The most characteristic feature in the theory of Albert Bandura is a way of learning through observation and repetition of the actions of others. The philosophical concept of evil is associated with destructive behavior and human aggression. In the history of mankind, disputes have repeatedly arisen whether evil in man is innate or acquired.
But still, studies show the influence of environmental factors on human aggressiveness. Such factors include upbringing, punishment, social isolation, humiliation, the prohibition of emotional manifestations, and population density. The latter factor is particularly relevant today in the conditions of large cities and large crowds. The problem of culture and upbringing as a whole, the destabilizing influence of the surrounding world also remains relevant.
Albert Bandura: biography
In the small Canadian village of Mandele, December 4, 1925 a boy was born. This is Albert Bandura. The only son surrounded by five sisters who were older than him. After graduating from school, he went to work in Alaska, participated in the restoration of the highway. A year later, Albert Bandura went to study at the university. After graduating in psychology, he was awarded a bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia. In 1951 he received a master's degree from the University of Iowa, and a year later he defended his doctoral dissertation there. While studying at the university, he met his future wife, Virginia Warns. She later bore him two daughters, Mary and Carol.
After graduation, Albert Bandura taught at Stanford, where he received a professor’s diploma. In 1969, his first book, Principles of Modification of Behavior, was published.
Learning theory
According to the theory of Albert Bandura, a person has always been aggressive, and will remain so for a long time. But what makes him so? Theories of human aggression can be divided into four categories: 1) congenital or hereditary aggression; 2) activation of aggression by external stimulants; 3) emotional and cognitive process; 4) the manifestation of society.
In the period from the 40s to the 70s, the studies of Dollard, Miller and the work of Bandura led to the continuation of the theory of imitation and aggression. So there was a new scientific term that Albert Bandura created - the theory of social learning.
In 1974, Alberta Bandura was elected president of the Psychological Association of America, and he was also president of the Psychological Association of Canada.
Albert Bandura’s theory says that in order to teach children completely new behavior, punishment and encouragement are not enough. New behavior arises by simulating behavior patterns. One of these manifestations is an identification process in which feelings, thoughts are borrowed. Thus, learning occurs through observation and copying.
The effect of the observed on the behavioral traits of the observer
According to personality theory, Albert Bandura believes that a pattern of behavior can be acquired through observation of others or through personal experiences. There are three possible effects of the observed on the observer: a new reaction is acquired through visual observation of the model; through contemplation of the consequences arising from the action of the model; weakening of previously acquired reactions in the process of observing the behavior of the model.
Aggression analysis
From Albert Bandura’s point of view, previously acquired reactions can be controlled through model actions. Trying to put into practice the previously formulated principles of research on aggressiveness, Albert Bandura conducted the work “Aggression: analysis from the standpoint of the theory of social learning”. His theory suggests an optimistic view of human destructiveness. He singled out the problem of behavior with destructive potential and the factors that determine the implementation of acquired behavior.
According to Bandura, frustration is one of the most important factors that affect human aggressiveness. In other words, the worse the treatment of a person, the more aggressive his behavior.
A person is able to acquire new reactions by observing the model. But the implementation of these acquired reactions depends on personal experience. The development of this problem is still not fully understood. The main attention was paid to imitation, as one of the factors of aggressiveness, but studies did not give a clear result.
The radicalism of behaviorism
Albert Bandura sharply criticized behaviorism, as he denies the determinant of human behavior arising from the cognitive process. Also, behaviorism implies that the individual is not an independent system that can influence his life.
Albert Bandura believed that the causes of human functioning should be sought in the interaction of the environment, behavioral and cognitive spheres. Thus, situational factors and predisposition are two interdependent causes of human behavior. The double orientation of the interaction of environmental circumstances and open behavior shows that a person is both a producer and a product of his environment. The socio-cognitive theory describes a model of mutual involvement, where affective, cognitive and other particular factors and actions are presented as interconnected determinants.
Possibilities for changing individual behavior
Recognizing the importance of external reinforcement, Bandura still does not see this as the only possibility of changing human behavior. People are able to change their behavior by observing the behavior of other models. The results of the experiments showed that a person can expect the consequences of his behavior and, depending on the expected consequences, regulate his behavior. Thus, this shows that the psychic abilities of the individual make it possible to foresee and change behavior.