Introduction
Having thoroughly reviewed the 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century, I was particularly interested in Albert Bandura’s work and his internationally recognized social learning theory. In the field of social psychology, Bandura is widely recognized due to his seminal work emphasizing the value of observational learning.
Discussion
Bandura was named the fourth “most eminent psychologist of the 20th century” in 2002 by the General Review of Psychology, following B. F. Skinner, Jean Piaget, and Freud (Haggbloom et al., 2002). The ideas of social learning theory and self-efficacy that Bandura established have had far-reaching effects on social, cognitive, developmental, academic, and clinical psychology. He is well recognized as the creator of social cognitive theory, commonly called the theory of social learning. His Bobo Doll studies and the notion of self-efficacy, the idea that a person’s conviction in their potential to achieve may change their thinking, acting, and feeling, are among his most outstanding contributions to psychology.
Bandura’s early work examined the basics of learning by looking at how people mimic the actions of others around them, especially in aggressive situations. As the title suggests, his work, “Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis,” focuses on how aggression is learned, what causes violent behavior, and how violent behavior is reinforced or discouraged (Bandura, 1973). Based on his findings, he proposed the social learning hypothesis, which places a premium on the role that observation, modeling, and imitation play in the educational process. The prevailing view at the time, which this theory challenged, was that behavior is governed primarily by associations and reinforcement. It was not until 1961 that Bandura ran the Bobo doll research, his most famous experiment (Bandura et al., 1961). A group of kids was subjected to an experiment in which they saw a video documenting an adult yelling at and hitting a Bobo doll. Results suggested that children who had watched the video were more inclined to abuse a Bobo doll and mimic adults’ remarks and gestures when they subsequently played with one in a room (Bandura et al., 1961).
On the later social cognitive theory that evolved from Bandura’s work in social acquisition, human beings are seen as rational actors who can plan and execute their actions after engaging in introspective and reflective thinking. Several essential elements of human agency are activated by phenomenal and operational awareness. Self-reflection on one’s talents, quality of functioning, and the meaning and purpose of one’s life endeavors are all examples. So is the ability to extend one’s agency through time by deliberate planning and preparation.
According to Bandura (2001), in his research titled “Social Cognitive Theory: An Agentic Perspective,” social cognitive theory categorizes people into three types of agency: direct personal, proxy, and collective. The primary idea behind self-efficacy theory is that fostering a feeling of personal and collective agency is key to achieving success. Accordingly, this might imply that those who are now struggling may have yet to be given a chance to get the experiences or models essential to acquiring high levels of self-efficacy.
Conclusion
According to self-efficacy theory, leaders must ensure that all citizens have ample access to experiences, social interactions, and role models that are necessary to develop a healthy sense of self-worth (Bandura, 2001). We are continuously exposed to evidence that supports the importance of self-efficacy. For instance, a person with a chronic disease may believe they can get back to normal and enhance their health if they only put in the time and effort. These firm convictions eventually lead sick people to comply with medical advice, which improves their health.
References
Bandura, A., Ross, D., & Ross, S. (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63(3), 575–582.
Bandura, A. (1973). Aggression: A social learning analysis. Prentice-Hall.
Bandura, A. (2001). Social Cognitive Theory: An Agentic Perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 1–26. Web.
Haggbloom, S. J., Warnick, R., Warnick, J. E., Jones, V. K., Yarbrough, G. L., Russell, T. M., Borecky, C. M., McGahhey, R., Powell, J. L., Beavers, J., & Monte, E. (2002). The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century. Review of General Psychology, 6(2), 139–152. Web.