Social Cognitive Theory: Albert Bandura

Bandura's social cognitive theory emphasizes that humans can only have limited
control over their life. In contrast to Skinner, Bandura acknowledges that chance
encounters and fortuitous events frequently influence one's behavior, emphasizes
observational learning, emphasizes the significance of cognitive factors in learning,
contends that human activity is a function of behavior and person variables, as well as
the environment; and contends that reinforcement is mediated by cognition.

Bandura takes a broad view of learning, believing that people learn through
observing others and by attending to the consequences of their actions. Although he
believes that reinforcement aids learning, he contends that people can discover without
support or response.

Modeling, which goes beyond simple imitation because it alters observed

behavior, is at the core of observational learning. At least three principles influence
modeling: First, high-status people are more likely to be imitated; Second, those with
low status or talent are more likely to do so; and lastly, those who exhibit behavior they
believe would be rewarding to the model are more likely to do so. The four processes
identified by Bandura as governing observational learning are: attention, or observing
what a model does; representation, or symbolically representing new response patterns
in memory; behavior production, or replicating the behavior that is kept; and motivation,
or the observer's motivation to carry out the observed behavior. Some consequence
follows all behavior, but whether that consequence reinforces the behavior depends on
the person's cognitive evaluation of the situation.

According to social cognitive theory, behavior, personal factors, cognition, and

environmental events interact reciprocally to shape human functioning. This is a process
Bandura refers to as triadic reciprocal causation. In the triadic reciprocal causation
paradigm, Bandura does not argue that the three variables contribute equally to
behavior. Depending on which component is more powerful at any given time, behavior,
environment, and person all have varying degrees of effect.

A fortuitous, unplanned incident or a chance encounter with another individual

has drastically altered the lives of numerous people. Chance encounters and
spontaneous occurrences affect behavior like planned events after entering the triadic
reciprocal causation paradigm at the environment point.

According to Bandura, the ability to plan, control, and carry out actions they feel
will result in favorable outcomes is the essence of being a person. Four main
characteristics define human agency: First, Intentionality, or being proactive in taking
steps that could result in desired outcomes: Second, Foresight or the ability to set goals.
Third, Self-reactiveness includes keeping track of one's progress toward fulfilling one's
choices; Fourth, Self-reflectiveness enables people to consider and assess their
motivations, values, and life goals.

In a given circumstance, people's actions are influenced partly by their self-

efficacy or whether they can or cannot engage in the behaviors required to produce the
desired outcome. Efficacy expectations are distinct from outcome expectations, which
are people's assessments of the probable effects of their actions. To predict behavior,
self-efficacy works with contextual factors, past behaviors, and other personal factors. It
can be gained, improved, or decreased by any one of four things: (1) mastery
experiences or performance; (2) social modeling, or watching someone of equal ability
succeed or fail at a task; (3) social persuasion, or hear encouraging words from a trusted
person; and (4) physical and emotional states, like anxiety or fear, which typically lowers
self-efficacy. The most accurate indicators of good results are high self-efficacy and a
responsive environment.

Bandura also acknowledges the importance of proxy agency, which allows

individuals to have some limited control over daily activities. People must look to proxies
to successfully navigate 21st-century society, including food delivery, information
delivery, and transportation. Modern humans would be compelled to spend most of their
time obtaining the necessities of living without using proxies. The degree to which
people are confident that their joint efforts will result in societal change is known as
collective efficacy. At least four causes can decrease collective efficacy. First, people
may feel powerless as a result of events elsewhere in the world; second, sophisticated
technology may make people feel less in control of their surroundings; third, entrenched
bureaucracies may deter people from trying to bring about social change; and fourth, the
size and scope of global issues may also contribute to people's sense of helplessness.
Humans may influence their environments and create consequences for their behaviors
by using reflective thought, which gives them some control over their behavior.
According to Bandura, both internal and external influences have a reciprocal influence
on behavior.

External standards of evaluation and reinforcement are two elements that

influence self-regulation. External influences impact self-regulation because they give
people criteria for assessing their actions. Self-observation, judgment or evaluation of
performance, and self-reaction, such as reinforcement or punishment of oneself, are
internal prerequisites for self-regulation—internalized self-sanctions work by selectively
activating or disengaging internal control to keep people from transgressing their moral
standards. Self-regulatory impacts are said to only work when activated, a concept
known as selective activation.

Additionally, people respond differently in various circumstances depending on

how they perceive the event. People who have lost internal control can distance
themselves from the unpleasant effects of their actions. Through four main methods of
disengaging internal standards or selective activation, people in morally ambiguous
situations—ensure that their activity is consistent with their own social and moral
standards of conduct—can divorce their actions from their harmful repercussions. The
first is behavior redefinition or rationalizing otherwise abhorrent activities by cognitive
reorganization. By (1) using moral justifications to excuse otherwise wrongdoing, (2)
drawing valuable comparisons between their actions and the even more wrongdoing
actions of others, and (3) employing euphemistic labels to alter the moral tone of their
behavior, people can use redefinition of behavior to disengage themselves from immoral
behavior. Second, people can detach their actions from their results by shifting or
spreading blame. The victims are dehumanized or placed under blame as part of the
third set of disengagement techniques. A fourth strategy is to misrepresent or obfuscate
the link between actions and their harmful effects. People may accomplish this by
downplaying, ignoring, or distorting the impact of their actions.

Dysfunctional conduct is taught through interactions between the individual

(including cognitive and neurophysiological processes), the environment (including
interpersonal relationships), and behavioral factors (especially previous experiences with
reinforcement). People who experience depressive reactions frequently (1) overrate their
successes and underrate their failures, (2) have unrealistically high standards for
themselves, or (3) are harsh on themselves for their flaws. Direct contact, improper
generalization, and observational experiences are the three ways phobias are acquired.
Once established, they are kept up by deterring the learner from encountering events
that make them fearful. Aggressive actions might become dysfunctional if taken too far.
Bandura and his colleagues discovered that violence tends to breed greater aggression
in a study of kids who watched aggressive live and video models.

Self-regulation is the goal of social cognitive therapy. Bandura listed three stages
of treatment: (1) inducing change, (2) generalizing change to other suitable contexts,
and (3) maintaining newly learned good behaviors. Systematic desensitization is a
method for reducing phobias through relaxation occasionally used by social cognitive
therapists.

Bandura's theory receives the highest marks in the text because it was
constructed through a careful balance of innovative speculation and data from rigorous
research. In summary, the view rates high on its ability to generate research and internal
consistency. In addition, it rates high on parsimony and its ability to falsify, organize
knowledge, and guide the practitioner.

Bandura sees humans as being relatively fluid and flexible. People can store past
experiences and then use this information to chart future actions. Bandura's theory rates
near the middle on teleology versus causality and high on free choice, optimism,
conscious influences, and uniqueness. As a social cognitive theory, it rates very high on
social determinants of personality.