Albert Bandura\'s Social Cognitive Theory

Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory

The concept of the self has been addressed by many psychology theorists. Self-concept and self-esteem are considered to be the feelings and constructs that people experience in relation to themselves. The idea that self-concept and self-esteem are closely linked to people's abilities to deal with changes and issues in their lives -- and to provide some measure of control over what happens to them -- is documented widely in the work of psychologists from the social cognitive branch of psychology (Bandura, 2002). Self-esteem is the evaluative and affective dimension of the self-concept (Mann, 2004).

How does Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory help us to understand Annie's comment "I just can't do this writing stuff"? Bandura developed a construct known as self-system (Cherry, 2011). The self-system posited by Bandura consisted of a person's abilities, cognitive skills, and attitudes, and further, it impacts how people perceive situations and how they react to certain situations (Cherry, 2011). Annie's self-esteem is based on her assessments of how she fits in the world. As such, her self-assessments are based on her observations, perceptions, and the feedback she receives from those around her.

What might be the sources of Annie's low self-efficacy beliefs related to her writing beliefs? Annie's has quite obviously not adopted "the high academic aspirations imposed" on her (Zimmerman, et al., 1992). Bandura theorized that self-efficacy arises from the early childhood experiences that provide feedback about our capabilities, talents, and situations (Cherry, 2011). Bandura further postulated that self-efficacy continues to develop throughout the lifetimes of people as they learn new information, develop deeper understandings, acquire new skills, and develop latent talents that have laid dormant (Bandura, 1992). Bandura identified self-efficacy contributors as follows: Mastery experiences, social modeling, social persuasion, and our own psychological responses (Cherry, 2011). Undoubtedly, Annie would have found art and physical education to be easier, and she is likely to have received praise for her efforts in those subjects. As Annie clearly reports, writing does not come easily to her, and she feels unsuccessful in the endeavor.

The cognitive self consists of our self-knowledge -- all that we know or believe that we know about ourselves. The affective self is the felt or emotional self, while the executive self is the active or behavioral self that is evident in human agency (Bandura, 2001). Considering the multiplicity of the self, it is apparent that these interdependencies do not permit Annie to easily separate her feelings from her perceptions from her self-concept.