THEORIES OF PERSONALITY ALBERT BANDURA

Learning

believing that people learn through

observing others and by attending to the consequences of their own actions.

Although he believes that reinforcement aids learning, he contends that people

can learn in the absence of reinforcement and even of a response

modeling

The heart of observational learning, which is more than simple

imitation, because it involves adding and subtracting from observed behavior.

Enactive Learning

All behavior is followed by some consequence, but whether that consequence

reinforces the behavior depends on the person's cognitive evaluation of the

situation

Triadic Reciprocal Causation

Social cognitive theory holds that human functioning is molded by the

reciprocal interaction of (1) behavior; (2) personal factors, including cognition;

and (3) environmental events—a model

Differential Contributions

Bandura does not suggest that the three factors in the triadic reciprocal

causation model make equal contributions to behavior. The relative influence of

behavior, environment, and person depends on which factor is strongest at any

particular moment

Chance Encounters and Fortuitous Event

The lives of many people have been fundamentally changed by a chance

meeting with another person or by a fortuitous, unexpected event. Chance encounters and fortuitous events enter the triadic reciprocal causation paradigm

at the environment point, after which they influence behavior in much the same

way as do planned events

Human Agency

Bandura believes that human agency is the essence of humanness; that is,

humans are defined by their ability to organize, regulate, and enact behaviors

that they believe will produce desirable consequences.

Self-Efficacy

their beliefs that they can or cannot exercise those behaviors

necessary to bring about a desired consequence

Efficacy expectations

differ from outcome expectations, which refer to people's prediction of the likely consequences of their behavior.

Proxy Agency

through which people

exercise some partial control over everyday living. Successful living in the 21st

century requires people to seek proxies to supply their food, deliver

information, provide transportation, etc. Without the use of proxies, modern

people would be forced to spend most of their time securing the necessities of

survival

Collective Efficacy

level of confidence that people have that their

combined efforts will produce social change.

Self-Regulation

By using reflective thought, humans can manipulate their environments and

produce consequences of their actions, giving them some ability to regulate

their own behavior. Bandura believes that behavior stems from a reciprocal

influence of external and internal factors

External Factors in Self-Regulation

affect self-regulation by

providing people with standards for evaluating their own behavior.

Selective activation

refers to the notion that self-regulatory influences

are not automatic but operate only if activated. It also means that people react

differently in different situations, depending on their evaluation of the situation

Disengagement of internal control

means that people are capable of separating

themselves from the negative consequences of their behavior. People in

ambiguous moral situations

Dysfunctional Behavior

learned through the mutual interaction of the person

(including cognitive and neurophysiological processes), the environment

(including interpersonal relations), and behavioral factors (especially previous

experiences with reinforcement)

systematic

desensitization

a technique aimed at diminishing phobias through relaxation