Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionV. Learning Theories 16. Bandura: Social
Cognitive Theory(^500) © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2009
“People motivate and guide their actions through proactive control by setting them-
selves valued goals that create a state of disequilibrium and then mobilizing their
abilities and effort based on anticipatory estimation of what is required to reach the
goals” (p. 63). The notion that people seek a state of disequilibrium is similar to
Gordon Allport’s belief that people are motivated at least as much to create tension
as to reduce it (see Chapter 13).
What processes contribute to this self-regulation? First, people possess limited
ability to manipulate the external factors that feed into the reciprocal interactive par-
adigm. Second, people are capable of monitoring their own behavior and evaluating
it in terms of both proximate and distant goals. Behavior, then, stems from a recip-
rocal influence of both external and internal factors.
External Factors in Self-Regulation
External factors affect self-regulation in at least two ways. First, they provide us with
a standard for evaluating our own behavior. Standards do not stem solely from in-
ternal forces. Environmental factors, interacting with personal influences, shape in-
dividual standards for evaluation. By precept, we learn from parents and teachers the
value of honest and friendly behavior; by direct experience, we learn to place more
value on being warm and dry than on being cold and wet; and through observing oth-
ers, we evolve a multitude of standards for evaluating self-performance. In each of
these examples, personal factors affect which standards we will learn, but environ-
mental forces also play a role.
Second, external factors influence self-regulation by providing the means for re-
inforcement. Intrinsic rewards are not always sufficient; we also need incentives that
emanate from external factors. An artist, for example, may require more reinforcement
than self-satisfaction to complete a large mural. Environmental support in the form of
a monetary retainer or praise and encouragement from others may also be necessary.
The incentives to complete a lengthy project usually come from the environ-
ment and often take the form of small rewards contingent upon the completion of
subgoals. The artist may enjoy a cup of coffee after having painted the hand of one
of the subjects or break for lunch after finishing another small section of the mural.
However, self-reward for inadequate performance is likely to result in environmen-
tal sanctions. Friends may criticize or mock the artist’s work, patrons may withdraw
financial support, or the artist may be self-critical. When performance does not meet
self-standards, we tend to withhold rewards from ourselves.
Internal Factors in Self-Regulation
External factors interact with internal or personal factors in self-regulation. Bandura
(1986, 1996) recognizes three internal requirements in the ongoing exercise of self-
influence: (1) self-observation, (2) judgmental processes, and (3) self-reaction.
Self-Observation
The first internal factor in self-regulation is self-observationof performance. We
must be able to monitor our own performance, even though the attention we give to
it need not be complete or even accurate. We attend selectively to some aspects of
494 Part V Learning Theories