The Social-Cognitive Perspective

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The Social-Cognitive Perspective

• Unit 10 Presentations
• Personality

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Do-Now

• Locus of Control Test
• http//www.mccc.edu/jenningh/Courses/documents/Ro
  tter-locusofcontrolhandout.pdf

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Social-Cognitive Perspective

• Proposed by Albert Bandura (1925-today)
• Emphasizes the idea of personality as the
  combination of our traits, mental processes, and
  environment.
• Conditioning, modeling behavior, observing others
• Thinking about a situation
• Interpreting and responding to external events
• How do you and your environment interact?

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Albert Bandura

• Canadian/American Psychologist
• Most well-known for creating the social learning
  theory, the social cognitive theory, and
  performing the Bobo Doll experiment.
• Emphasized Self-Efficacy, or ones beliefs in
  ones ability to achieve goals.

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Reciprocal Influences

• Reciprocal Determinism The interacting
  influences of behavior, internal cognition, and
  the environment.
• Our personalities are both the products and the
  creators of our environments.

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Biopsychosocial Approach to Personality
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ACTIVITY

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vgFmFOmprTt0
  (teacher)
• http//education-portal.com/academy/lesson/how-sel
  igmans-learned-helplessness-theory-applies-to-huma
  n-depression-and-stress.htmllesson (Seligman)

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Personal Control

• Personal Control The extent to which one
  believes they have control over their
  environment. The extent to which they are not
  helpless.
• Learned Helplessness- When a person or animal
  feels as though they have no control over events,
  and come to feel helpless and hopeless.

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Personal Control

• External Locus of Control When you believe that
  chance or forces outside of your control
  determine what happens to you.
• Tend to be more depressed, less successful, and
  less independent.
• Internal Locus of Control When you believe that
  you control what happens to you.
• Tend to achieve more, have better health and be
  less depressed.

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Julian Rotter

• American Psychologist
• Best known for his ideas on social learning
  theory and creating the Internal-External Scale.
• Theorized that ones expected outcome of a
  behavior affected their motivation to participate
  in that behavior.

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Roy Baumeister

• American Psychologist
• Studied Self-Control The ability of a person to
  control their actions and experience delayed
  gratification.
• Found that exerting control over impulses takes
  energy and must be strengthened through
  exercise.

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Optimism vs. Pessimism

• How one explains positive and negative events can
  affect or demonstrate how in control or helpless
  they feel.
• Students who are pessimistic would say that,
  after failing a test, they did so because Im
  stupid or that theres nothing I can do about
  it. (Lack of control, helplessness)
• Students who are optimistic would say they failed
  a test because I needed to study more or I
  didnt make enough of an effort. (In control of
  situation.)

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Positive Psychology

• Positive Psychology The scientific study of
  optimal human functioning. Has 3 pillars.
• Positive Emotions
• Pursuing happiness and satisfaction with life.
• Positive Character
• Creativity, courage, compassion, leadership,
  self-control.
• Positive Groups
• Healthy families, effective schools, civil
  dialogue, community

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Review

• What is the Social-Cognitive Perspective on
  Personality?
• Reciprocal Determinism?
• How does learned helplessness affect ones
  optimism, feelings of self-worth, and sense of
  control?