Social Cognitive Theory & Optimism

What is Social Cognitive Theory?

Individual’s behavior explained by the interaction and combination of behavioral, social environmental and personal cognitive (reciprocal determinism).

What is SCT influenced by?

• Importance of person modeling behavior

• emotionally charged events

How does SCT differ from behaviorism?

Behaviorism states that all behavior is learned through conditioning

What is reciprocal determinism?

Behavioral, social, environmental, and personal cognitive all influence and shape each other in a continuous dynamic cycle.

What are the various uses of SCT?

• Promotes adoption of healthy habits

• reduce habits that impair health

• explain mechanisms of risky behavior adaptation

• behavior change maintenance

• relapse prevention

• personal and group level changes

What are the major constructs of SCT?

1. Self-efficacy

2. collective efficacy

3. outcome expectations

4. knowledge

What are cognitive influences on behavior?

Behavior regulated by forethought and a personal sense of control (agency)

What is self efficacy?

Self efficacy indicates increased confidence in ability to succeed

What can influence self-efficacy?

Previous mastery experience, vicarious experience, social persuasion, and emotional arousal.

What is collective efficacy?

Groups can develop social cohesion and take action for common good applies to situation where individuals do not have control over the social conditions/ institutions that affect their lives

What are outcome expectations?

Expectations about the consequences of taking action

• physical outcome expectation

  • pain, pleasure, disease

• Social outcome expectation

  • Approval, disapproval, power

What is knowledge?

Understanding the health risks and benefits of different practices and the information necessary to perform the behavior

What are environmental influences?

Social-environmental factors are aspects of the perceived and/or physical environment that promote or discourage engagement in a particular behavior

What do social-environmental factors include?

1. Observational learning

2. Normative beliefs

3. Social support

4. Opportunities and barriers

What is observational learning?

People learn by observing behavior and consequences, influences by the characteristics of the role model and learner.

What are normative beliefs

Cultural norms and beliefs about the social acceptability and perceived prevalence of a behavior

What is Social Support?

Perception of encouragement and support a person receives from their social network

What are barriers and opportunities?

Attributes of the environment that make behaviors harder or easier to perform

What are behavioral skills?

An individual must know the significance of the behavior and know how to perform the behavior

What are intentions?

Serve as an indicator of readiness to perform a behavior

What is dispositional optimism?

Generalized positive expectations where optimists generally expect good, rather than bad, things will happen to them.

How does optimism influence health?

1. Mental health mood and well-being

2. health behavior and coping

3. physiology and immune system 

What is Cognitive Therapy?

• Thoughts drive emotion

• Restoring rational thought is a skill that can be learned