Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory

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Albert Bandura (1977) defines social learning theory as behavior that is learned through observation in the individual’s environment (McLeod, 2011). This process is called observational learning that usually involves a model that is demonstrating certain behaviors that others can pick up (Cervone & Pervin, 2013). Social learning theory is suitable to report personal, societal, and cultural factors. Abuse, technology, and immigration are areas that fall under these factors. The social learning theory will focus on how it can be viewed in these factors.
Social learning theory includes learning aggression by observing the behavior from a model (Bandura, 1977). Family violence has been a social problem for years that still continues to this day. Violence is defined multiple times throughout the years. Levesque (2001) defined violence with family as an "act of omission or commission resulting in physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect or other form of maltreatment that hamper individuals' healthy development" ( p. 17). The definition of trauma is an emotional pain that can be long-lasting (Abbassi & Aslinia, 2010). It has been shown that trauma, family violence, and children that pick up this kind of behavior are all related to each other (Abbassi & Aslinia, 2010). Children that observe violence are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, PTSD, and mood swings. They can become unstable when parents are not there or unreliable. They are also more likely to be violent to their home with their children.
Existential and pathological trauma are two kinds of family trauma (Abbassi & Aslinia, 2010). Existential trauma is the loss of a loved one or a pet that died from natural causes. A person who experiences it ...

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...ts. All of these areas show that behavior is observed from models around them. They can then be imitated whether the behavior is good or bad. Aggressive behavior can be observed at home and can lead an individual to imitate those behaviors with their family. Immigrants can learn similar behaviors without being aware of the consequences. Training programs can help the individual going to a different county learn what behaviors are appropriate. The programs can also help these individuals become confident in their transition. Technology can also be seen with the social-learning theory. New tools are being created for the school environment that can be used in schools or outside the school. These tools can help individual socialize with others wanting to learn new material. This shows that the social-learning theory can be covered in broad areas of society.

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