I CAN Explain the social cognitive premise in regard to personality Explain Bandura’s contribution to this field Explain Rotter’s contribution to this field

Social Cognitive View Observational learning is central to personality development Posits that the survival of humanity is dependent upon the replication of the actions of others

Albert Bandura Personalities are shaped by the interaction with others A distinctive feature of the human personality is the ability to see the consequences of our behavior We don’t have to yell ‘fire’ in a crowded theater to know what would happen if we did People are not just driven by inner forces or environment influences……..but also by our expectations of how our actions might affect other people, the environment, and ourselves.

Reciprocal Determinism Process in which the person, situation and environment mutually influence each other Example: If you like music, your interest (a cognition) might lead you to spend time at concerts (environment) interacting with other music fans (behavior) Cognition Environment Behavior

Julian Rotter’s Social Learning Theory Behavior function is related to our sense of personal power…or Locus of Control Rotter suggested that the expected outcome of the behavior had an impact on the motivation of people to engage in that behavior. If one expects a positive outcome from a behavior then they will be more likely to engage in the behavior. Rotter rhymes with voter Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Current Trends in Personality Theory Family Systems Theory: personality is shaped by the way people interact in the family setting first, then in peer groups Cultural Differences: cultural values and experiences influence behavior Gender Influences: an increasing appreciation for differences in gender issues Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

CAN I Explain the social cognitive premise in regard to personality Explain Bandura’s contribution to this field Explain Rotter’s contribution to this field

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007 I CAN Explain: Implicit Personality Theory Fundamental Attribution Error (on AP a lot) Cultural evaluations of personality Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Implicit Personality Theories Assumptions about personality that we build about a person after we know something of their central traits Believing that a happy person is also friendly Quiet people are shy Someone who speaks slowly is slow-witted Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Fundamental Attribution Error Assumption that another person’s behavior (especially undesirable behavior) is the result of a flaw in the personality, rather than the situation EX: someone trips you, you assume they hate you (it could have been an accident) People presume that the actions of others are indicative of the "kind" of person they are, rather than the kind of situations that compels their behavior Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Personality Across Cultures Assumptions people make vary widely across cultures–depending especially on whether the culture emphasizes individualism or collectivism Other cultural differences involve Status of different age groups and sexes Romantic love Locus of control Thinking vs. feeling Attribution Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007 Think about this….. When you try to understand another person’s actions…. do you consider… the situation? (as Mischel says) the person’s inner needs, drives, motives, emotions? (as psychodynamic theories say) the person’s basic personality characteristics? (as the trait and type theories say) Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007 CAN I? Explain: Implicit Personality Theory Fundamental Attribution Error (on AP a lot) Cultural evaluations of personality Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007