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Social-Cognitive Theories and the Self Module 47 PSYCHOLOGY in modules David G. Myers C. Nathan DeWall Twelfth Edition Social-Cognitive Theories and the Self Social-cognitive perspective (Bandura) Views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context Emphasizes interaction of our traits with our situations Applies principles of learning, cognition, and social behavior to personality Reciprocal Influences Reciprocal determinism Describes the interaction and mutual influence of behavior, internal personal factors, and environmental factors Interaction of individuals and environments: internal personal factors Different people choose different environments. Personalities shape how people interpret and react to events. Personalities help create situations to which people react. Reciprocal Determinism The Biopsychosocial Approach to the Study of Personality Assessing Behavior in Situations Social-cognitive theorists Build on concepts of learning and cognition Contend the best way to predict behavior in a given situation is to observe that behavior in similar situations Downplay the importance of unconscious motives, emotions, and biologically influenced traits Exploring the Self (part 1) Exploration of the self in psychology has a long history. William James (1890) Gordon Allport (1943) Humanistic psychology Psychology today Self is one of most studied topics and viewed as the center of personality Consideration of possible selves motivates toward positive development; too intense focusing may lead to spotlight effect Exploring the Self (part 2) Self-esteem: Our feeling of self-worth Self-efficacy: Our sense of competence on a task High self-esteem correlates with less pressure to conform, with persistence at difficult tasks, and with happiness. But the direction of the correlation is not clear. Costs of Self-Esteem (part 1) Excessive optimism May lead to complacency May prevent recognition of real risks May be self-defeating when dealing with temptations May be directed toward a group (illusionary optimism) Costs of Self-Esteem (part 2) Blindness to one’s own incompetence People are most overconfident when most incompetent; it takes competence to recognize competence. Self-serving bias Involves a readiness to perceive the self favorably Suggests people accept more responsibility for good deeds than for bad, and for successes rather than for failure Often creates a better-than-average effect May underlie a range of conflicts Self-Esteem Two types of self-esteem Defensive self-esteem is fragile, threatened by failure and criticism, and more vulnerable to perceived threats that feed anger and feelings of vulnerability. Secure self-esteem is less fragile, less contingent on external evaluations, and more likely to achieve a greater quality of life.