DOCSLIB.ORG

A Sociocultural Approach to Honesty-Humility

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Sociocultural Approach to Honesty-Humility A SOCIOCULTURAL APPROACH TO HONESTY-HUMILITY ____________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, Chico ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Psychology Psychological Science Option ____________ by Waleed Jami Spring 2017 A SOCIOCULTURAL APPROACH TO HONESTY-HUMILITY A Thesis by Waleed Jami Spring 2017 APPROVED BY THE INTERIM DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES: _________________________________ Sharon Barrios, Ph.D. APPROVED BY THE GRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE: _________________________________ _________________________________ David Hibbard, Ph.D. Lawrence Herringer, Ph.D., Chair Graduate Coordinator _________________________________ David Hibbard, Ph.D. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Lawrence Herringer for his mentorship. I really appreciate the support. I hope to have an advisor as supportive as you in the future. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... iii List of Tables.............................................................................................................. v Abstract....................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER I. Introduction.............................................................................................. 1 II. Literature Review..................................................................................... 11 Honesty-Humility and Related Variables..................................... 11 Social and Environmental Influencers of Personality .................. 16 Social Status ................................................................................. 19 Hypotheses and Research Questions............................................ 22 III. Methodology............................................................................................. 23 Materials....................................................................................... 23 Procedure...................................................................................... 25 IV. Results...................................................................................................... 26 V. Discussion................................................................................................. 30 General Discussion....................................................................... 30 Limitations.................................................................................... 34 Future Research............................................................................ 35 References .................................................................................................................. 36 iv LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Descriptive Statistics for the Self-Perceived Status, Honesty-Humility Narcissism, SDO, and Machiavellianism............. 26 2. Bivariate Correlations of Self-Perceived Status, Honesty-Humility and Its Facets, Narcissism, SDO, and Machiavellianism ............................................................................... 27 v ABSTRACT A SOCIOCULTURAL APPROACH TO HONESTY-HUMILITY by Waleed Jami Master of Arts in Psychology Psychological Science Option California State University, Chico Spring 2017 Honesty-Humility is a sixth major trait of personality (adding to the Five Factor Model) that describes the degree to which an individual is sincere, modest, honest, prosocial, and without a desire for elevated social status. Social status—our wealth, prestige, and societal respect—not only stratifies people into different social classes; it impacts our self-concept, behaviors, and perhaps even our personality tendencies. Prior research has found that high social status individuals tend to be less socially engaged with people outside of peer groups, lack empathic accuracy, express favorable attitudes towards greed, and are more likely to consider unethical behaviors, compared to lower status individuals. I predicted that priming high social class status (by comparison to lower status persons) would decrease self-reported honesty-humility, and increase social dominance orientation, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. MANOVA analyses indicated that priming high or low social status did not influence self-reports of those traits. vi However, multiple regression analyses found that self-perceived social status was positively related to narcissism and one facet of honesty-humility, inversely related to Machiavellianism and one facet of honesty-humility. vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Everyone in the world has their own level of concern for others, their own degree of consideration and integrity in dealing with other people. Alfred Adler (1931) referred to this almost a century ago as “social interest” or “community feeling,” and considered it an essential characteristic of both individual mental health and collectively successful societies. Some individuals have high integrity and prosociality, and others tend to be somewhat antisocial. Recently, Michael Ashton and Kibeom Lee (2007) highlighted the importance of this individual difference in the personality trait of “honesty-humility,” the typical degree of integrity, prosociality and honesty of a person. Extensive research in personality identified many constructs that are indicative of “social interest.” In modern personality theory, two particular variables stand out as reliable predictors of prosocial behavior: honesty-humility, and agreeableness. In the late 1980s, theories of personality organized characteristics in a taxonomy of personality “traits.” The first widely accepted, contemporary classification of personality traits was developed by Costa and McCrae (1989). Their efforts resulted in a personality model that comprised five personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. This five factor model defines agreeableness as a construct that explains individual differences in kindness, sympathy, compliance, and tolerance. In the five factor model, agreeableness is the trait that best 1 2 resembles the notion of prosociality. However, in recent years, several studies across different cultures around the world replicated the same five traits, but also suggested the emergence of a sixth trait: honesty-humility (Lee & Ashton, 2004). Honesty-humility is defined as a person’s propensities towards fairness, sincerity, modesty, and a rejection of manipulative exploitation of others and lavish lifestyles. In the six factor model, agreeableness is defined as the degree a person is flexible, forgiving, and supportive. However, honesty-humility and agreeableness are both traits that are involved in the expression of social interest. Although these two traits are indicative of prosociality, they are independent of each other and represent different patterns of behavior. Theoretically, a person can have elevated levels of honesty-humility, yet also have low levels of agreeableness and vice-versa. In other instances, some people tend to demonstrate high levels of both honesty-humility and agreeableness, and others may portray low levels of both traits. For example, a person with high levels of agreeableness and low levels of honesty-humility could be highly cooperative and amicable, but also have insincere intentions and a conceitful attitude. In contrast, an individual with low levels of agreeableness, but high levels of honesty-humility could be uncooperative and inflexible, yet also be modest and sincere. Both traits have prosocial implications, but in different ways (Hilbig, Zettler, Leist, & Heydasch, 2013). In an experimental economic study, Hilbig et al. (2013) established contextual differences between honesty-humility and agreeableness. The prosocial differences were seen in two experimental economic games known as the dictator and ultimatum games. Participants assigned the role of dictator can split an 3 endowment (e.g., a few dollars or tokens) anyway they want without any input from the other player. The other player’s only choice is to take whatever is offered to them. However, in the ultimatum game, the responder can agree or disagree with the partitioned endowment, and if they disagree, neither of the players reap the endowment. In these games, honesty-humility is predictive of non-exploitative cooperation and fairness in endowment allocation as the dictator in the dictator game, but not significant in the behavior of the responder in the ultimatum game (Hilbig et al, 2013). On the other hand, agreeableness has a proclivity towards receptive partnership; higher agreeableness predicted higher acceptance rate of the endowment in the ultimatum, but did not relate to non-exploitative cooperation or fairness in the dictator game. At the opposite end of the social interest spectrum, there are personality traits that represent consistent maladaptive patterns of thought and behavior; they are known as the Dark Triad or dark personalities (Paulhus, 2014; Paulhus & Williams, 2002). The dark triad consists of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Just as honesty- humility and agreeableness complement each in different aspects of social interest, the Dark Triad are three traits that are moderately related to one another, and complement each other in different features of mischief, selfishness, and even malicious behaviors. Psychopathy is a trait that describes a pattern of callousness, exploitation of others, and violent
Load more

Recommended publications
  • EARLY MODERN WOMEN WRITERS and HUMILITY AS RHETORIC: AEMILIA LANYER's TABLE-TURNING USE of MODESTY Thesis Submitted to the Co
    EARLY MODERN WOMEN WRITERS AND HUMILITY AS RHETORIC: AEMILIA LANYER’S TABLE-TURNING USE OF MODESTY Thesis Submitted to The College of Arts and Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Master of Arts in English By Kathryn L. Sandy-Smith UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON Dayton, Ohio August 2013 EARLY MODERN WOMEN WRITERS AND HUMILITY AS RHETORIC: AEMILIA LANYER’S TABLE-TURNING USE OF MODESTY Name: Sandy-Smith, Kathryn Louise APPROVED BY: ________________________ Elizabeth Ann Mackay, Ph.D. Committee Co-chair ________________________ Sheila Hassell Hughes, Ph.D. Committee Member __________________________ Rebecca Potter, Ph.D. Committee Co-chair ii ABSTRACT EARLY MODERN WOMEN WRITERS AND HUMILITY AS RHETORIC: AEMILIA LANYER’S TABLE-TURNING USE OF MODESTY Name: Sandy-Smith, Kathryn L. University of Dayton Advisor: Elizabeth Mackay, Ph.D. 16th and 17th century women’s writing contains a pervasive language of self-effacement, which has been documented and analyzed by scholars, but the focus remains on the sincerity of the act, even though humility was often employed as a successful rhetorical tool by both classic orators and Renaissance male writers. Aemilia Lanyer’s Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum has been read in this tradition of sincere humility, and even when it has not, scholars have focused on the dedicatory paratext, thus minimizing Lanyer’s poetic prowess. I argue that Lanyer’s poem-proper employs modesty as a strategic rhetorical device, giving added credibility and importance to her work. By removing the lens of modesty as sincerity, I hope to encourage a reexamination of the texts of Renaissance women and remove them from their ‘silent, chaste and obedient’ allocation by/for the modern reader.
    [Show full text]
  • Transformative Change: Honesty Responsibility Courage Humility
    Transformative Change: Honesty Responsibility Courage Humility Michael C. Misja, Ph.D. JoAnn Streeter Shade, D.Min. Gracednotes Ministries 425 East Walnut Street Ashland, Ohio 44805 [email protected] Copyright © 2014 Michael C. Misja and JoAnn Streeter Shade Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ISBN – 13:978-1500393571 ISBN – 10:1500393576 Printed in the United States All rights reserved. CONTENTS Introduction 1 Chapter 1 The Invitation 5 Chapter 2 Groundwork 23 Chapter 3 Life in Deception 37 Chapter 4 Ruthless Honesty 55 Chapter 5 The Shame Pit 83 Chapter 6 The Blame Game 99 Chapter 7 Responsibility: Freedom to Love 117 Chapter 8 Petrified by Fear 133 Chapter 9 A Profile in Courage 153 Chapter 10 Pride 173 Chapter 11 Humility 189 Chapter 12 Toward Maturity 211 About the Authors 221 In dedication to those who seek after truth, personal responsibility, courage and humility, and who have allowed us to share the journey with them.
    [Show full text]
  • Personality Theory and the Nature of Human Nature Robert Hogan
    Personality Theory and The Nature of Human Nature Robert Hogan & Ryne A. Sherman Hogan Assessment Systems Pre-print under review for special issue at Personality and Individual Differences Abstract This overview of modern personality theory makes six points. First, personality theory is crucial for understanding life. Second, life is largely about competition. Third, there is competition within groups for individual status, and there is competition between groups for collective survival. Fourth, academic psychology focuses on within group competition, but between group competition can be more consequential. Fifth, successful within group competition depends on social skill; successful between group competition depends on leadership. And finally, personality determines/explains the outcome of both forms of competition. Personality Theory and The Nature of Human Nature People are the deadliest invasive species in the history of the earth. People have the potential to kill every living thing and, in certain instances have already done so (e.g., passenger pigeons, western black rhinoceros, great auk) or are on their way to doing so (e.g., sea turtles, elephants, tigers, polar bears). Given their frightful potential and world-wide presence, it would be useful to know something about people. Personality psychology is the “go-to” discipline for understanding people; personality psychology is the only discipline whose primary focus is the nature of human nature. What does personality psychology tell us about human nature? The answer depends on whom you ask; or more precisely, to which theory of personality you subscribe. Modern personality psychology began in Vienna at the end of the 19th century, where an amazing flowering of human creativity brought revolutions in a wide variety of fields including architecture, music, physics, medicine, music, painting, literature, economics, and especially philosophy.
    [Show full text]
  • Healing Through Humility: an Examination of Augustine's Confessions Catherine Maurer [email protected]
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Northern Michigan University: The Commons Northern Michigan University NMU Commons All NMU Master's Theses Student Works 7-2018 Healing through Humility: An Examination of Augustine's Confessions Catherine Maurer [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.nmu.edu/theses Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Catholic Studies Commons, and the Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Maurer, Catherine, "Healing through Humility: An Examination of Augustine's Confessions" (2018). All NMU Master's Theses. 561. https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/561 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at NMU Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in All NMU Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of NMU Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. HEALING THROUGH HUMILITY: AN EXAMINATION OF AUGUSTINE’S CONFESSIONS By Catherine G. Maurer THESIS Submitted to Northern Michigan University In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Office of Graduate Education and Research July 2018 © 2018 Catherine G. Maurer SIGNATURE APPROVAL FORM Healing through Humility: An Examination of Augustine’s Confessions This thesis by Catherine G. Maurer is recommended for approval by the student’s Thesis Committee and Department Head in the Department of English and by the Interim Director of Graduate Education and Research. __________________________________________________________ Committee Chair: Dr. Lynn Domina Date __________________________________________________________ First Reader: Dr. David Wood Date __________________________________________________________ Second Reader (if required): Date __________________________________________________________ Department Head: Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • An Upward Spiral Between Gratitude and Humility
    Article Social Psychological and Personality Science 1-10 An Upward Spiral Between Gratitude ª The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permission: and Humility sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1948550614534700 spps.sagepub.com Elliott Kruse1, Joseph Chancellor2, Peter M. Ruberton2, 2 AQ 1 and Sonja Lyubomirsky Abstract In two experiments and one diary study, we examined the relationship between self- and other-oriented processes by considering AQ 2 how gratitude can influence humility and vice versa. Humility is characterized by low self-focus, secure sense of self, and increased valuation of others. Gratitude is marked by a sense that one has benefited from the actions of another. In the first experiment, participants who wrote a gratitude letter showed higher state humility than those who performed a neutral activity. In the second experiment, baseline state humility predicted the amount of gratitude felt after writing a gratitude letter compared to a neutral activity. Finally, in a 14-day diary study, humility and gratitude mutually predicted one another, even after controlling for the other’s prior level. Our results suggest that humility and gratitude are mutually reinforcing. Keywords humility, gratitude, self-focus, upward spiral That the self is embedded in a network of social relationships is may be grouped together (e.g., as facets of a larger factor) and one of the oldest social psychological observations (Mead, rarely teased apart. 1934). Over the past century, researchers have theorized how perceptions of others can influence self-perceptions (Cooley, 1902; Hogg & Terry, 2000; Turner, 1985), and how Humility self-perception can drive person perception (Cronbach, 1955; Humility is a hypoegoic state (Leary & Guadagno, 2011) the- Robbins & Krueger, 2000).
    [Show full text]
  • Leadership Theory: a Different Conceptual Approach
    Journal of Leadership Education DOI:10.12806/V17/I2/T1 APRIL 2018 THEORY Leadership Theory: A Different Conceptual Approach William E. Allen, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Fort Hays State University Abstract Creating a logical and consistent picture of the state of leadership theory and research is a difficult task (Hernandez, Eberly, Avolio, & Johnson, 2011). Attempts to describe leadership studies occasionally include words such as “paradox,” “inconsistencies,” “contradictions,” and “messy” (Brungardt, 1996; Klenke, 1993). These adjectives flow from many diverse ways of thinking about leadership (Bass, 2008; Grint, 2000; Northouse, 2015; Ruben, 2012). This paper presents an alternative view of leadership theory providing practitioners, educators, and students with an additional-and perhaps a singular-conceptual framework for their toolbox. It also provides leadership studies students with a unifying perspective of leadership theory without taking anything away from individual theories. Introduction This idea for a thirty-thousand-foot alternative view of leadership theory developed out of the challenges associated with teaching leadership studies concepts in China cross-culturally to Chinese students. The understanding of leadership theory that follows allows the reader to grasp the depth and breadth of discipline content in a way that makes sense from a holistic perspective. The new point of view encourages discussion with the hope for a more efficacious understanding of leadership theory in any part of the world. Prior papers have noted this same need and interest (Harter, 2012; Martin & Allen, 2016; Paxton & Van Stralen, 2016; Perkins, 2009). Moreover, this paper answers the call for a critical perspective that goes well beyond the currently available approach by addressing core assumptions in the field (Tourish, 2015).
    [Show full text]
  • Meek, Humble, Yet Assertive?
    ROTARY DISTRICT 5440 PEACEBUILDER NEWSLETTER WINTER 2018 NUMBER 6 MEEK, HUMBLE, YET ASSERTIVE? William M. Timpson and Bob Meroney Fort Collins Rotary Club and Lindsey Pointer, 2017 Rotary Global Grant Recipient Peacemaking is everyone’s business, but it is not easy and requires commitment, passion, love, and thoughtfulness. Our hope is that this newsletter will provide new ideas, suggestions and possibilities for all Rotarians to participate. We welcome your ideas on how to promote and encourage conflict resolution. In this 6th newsletter we contrast how being both assertive and yet meek and humble contribute to better relationships. WHO ARE THE BEST PEACEMAKERS? William M. Timpson Professor of Education, Colorado State University Member of the Fort Collins Rotary Club Many of the skills of peacemaking have emerged from work with at-risk populations. Assertiveness training can help anyone—students, teachers, parents, community and business leaders, professionals and average citizens and others—distinguish between actions that are aggressive and those that could be considered submissive. These differences can be important when considering actions and attitudes that are, instead, driven by ego, for example. Here is where humility and meekness, together with a commitment to assertive communication, offer an alternative to power, control and violence. Invariably, it is when people let their emotions fuel their aggressive tendencies that violence can erupt. Unfortunately, it can also be true that retreating to a submissive state can undermine a democratic process that benefits from everyone’s participation. Humility and weakness married to assertiveness can help people take the necessary initiative to address real problems and move toward sustainable solutions.
    [Show full text]
  • Personality Traits
    Personality Traits SECOND EDITION GERALD MATTHEWS University of Cincinnati IAN J. DEARY University of Edinburgh MARTHA C. WHITEMAN University of Edinburgh published by the press syndicate of the university of cambridge The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom cambridge university press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge, CB2 2RU, UK 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011–4211, USA 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia Ruiz de Alarc´on 13, 28014 Madrid, Spain Dock House, The Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa http://www.cambridge.org C Cambridge University Press 2003 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1998. Reprinted 1999, 2000, 2002 Second edition 2003 Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge Typefaces Times 10/13 pt. Formata System LATEX2ε [TB] A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data Matthews, Gerald. Personality traits / Gerald Matthews, Ian J. Deary, Martha C. Whiteman. – 2nd edn. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0 521 83107 5 – ISBN 0 521 53824 6 (pb) 1. Personality. I. Deary, Ian J. II. Whiteman, Martha C. III. Title. BF698.M3434 2003 155.23 – dc21 2003046259 ISBN 0 521 83107 5 hardback ISBN 0 521 53824 6 paperback The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press.
    [Show full text]
  • Paul's Humility
    1 True Mother Kang Hyun Shil Paul’s Humility May 4, 2017 Bible Reading: 1st Timothy 1:15 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Good morning everyone, Today I will be speaking to you on the topic: The Humility of Paul. You all know very well that Paul was a very famous person. Paul wrote thirteen books in the Bible, and their content is enough to really inspire us and to deeply resonate within our hearts every time we read them. He was a very prominent person even in his time. His parents were Jews and he studied under Gamaliel. He was an apostle and there was no sin which anyone could detract from him. In the beginning he was strongly opposed to Jesus and to the Gospels. But he changed his faith as the result of a voice that came to him from Heaven. In the midst of his strong persecution against Christianity, one night on the road, he heard a voice from Heaven. It was the Lord’s and it said, “I am Jesus whom you have been persecuting so much!” and that is how he became an Apostle. Paul witnessed the martyrdom of Stephen, who was the first martyr, and at the scene he praised it; he raised both hands in praising it. He converted to Christianity and over the next decades he did a tremendous amount of work for it. His age is said to have been three years younger than Jesus.
    [Show full text]
  • The Psychometric Evaluation of a Personality Selection Tool
    Seattle aP cific nivU ersity Digital Commons @ SPU Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations Psychology, Family, and Community, School of Spring January 18th, 2017 The syP chometric Evaluation of a Personality Selection Tool James R. Longabaugh Seattle Pacific nU iversity Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/iop_etd Part of the Industrial and Organizational Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Longabaugh, James R., "The sP ychometric Evaluation of a Personality Selection Tool" (2017). Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations. 10. https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/iop_etd/10 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Psychology, Family, and Community, School of at Digital Commons @ SPU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ SPU. The Psychometric Evaluation of a Personality Selection Tool James Longabaugh A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial-Organizational Psychology Seattle Pacific University January, 2017 THE PSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION OF A PERSONALITY INSTRUMENT i Acknowledgments The question of whether it is the journey or the destination that is more important has never been so clear; it is the journey. There have been so many people who have helped and supported me along the way, and I only hope that I can acknowledge as many of them as possible. It is with great gratitude that I extend thanks to each and every one who has helped me attain this high honor, but more so for their contributions of inspiration and motivation along the way. First and foremost, my advisor, my mentor, and my dissertation chair, Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Read the Litany of Humility
    LITANY OF HUMILITY We often forget that Christ loved to be silent. He set out for the desert, not to go into exile, but to encounter God. And at the most crucial moment in his life, when there was screaming on all sides, covering him with all sorts of lies and calumnies, when the high priest asked him: “Have you no answer to make?” Jesus preferred silence. It is a case of true amnesia: Catholics no longer know that silence is sacred because it is God’s dwelling place. How can we rediscover the sense of silence as the manifestation of God? This is the tragedy of the modern world: man separates himself from God because he no longer believes in the value of silence. Without silence, God disappears in the noise. And this noise becomes all the more obsessive because God is absent. Unless we rediscover silence, we are lost. We are rushed into nothingness, without silence. Time before the Blessed Sacrament. (Not recorded on Activity Reports.) This is more prevalent on some, who in my opinion need to sit with Jesus and discern their future more closely. The diaconate and ordination is not a prize to be won or a personal goal to be achieved. It’s not about authority, it’s about abandonment. Robert Cardinal Sarah’s book, “The Power of Silence” had only one aim, which is summed up in this thought: “Silence is difficult, but it makes man able to allow himself to be led by God. Silence is more important than any other human work.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Cognitive Theory of Personality
    1 SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY OF PERSONALITY Albert Bandura Stanford University Bandura, A. (1999). A social cognitive theory of personality. In L. Pervin & O. John (Ed.), Handbook of personality (2nd ed., pp. 154-196). New York: Guilford Publications. (Reprinted in D. Cervone & Y. Shoda [Eds.], The coherence of personality. New York: Guilford Press.) 2 Many psychological theories have been proposed over the years to explain human behavior. The view of human nature embodied in such theories and the causal processes they postulate have considerable import. What theorists believe people to be determines which aspects of human functioning they explore most thoroughly and which they leave unexamined. The conceptions of human nature in which psychological theories are rooted is more than a theoretical issue. As knowledge gained through inquiry is applied, the conceptions guiding the social practices have even vaster implications. They affect which human potentialities are cultivated, which are underdeveloped, and whether efforts at change are directed mainly at psychosocial, biological or sociostructural factors. This chapter addresses the personal determinants and mechanisms of human functioning from the perspective of social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986). The recent years have witnessed a resurgence of interest in self-referent phenomena. Self- processes have come to pervade diverse domains of psychology because most external influences affect human functioning through intermediary self processes rather than directly. The self system thus lies at the very heart of causal processes. To cite but a few examples, personal factors are very much involved in regulating attentional processes, schematic processing of experiences, memory representation and reconstruction, cognitively-based motivation, emotion activation, psychobiologic functioning and the efficacy with which cognitive and behavioral competencies are executed in the transactions of everyday life.
    [Show full text]