Chapter 17 Bandura: Social Cognitive Theory 513that of a single individual—a brother, sister, parent, or even a hated rival—or we can
compare it to a standard norm such as par in golf or a perfect score in bowling.
Besides personal and reference standards, the judgmental process is also
dependent on the overall value we place on an activity. If we place minor value
on our ability to wash dishes or dust furniture, then we will spend little time or
effort in trying to improve these abilities. On the other hand, if we place high value
on getting ahead in the business world or attaining a professional or graduate
degree, then we will expend much effort to achieve success in these areas.
Finally, self-regulation also depends on how we judge the causes of our
behavior, that is, performance attribution. If we believe that our success is due to
our own efforts, we will take pride in our accomplishments and tend to work harder
to attain our goals. However, if we attribute our performance to external factors,
we will not derive as much self-satisfaction and will probably not put forth stren-
uous effort to attain our goals. Conversely, if we believe that we are responsible
for our own failures or inadequate performance, we will work more readily toward
self-regulation than if we are convinced that our shortcomings and our fears are
due to factors beyond our control (Bandura, 1986, 1996).
Self-Reaction
The third and final internal factor in self-regulation is self-reaction. People respond
positively or negatively to their behaviors depending on how these behaviors mea-
sure up to their personal standards. That is, people create incentives for their own
actions through self-reinforcement or self-punishment. For example, a diligent stu-
dent who has completed a reading assignment may reward herself by watching her
favorite television program.
Self-reinforcement does not rest on the fact that it immediately follows a
response: Rather, it relies in large part on the use of our cognitive ability to medi-
ate the consequences of behavior. People set standards for performance that, when
met, tend to regulate behavior by such self-produced rewards as pride and self-
satisfaction. When people fail to meet their standards, their behavior is followed
by self-dissatisfaction or self-criticism.
This concept of self-mediated consequences is a sharp contrast to Skinner’s
notion that the consequences of behavior are environmentally determined. Bandura
hypothesizes that people work to attain rewards and to avoid punishments accord-
ing to self-erected standards. Even when rewards are tangible, they are often
accompanied by self-mediated intangible incentives such as a sense of accomplish-
ment. The Nobel Prize, for example, carries a substantial cash award, but its greater
value to most recipients must be the feeling of pride or self-satisfaction in perform-
ing the tasks that led to the award.
Self-Regulation Through Moral Agency
People also regulate their actions through moral standards of conduct. Bandura
(1999a) sees moral agency as having two aspects: (1) doing no harm to people and
(2) proactively helping people. Our self-regulative mechanisms, however, do not
affect other people until we act on them. We have no automatic internal controlling
agent such as a conscience or superego that invariably directs our behavior toward