The Social-Cognitive Perspective
The Social Cognitive Perspective
The Social Cognitive Perspective is a psychological theory on personality founded by Albert Bandura that paved the way for Behaviorism. In short, the perspective basically states that we learn by observing others or conditioning and model our behaviors after those situations. Mental processes are also emphasized in this theory, hence the “cognitive” aspect. Bandura’s perspective focuses on how we interact with our environments and the events we experience. Several other theorists’ helped shape this theory into what is studied today. Like every theory, it has it’s own strengths and weaknesses; however, it is widely respected and regarded in the psychological community. One of the basic concepts of the Social Cognitive theory is observational learning. Basically, we learn by observing others. We don’t simply copy the behaviors we see displayed by others; however, we do use our observations to learn and understand how certain behaviors will help or hurt us in regards to reaching a goal or the outcome of a situation. Bandura did not necessarily believe that reinforcement or punishment were necessary for one to learn and that we can learn by simply observing and drawing our own conclusions on the situation. This theory believes that our personality is molded by reciprocal determinism. Reciprocal determinism is the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition and environment. David G. Myers (2009) suggests that we are both products and architects of our environment. The way we feel about something influences the way we act regarding that situation. For instance, a person who enjoys playing tennis most likely associates with other tennis players, causing them to talk and think about playing tennis, which usually leads them back to the courts. It’s a cycle that comes from our environments, thoughts, and influences. All of these factors shape our personality. Self-efficacy is a term that was coined by Bandura to describe
The Social Cognitive Perspective is a psychological theory on personality founded by Albert Bandura that paved the way for Behaviorism. In short, the perspective basically states that we learn by observing others or conditioning and model our behaviors after those situations. Mental processes are also emphasized in this theory, hence the “cognitive” aspect. Bandura’s perspective focuses on how we interact with our environments and the events we experience. Several other theorists’ helped shape this theory into what is studied today. Like every theory, it has it’s own strengths and weaknesses; however, it is widely respected and regarded in the psychological community. One of the basic concepts of the Social Cognitive theory is observational learning. Basically, we learn by observing others. We don’t simply copy the behaviors we see displayed by others; however, we do use our observations to learn and understand how certain behaviors will help or hurt us in regards to reaching a goal or the outcome of a situation. Bandura did not necessarily believe that reinforcement or punishment were necessary for one to learn and that we can learn by simply observing and drawing our own conclusions on the situation. This theory believes that our personality is molded by reciprocal determinism. Reciprocal determinism is the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition and environment. David G. Myers (2009) suggests that we are both products and architects of our environment. The way we feel about something influences the way we act regarding that situation. For instance, a person who enjoys playing tennis most likely associates with other tennis players, causing them to talk and think about playing tennis, which usually leads them back to the courts. It’s a cycle that comes from our environments, thoughts, and influences. All of these factors shape our personality. Self-efficacy is a term that was coined by Bandura to describe