The Social Learning Theory

The social learning theory says that external forces are the main influence on how people act.  As we learn, we change the way we view our surroundings (Psychology 101).  The way you feel about a certain situation or doing something can largely shape the way you act towards the things that you are doing.  The outcome of a situation is a big factor in motivating people to achieve their goals.  In other words, since they know that the outcome of accomplishing something, which is an external force, will be good, they will want to achieve the goals they have.  For example, a student may want to work hard to do their schoolwork and studying because they know that they will get a good grade in the end.  They might also know that their parents or teachers will be proud of their good grades, another external influence.  In my life, I am motivated to work hard in sports because of the outcomes that follow.  When I work hard at gymnastics and perfect my skills, I will be more confident during a competition and get higher scores and places and my family will be proud of me.  The social learning theory also states that people can learn through observation (Cherry).  A psychologist named Albert Bandura did an experiment with a Bobo doll where he would show a group of children an adult acting violent to the doll.  The study showed that the children who saw the adult being violent to the doll were more likely to show violence to it also than a group of children who didn't see the violence.  This shows that by observing what the adults did, the children would imitate their behavior and act like them.  This is also present in my life during gymnastics practice when one of my teammates is working hard, it motivates everyone else to work hard and do their best.  The social learning theory proves that there are many external influences to shape the way many people are today.