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Feist−Feist: Theories of

Personality, Seventh

Edition

V. Learning Theories 16. Bandura: Social

Cognitive Theory

© The McGraw−Hill^503

Companies, 2009

as morally justifying it, making advantageous comparisons, or euphemistically la-
beling their actions. Second, they can minimize, ignore, or distort the detrimental
consequences of their behavior.Third, they can blame or dehumanize the victim.
Fourth, they can displace or diffuse responsibilityfor their behavior by obscuring the
relationship between their actions and the effects of those actions.

Redefine the Behavior
With redefinition of behavior,people justify otherwise reprehensible actions by a
cognitive restructuring that allows them to minimize or escape responsibility. They
can relieve themselves of responsibility for their behavior by at least three techniques
(see upper-left box in Figure 16.2).
The first is moral justification,in which otherwise culpable behavior is made
to seem defensible or even noble. Bandura (1986) cited the example of World War I
hero Sergeant Alvin York who, as a conscientious objector, believed that killing was
morally wrong. After his battalion commander quoted from the Bible the conditions
under which it was morally justified to kill and after a long prayer vigil, York became
convinced that killing enemy soldiers was morally defensible. Following his redefin-
ing killing, York proceeded to kill and capture more than 100 German soldiers and,
as a result, became one of the greatest war heroes in American history.
A second method of reducing responsibility through redefining wrongful be-
havior is to make advantageous or palliative comparisonsbetween that behavior and
the even greater atrocities committed by others. The child who vandalizes a school
building uses the excuse that others broke even more windows.
A third technique in redefining behavior is the use of euphemistic labels.
Politicians who have pledged not to raise taxes speak of “revenue enhancement”
rather than taxes; some Nazi leaders called the murder of millions of Jews the “pu-
rification of Europe” or “the final solution.”

Disregard or Distort the Consequences of Behavior
A second method of avoiding responsibility involves distorting or obscuring the re-
lationship between the behavior and its detrimental consequences(see upper-center

Chapter 16 Bandura: Social Cognitive Theory 497

Reprehensible

conduct

Detrimental

effects Victim

Moral justification

Palliative comparison

Euphemistic labeling

Displacement of responsibility

Diffusion of responsibility

Minimizing, ignoring,

or misconstruing

the consequences

Dehumanization

Attribution of blame

FIGURE 16.2 Mechanisms through which internal control is selectively activated or
disengaged from reprehensible conduct at different points in the regulatory process.