Components of Personality Structure in the Social-Cognitive Theory

Question

Description

Refer back to the four components of personality structure in the social-cognitive theory. Describe each component, and discuss an example from your own life that demonstrates this concept. Conclude with a discussion about which aspect or aspects of social-cognitive theory you would like to know more about and why. Remember to cite and reference your textbook for academic concepts and terminology.

Your reflection paper must be at least two pages in length. Your paper needs to be formatted in APA Style.

Resources

kearston

13 hours ago

https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/webapps/bbgs-vitalsource-BB5f85d6ea5857f/app/launch/content?course_id=_117982_1&content_id=_7189225_1

kearston

13 hours ago

Cognitive Theory

You learned about behavioral approaches to personality in Unit VI, which narrowly relates actions to a simple stimulus-response model of personality. Cognitive theory pushes beyond John Watson and B. F. Skinner’s limitations. Cognitive theories recognize that why a person responds the way he or she does is also important. To borrow the terminology of George Kelly, we turn our attention to constructs; how do you see the world (Cervone & Pervin, 2019)? Cognitive theory investigates how you process and assign meaning to everything around you. Perhaps you are always ready for a fight or see the best in everyone; in a way, this describes the lens through which you see others.

Some of this quick organization is natural, and we know that the brain looks for signs of gender, age, and ethnicity within the first second of meeting someone (Blaine, 2013). In a great big world full of stimuli, our minds need some way to process and organize information. Cognitive theory also recognizes the concept of situational determinism, which we know addresses our different responses in different settings. Cognitive theory considers the human capacity for reflection and introspection (Cervone & Pervin, 2019). Perhaps the machine (from behavioral theory) is now like your laptop computer working to organize and using various programs.

UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE Social-Cognitive Perspective on Personality

6.1

Unit Lesson

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Video: Social Cognitive Theory Video: Aggressive Behavior Video: REBT

Unit VII Reflection Paper

PSY 3350, Theories of Personality 1

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

Which constructs or computer programs do you use in certain situations?

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You may know the concept of schemas from other courses; schemas are an organizational structure for sets of behaviors and all of the stimuli around us. To extend the computer analogy, schemas may be different folders you use to organize your files/photos into categories like family, recipes, cat memes, etc. We can also have schemas for specific situations. For instance, most people have a schema for their morning wakeup routine or for ordering food at a restaurant. These schema scripts are a series of expected events that you usually follow in a predictable order.

Social-Cognitive Theory

This theoretical paradigm is respected today as a blending of prior works that address some perceived shortcomings of our earlier topics. If it helps you to cognitively organize your thinking, consider social- cognitive theory as a blend of behaviorism, cognitive theory, and a consideration for the social environment.

Social-cognitive theory paradigm

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Albert Bandura UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

Albert Bandura is a giant in the field of psychology and considered the father of social-cognitive theory. His work blends together the concepts of interpersonal, social, and socioeconomic factors in an attempt to explain learning and personality (Cervone & Pervin, 2019). It gives human beings a bit more autonomy than inborn biological traits or mechanical responses. Just how do human beings perceive and create their own past, present, and future in light of their own descriptive language? There is also an exploration or emphasis on the greater good as we are social beings in a social world.

Structure of Personality in a Social-Cognitive Paradigm

The Process of Personality

Remember that social-cognitive theory is built on previous theories and added to them. A behaviorist would view humans as responding almost automatically to an environmental stimulus. Bandura created a theory called reciprocal determinism that took this a step further in proposing that environment, behavior, and personality all have a back-and-forth relationship with each other (Cervone & Pervin, 2019).

Take a look at how this video on Social Cognitive Theory blends the factors from above in this discussion of reciprocal determinism (Promedion Productions, 2010). (The transcript for this video can be found by clicking on “Transcript” in the gray bar at the top of the video in the Films on Demand database.)

Modeling

We would be remiss in discussing Bandura without addressing how he felt we learned in this tangle of environment, behavior, and our own growing sense of personality and self. Would you believe the answer may be as simple as watching others?

Observational learning or modeling is the process whereby we learn how to behave from those around us. Cervone and Pervin (2019) use the example of learning to drive. By the time you are legally allowed to put your foot on the pedal, you have seen the process countless times before. Take the example back a few years to a child who has seen adults eating with a knife and fork. Even if the child does not have the advanced motor skills to do the same, he or she will grasp and manipulate utensils and, therefore, be practicing what he or she has seen others doing! You may or may not agree, but research has demonstrated

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that American culture has become pretty comfortable modeling the violent behUaNviIoTrxwSeTsUeeDYinGmUoIdDeErn online videos, TV shows, movies, music, and video games. See the seminal demonstration in this video titled

Title

Aggressive Behavior (The University of Akron, 1988). (The transcript for this video can be found by clicking on “Transcript” in the gray bar at the top of the video in the Films on Demand database.)

Social-Cognitive Theory Today

Knowing what we know about these social-cognitive concepts, how can we apply them for the betterment of the human condition today? Behavioral intervention and providing a more adaptive environment can be a good first step. On the cognitive end of the spectrum, a therapist might also work with a client to reduce dysfunctional self-evaluations (Cervone & Pervin, 2019). Low evaluations of self-efficacy can certainly be correlated to psychological distress. In the simplest terminology, if you constantly think you are not good or not worth it, this has to be damaging to both psychological and physiological health. We can extend that discussion to the experience of stress, and science certainly indicates that chronic stressors take their toll on mind and body.

Stop and consider which elements of the reciprocal determinism triangle you could change in order to impact your holistic experience. Remember that Bandura posits that these facets are interwoven; perhaps positive change in one aspect of functioning can spread and improve the whole package. At some point, you set the goal of taking this college course; you are being exposed to new ideas and probably adopting a few new behaviors.

Take a look at how a clinician named Albert Ellis used some principles of the social-cognitive model in his rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT) (Cervone & Pervin, 2019). See if you can spot some schemas or beliefs and expectancies in the video REBT (Impact Therapy Associates, 2014). (The transcript for this video can be found by clicking on “Transcript” in the gray bar at the top of the video in the Films on Demand database.) Also, be on the lookout for ants.

Is what you think about a situation causing you emotional distress? Perhaps taking control of those thoughts about our environment and behavior is the impetus to start real change.

References

Blaine, B .E. (2013). Understanding the psychology of diversity (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Cervone, D., & Pervin, L. A. (2019). Personality: Theory and research (14th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Impact Therapy Associates (Producer). (2014). REBT (Segment 14 of 21) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://fod-infobase-

com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=142873&loid=470098

Promedion Productions (Producer). (2010). Social cognitive theory (Segment 8 of 11) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://fod-infobase-

com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=115851&loid=427578

Rawpixelimages. (n.d.). Man analysis business accounting on laptop (ID 45719380) [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-man-analysis-business-accounting-laptop- image45719380

The University of Akron (Producer). (1988). Aggressive behavior (Segment 1 of 4) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://fod-infobase-

com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=160106&loid=540643

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Suggested Unit Resources

In order to access the following resource, click the link below.

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

Take a moment to read a 2014 New Yorker feature on Walter Mischel’s delay of gratification research.

Konnikova, M. (2014, October 9). The struggles of a psychologist studying self-control. The New Yorker. Retrieved form https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/struggles-psychologist-studying- self-control

Learning Activities (Nongraded)

Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.

Test your knowledge of the social-cognitive theory with this quick Unit VII Interactive Quiz. A PDF version of the Unit VII Quiz is also available.

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