The Social-Cognitive Perspective states that behavior is influenced by the interaction between people's traits and thinking and also their social environment and context. This perspective was proposed by Bandura after his famous Bo-Bo doll experiments. On the social side, we tend to watch others and their behaviors and then model our behavior after theirs. On the cognitive side, our thoughts and the way we perceive situations influence the way we respond to certain situations and experiences. Our schemas and memories may also influence our behaviors.
Reciprocal Determinism has three parts: environment, individual, and behavior. Bandura believed that an individual influenced and was influenced by the world around him as well as his personal characteristics. For example, a past behavior (behavior) influences a current preference or decision (internal) which then influences how environmental factors will affect their current behavior.
Example:
Behavior: learning to water ski
Internal factors: fear, thoughts about the risks, thoughts about how fun and exhilarating it will be
Environmental factors: family and friends on the boat encouraging you to try it, your mother telling you to be very careful
All three of these parts influences whether or not you decide to learn to ski. You are hesitant yourself but you also want the thrill of it. Your friends and family are cheering you on, but your mother is not so sure about it. You then decide based on these factors to go through with it, so you act out the behavior.
Internal locus of control: the perception that you control your own fate. In reference to the social-cognitive theory, "internals" are individuals who think that their personal fate is controlled by them only. They don't rely on chance. These individuals strive to do what is necessary to accomplish their goals. For example, if they desire a specific job, they are going to put in the work and effort to ensure that they get it. They don't leave it to chance.
External locus of control: the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate. In reference to the social-cognitive theory, "externals" leave their fate in the hands of luck and chance. They believe that if they are going to get a job, it's going to be because they were in the right place at the right time. These individuals do not easily cope with stressors and they are often more depressed than "internals" because they might feel as though chance and luck are not on their sides. They do not strive as hard to reach their goals because they leave their future to chance.
Learned helplessness: when repeatedly faced with traumatic events over which they have no control, people come to feel hopeless and depressed, slipping into passive resignation. People with learned helplessness often perceive control as external and out of reach. This comes from being unsure of how one's environment will respond. For example, when people who are in nursing homes or even college are given little control over their world, they experience lower morale and a higher increase in stress. A reassuring verdict that researchers have constructed based on learned helplessness is this: under conditions of personal freedom and empowerment, people thrive. So if someone has a say-so in their world and their future, they will thrive instead of feel hopeless because they have a sense of control over what happens to them.
Attributional Style: the way people explain their experience of a particular event, either positively or negatively. Those who are optimistic about even the worst situations are similar to "internals" because they still feel some sort of control over the situation. They also deal with stressors more easily, allowing them to be more positive in even the gravest of situations. Pessimists base their experiences on control as well, but they are negative thinkers. They feel as though things that happen are out of their control and that they are not as able as others to accomplish tasks. They give up easily and let stress overcome them.
Criticisms of Social-Cognitive Theory:
Citations:
Flamand, L. (2009, September 10). Critique of Social Cognitive Theory. eHow. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.ehow.com/about_5402265_critique-social-cognitive-theory.html
Myers, D. (2010). Module 47: Contemporary Research on Personality. Psychology In Modules, 9th Edition (). New York: Worth Publishers.
Reciprocal Determinism has three parts: environment, individual, and behavior. Bandura believed that an individual influenced and was influenced by the world around him as well as his personal characteristics. For example, a past behavior (behavior) influences a current preference or decision (internal) which then influences how environmental factors will affect their current behavior.
Example:
Behavior: learning to water ski
Internal factors: fear, thoughts about the risks, thoughts about how fun and exhilarating it will be
Environmental factors: family and friends on the boat encouraging you to try it, your mother telling you to be very careful
All three of these parts influences whether or not you decide to learn to ski. You are hesitant yourself but you also want the thrill of it. Your friends and family are cheering you on, but your mother is not so sure about it. You then decide based on these factors to go through with it, so you act out the behavior.
Internal locus of control: the perception that you control your own fate. In reference to the social-cognitive theory, "internals" are individuals who think that their personal fate is controlled by them only. They don't rely on chance. These individuals strive to do what is necessary to accomplish their goals. For example, if they desire a specific job, they are going to put in the work and effort to ensure that they get it. They don't leave it to chance.
External locus of control: the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate. In reference to the social-cognitive theory, "externals" leave their fate in the hands of luck and chance. They believe that if they are going to get a job, it's going to be because they were in the right place at the right time. These individuals do not easily cope with stressors and they are often more depressed than "internals" because they might feel as though chance and luck are not on their sides. They do not strive as hard to reach their goals because they leave their future to chance.
Learned helplessness: when repeatedly faced with traumatic events over which they have no control, people come to feel hopeless and depressed, slipping into passive resignation. People with learned helplessness often perceive control as external and out of reach. This comes from being unsure of how one's environment will respond. For example, when people who are in nursing homes or even college are given little control over their world, they experience lower morale and a higher increase in stress. A reassuring verdict that researchers have constructed based on learned helplessness is this: under conditions of personal freedom and empowerment, people thrive. So if someone has a say-so in their world and their future, they will thrive instead of feel hopeless because they have a sense of control over what happens to them.
Attributional Style: the way people explain their experience of a particular event, either positively or negatively. Those who are optimistic about even the worst situations are similar to "internals" because they still feel some sort of control over the situation. They also deal with stressors more easily, allowing them to be more positive in even the gravest of situations. Pessimists base their experiences on control as well, but they are negative thinkers. They feel as though things that happen are out of their control and that they are not as able as others to accomplish tasks. They give up easily and let stress overcome them.
Criticisms of Social-Cognitive Theory:
- It focuses too much on the situation and not as much on a person's inner traits: emotions are left out of the equation, dimming personality. A situation does guide behavior, but unconscious motives and emotions also shine through and should not be left out. Personality traits have been shown to predict work ethic as well as how love and relationships will turn out.
- Places too much emphasis on cognitive aspects and abilities that it ignores biological and hormonal influences: some psychologists say that biological and hormonal processes largely affect decision-making regardless of past experiences and cognition.
Citations:
Flamand, L. (2009, September 10). Critique of Social Cognitive Theory. eHow. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.ehow.com/about_5402265_critique-social-cognitive-theory.html
Myers, D. (2010). Module 47: Contemporary Research on Personality. Psychology In Modules, 9th Edition (). New York: Worth Publishers.