative emotion increases manifold. This leads to the development of emotional stress.
In predisposed individuals, emotional stress causes severe somatic consequences:
- Arterial hypertension;
- Cardiac arrhythmias or dysfunction;
- Immunodeficiency states;
- Peptic ulcer disease of the gastrointestinal tract.
Differences Between Systemic Architecture and the Reflex Arc
The classic reflex arc is not a synonym for a behavioral act, but merely one component of its complex systemic architecture.
Behavior is based on the principles of continuous self-regulation. Unlike a simple arc, the functional system includes specific and much more complex stages:
- Afferent synthesis;
- Decision making;
- Formation of the action acceptor;
- Direct acquisition of the result;
- Continuous evaluation of the obtained data using afferent feedback.
In physiological diagrams, the reflex arc is usually highlighted only as an integral part of this large-scale chain of self-regulating processes.