Introduction

Pushes or Pulls are very general names given to forces. A physicist is much more precise when describing forces acting on a body using terms like weight, frictional force, tension, normal reaction force, electrical force, magnetic force etc.
Any force could cause a change in the state of a body, in its shape or size. If all the forces acting on a body balance, there will be no change in the state of the body.
A picture suspended on a wall will not fall because its weight is balanced at the support through the tension in the cord used to suspend it. If the cord snaps, the unbalanced force of weight would cause it to fall. Also, if the picture is not adjusted correctly at the support, it would tend to rotate till it reached stability.
Consider the effect of your feet being stepped on by a person wearing stilleto-heeled shoes. No doubt you would scream in pain. The pain would definitely be milder if the same person trod on your feet wearing flat-heeled shoes. Explain this using the physics you learn in this unit.