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...
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…
