Social Cognitive PerspectiveSocial Cognitive Perspective

Pages 623-631Pages 623-631PowerPoint on PowerPoint on Social Cognitive Theory Social Cognitive Theory

ofof PersonalityPersonalityPersonality Theories chartPersonality Theories chartLearning ObjectiveLearning Objective: To understand the : To understand the

many facets of the Social Cognitive many facets of the Social Cognitive Theory of Personality.Theory of Personality.

The Social Cognitive PerspectiveThe Social Cognitive Perspective

This theory views This theory views behavior as behavior as influenced by the influenced by the interactions between interactions between persons and their persons and their social context.social context.

Albert Bandura Albert Bandura proposed this proposed this perspective on perspective on personality.personality.

The Social Cognitive PerspectiveThe Social Cognitive Perspective

Bandura called the process of interacting with Bandura called the process of interacting with our environment our environment reciprocal determinism.reciprocal determinism.

3 ways individual situations and 3 ways individual situations and environments interact:environments interact:

1.1. Different people choose different Different people choose different environments.environments.

2.2. Our personalities shape how we interpret and Our personalities shape how we interpret and react to events.react to events.

3.3. Our personalities help create situations to Our personalities help create situations to which we react.which we react.

The Social Cognitive PerspectiveThe Social Cognitive Perspective

Behavior emerges from the interplay of Behavior emerges from the interplay of external and internal influences.external and internal influences.

At every moment, our behavior is At every moment, our behavior is influenced by our influenced by our biologybiology, our , our social social experiencesexperiences, and , and our cognition and our cognition and personality.personality.

The Social Cognitive PerspectiveThe Social Cognitive Perspective

In studying how we interact with our In studying how we interact with our environment, social-cognitive environment, social-cognitive psychologists emphasize our sense of psychologists emphasize our sense of personal controlpersonal control..

Personal controlPersonal control: our sense of controlling : our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling our environment rather than feeling helplesshelpless

Martin Seligman- see close up in textbook.Martin Seligman- see close up in textbook.

Personal ControlPersonal Control

External locus of control: the perception External locus of control: the perception that chance or outside forces determine that chance or outside forces determine their fate.their fate.

OROR Internal locus of control: the perception Internal locus of control: the perception

that one control’s one’s own fate.that one control’s one’s own fate.

Personal ControlPersonal Control

Learned helplessnessLearned helplessness: the : the hopelessness and passive hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or resignation an animal or human learns when unable to human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive avoid repeated aversive events.events.

People who feel helpless and People who feel helpless and oppressed often perceive oppressed often perceive control as external.control as external.

It is important for young and It is important for young and old people alike to create old people alike to create environments that enhance our environments that enhance our sense of control and personal sense of control and personal efficacy. efficacy.

Perceived control is basic to Perceived control is basic to human functioning.human functioning.

Personal ControlPersonal Control

Under conditions of Under conditions of personal freedom and personal freedom and empowerment, empowerment, people thrive.people thrive.

Citizens of stable Citizens of stable democracies report democracies report higher levels of higher levels of happiness.happiness.

Personal ControlPersonal Control

Does ever-increasing control breed ever-happier Does ever-increasing control breed ever-happier lives? lives?

Excess of freedom in today's Western cultures Excess of freedom in today's Western cultures contributes to decreasing life satisfaction, contributes to decreasing life satisfaction, increased depression, and sometimes paralysis.increased depression, and sometimes paralysis.

The The tyranny of choicetyranny of choice bring information overload bring information overload and a greater likelihood that we will feel regret and a greater likelihood that we will feel regret over some of the unchosen options.over some of the unchosen options.

Optimism vs. PessimismOptimism vs. Pessimism An An optimisticoptimistic or or pessimistic pessimistic

attributional style-attributional style-your way of your way of explaining events-can be a explaining events-can be a window revealing, how window revealing, how effective or helpless you feel.effective or helpless you feel.

Students who express an Students who express an attitude of hopeful optimism attitude of hopeful optimism tend to get better grades than tend to get better grades than those who have a negative those who have a negative attirbutional styleattirbutional style

But excessive optimism can But excessive optimism can foster feeling of invincibility foster feeling of invincibility that expose us to unnecessary that expose us to unnecessary risks. risks.

Optimism vs. PessimismOptimism vs. Pessimism

Positive psychology, like humanistic psychology, Positive psychology, like humanistic psychology, attempts to foster human fulfillment.attempts to foster human fulfillment.

But it differs from humanistic psychology in its But it differs from humanistic psychology in its scientific methods.scientific methods.

The 3 goals of positive psychology: The 3 goals of positive psychology: studying studying and fostering and fostering

1. positive subjective well-being1. positive subjective well-being 2. positive character2. positive character 3. positive groups, communities, and cultures3. positive groups, communities, and cultures

Social Cognitive ResearchSocial Cognitive Research Social cognitive researchers Social cognitive researchers

are interested in how people’s are interested in how people’s behaviors and beliefs affect, behaviors and beliefs affect, and are affected by, their and are affected by, their surroundings.surroundings.

They observe people in They observe people in realistic situations because realistic situations because they have found that the best they have found that the best way to predict someone’s way to predict someone’s behavior in a given situation is behavior in a given situation is to observe that person’s to observe that person’s behavior pattern in similar behavior pattern in similar situations.situations.

Evaluating the Social Cognitive Evaluating the Social Cognitive PerspectivePerspective

Critics fault the social-cognitive Critics fault the social-cognitive perspective for focusing so much on the perspective for focusing so much on the situation that is loses sight of the person’s situation that is loses sight of the person’s inner traits.inner traits.

They maintain that this perspective slights They maintain that this perspective slights the importance of unconscious dynamics, the importance of unconscious dynamics, emotional, and biologically influenced emotional, and biologically influenced traits.traits.