Behavioralism (review)
Founders:
Watson (Little Albert)
Skinner (Skinner box)
Behavioralsim
-
Focus on behaviors
(actions)
Alter behavior through
conditioning
For example, let’s say Billy is
really depressed. The
depression causes Billy to
stop sleeping and
eating. Billy is also
drinking tequila as his
only liquids.
Behavioralsim
How would each of the
following treat Billy?
a. A psychoanalyst?
b. A trait theorist?
c. A humanist?
A behavioralist would
approach Billy’s problems
very differently.
Behavioralism


A behaviorist would
only look at Billy's
behaviors, not his
depression itself.
They would examine
his lack of sleeping
and eating and
drinking of alcohol as
Billy's true problems.
Behavioralism

Then they would use
conditioning/learning
strategies to change
Billy's behaviors.
 They may give Billy
$20 for every bowl
of Cinnamon Toast
Crunch he eats.
 They may put
diarrhea medicine
in Billy's tequila.
Behavioralism


These techniques will
stop Billy's behaviors
around depression,
but will they rid Billy
of his depression?
You may think not,
but to a behaviorist, if
the behaviors are no
longer maladaptive,
then where's the
problem?
The Social-Cognitive
Perspective
Of Personality
Albert Bandura
Bobo
Doll Experiment
Bandura was a
behavioralist who
demonstrated that children
will model the behaviors of
others.
This
may not seem like a
big deal to you and me,
but it was to the
behavioralists.
Albert Bandura
Behavioralists
studied
observable behaviors only, and
said that it was unscientific to
study thinking because it can’t
be measured or quantified.
However, if kids can learn by
watching others being
rewarded or punished, then
thinking is necessary to explain
the behaviors (something to
the effect of, “I bet it would be
fun to do that”).
Thus, Bandura began the
social-cognitive movement.
Social Cognitive Theory

Focus on how we INTERPRET and RESPOND TO
external events. Cognitive therapy attempts to
change the way to THINK about things.
Reciprocal Determinism: the
interacting influences between
personality and environmental
factors.
Reciprocal Determinism


The type of person you
were made you choose
to come to JHS.
Attending JHS has
probably shaped your
personality in some
ways.
Anxious people are
more attuned to
threatening events.
They will perceive the
world as more
threatening, which in
turn, may make them
more anxious.
Reciprocal Determinism



If you are easy-going, you
make other people feel
comfortable. This in turn,
causes them to treat you
nicely. This may affect how
you view other people.
Think of an example of
reciprocal determinism from
your own life and share it
with your partner.
If some of these examples
sound like self-fulfilling
prophecies, that’s because
they are. Self-fulfilling
prophecies are perfect
examples of reciprocal
determinism.
Social Learning Theory




Developed in 1954 by Julian Rotter
Rotter states in his theory that , “the personality is
affected by the environment, and is not merely internal
to the individual” (Mearns, 2010.)
Individual personality is composed of two elements, life
experience and stimuli.
“This is coupled with ways in which the individual seeks
the positive while avoiding the negative (Young, 2009).”
Social Learning Theory
Continued





A key element of Mr. Rotter’s social learning theory is
that the individual personality is maintains stability in
reacting to stimuli (Young, 2009).
In addition he states, that “the individual is always
capable of change as a response to changing external
factors” (Young, 2009).
Contradicts traditional theory of personality.
States that capacity for change may reduce and
become fixed with age.
However, there is not point at which capacity
disappears.
Social Learning Theory
Continued

Rotter discovered that individuals performed
differently on specific tasks based on their
belief of luck or skill (Johnston, 2000).

Individuals believing that success was driven
by skill worked harder.

Others suggesting that success is based on
luck were less motivated to work.
Social Learning Theory
Continued

Rotter explains that people’s belief regarding their control
over rewards depend on the situation.




Example:
A child learns that saying please and thank you will win the
respect of others.
On the other hand no matter what you did your teacher was
always out to get you(Johnston, 2000)
In some cases, however, reward does not always depend
upon our own efforts.

Example:


If you lose a game of poker it is not necessarily because you are a
horrible player.
Someone might have had a better hand, other player may be better at
bluffing.
Social Learning Theory
Continued



Therefore individuals react differently,
according to personal experience.
This leads individuals to believe that
rewards are a result of or are not a result
of their own efforts (Johnston, 2000)
Rotter referred to the above theory as
locus of control.
Personal Control
 Our
sense of controlling our
environment rather than the
environment controlling us.
Locus of Control




Original inception was by Julian Rotter (1916- )
during the 1950s.
Modifications were made in the mid-1960s.
Derived from Rotter’s upbringing during the
Great Depression.
Realized at that point that reward and
punishment was determined by what you do.
Origins of Locus of Control


Original inception was by Julian Rotter (1916- )
during the 1950s.
Modifications were made in the mid-1960s.

Derived from Rotter’s upbringing during the Great
Depression.

Realized at that point that reward and
punishment was determined by what you do.
Origins of Locus of Control
continued



Originally influenced by Sigmund Freud, Alfred
Adler, and Wendell Johnson.
However, Rotter abandoned the philosophies of
his predecessors due to disagreement regarding
personality and behavior (Mearns, 2010).
Rotter combined behaviorism and the study of
personality to form his Locus of Control theory.
Defining Locus of Control

What is Locus of Control?






Essential element of personality (Neill, 2006).
Source of control over our behavior (Gershaw, 1989).
“Refers to the degree to which an individual believes the occurrence of
reinforcements is contingent on his or her own behavior” (Workhealth,
2011)
Example: “Do you believe that your destiny is controlled by yourself or
by external forces (such as fate, god, or powerful others)?” (Neill, 2006)
Rotter believed behavior is induced by rewards and punishments.
Therefore leading an individual to prescribe to specific beliefs
regarding behavior.


Defining Locus of Control
Continued
As a result this determines the attitudes and
behaviors in which individual adopt (Neill,
2006).
Locus of control tries to answer two
questions.



Are actions the product of what we do?
(Internal control)
Are actions influenced by events outside of our
control? (External control) (Mindtools, 2011)
Illustrated by using a continuum of belief.
Internal- Locus of Control
Internal Control

“Individual believes that behavior is guided by personal
decisions and efforts (Neill, 2006).”

Theory states that behavior is a product of “hard work,
decisions, or physical, mental, social attributes (Mindtools,
2011).”

Most of the world’s successful people are categorized on this end
of the spectrum.
Internal Locus of Control

The perception that one controls one’s
own fate.
External- Locus of Control
External Control




“Individual believes that behavior is guided by fate,
luck, or other external circumstances (Neill, 2006).”
Outcomes are not a product of hard work, etc.
Individuals which fall on this end of the spectrum
blame success or failure on the world around them.
Basic belief is that something was just “meant to be
or not.”
External Locus of Control

The perception that chance or outside
forces beyond one’s personal control
determine one’s fate.
Identify each statement below as being indicative
of either an internal locus of control (ILC) or an
external locus of control (ELC):
I’ll never be a good writer.

I have to practice so I can get better.

I probably could have prevented that.

It’s not my fault.

It’s fate!
Those with ILC tend to do better in school, act more
independently, enjoy better health, feel less
depressed, and cope better with stress. Why?
Under what circumstances might an ILC be bad for
mental health?

Learned Helplessness
Martin Seligman (father of “positive
psychology”)


The hopelessness and
passive resignation an
animal or human
learns when unable to
avoid repeated
aversive events.
Who can tell us about
Seligman’s research?
Learned Helplessness
Martin Seligman (father of “positive
psychology”)


Can you think of
examples of people who
stop trying to help
themselves?
 Battered wives
 Prisoners
 You when you get
really far behind in a
class
Are these analogous to
Seligman’s dogs?
Seligman did not anticipate how the dogs
would respond and was saddened by it.
After his initial experiments, he vowed
never to do such studies on dogs again—he
switched to rats!
Self-efficacy
According to Bandura, the
belief that you are likely to
be successful at something is
called self-efficacy, and it
can be a powerful
determinant of success or
failure.
If I believe I am likely to be
successful in math, I may
choose to take more math
classes, and actually become
a better math student.
Self-efficacy
Share with your partner:
1) Something for which you
have high self-efficacy.
2) Something for which you
have low self-efficacy.
Self-efficacy continued


Self-efficacy is a powerful determinant of
future success, but…
…be wary of overconfidence.

It can lead students to perform lower (“I don’t
need to study”) and may encourage unwise
risks (“I can drive on ice.”)
Criticisms
Some believe that S-C
perspective focuses
TOO much on the
SITUATION and not
enough on inner
traits.
Also, it is really hard to
change people’s
attitudes.