Download Locus of control

Learning Perspective
Personality
 Learning

Perspective:
To best understand personality, we need to
consider the situation the person is in, how
that person thinks, and how that person
interacts socially.
Social-Cognitive Learning
School (theory)
 Observational
learning
 Cognitive processes
Perceptions of Control: Julian
Rotter (S-C L.S.)
 Emphasize
our perception of personal
control.
 Locus of control = a general expectation
about whether the results of your actions
are under your own control or beyond your
control.
Locus of control: Two Types
 External
Locus of Control = the perception
that chance or outside forces determine
their fate.
 Internal
Locus of control = the perception
that one controls one’s own fate.
Results from numerous studies
 Internals
achieve more in school, enjoy
better health, and feel less depressed than
do externals.
Two psychological conditions
 This
can happen as a result of having an
extreme external locus of control.
 1. Learned helplessness: repeatedly
faced with traumatic events over which a
person has no control, he/she come to feel
helpless, hopeless, and depressed.
Passive resignation.
Learned Helplessness
 Abused
and discouraged children,
battered wives, POWs, depressed
patients, etc.
Second condition
This can happen once either an internal or
external Locus of Control is established.
2. Self-fulfilling prophecy = the person’s
expectations lead to behavior that makes
the prediction come true.
Ex. People who expect to be rejected (“No
one could love someone like me”) often
behave in ways that cause their partners
to eventually reject them.
Locus of Control in practice
Can change.
 Personality Theory is used by many
psychologists to help clients.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
cognitive emphasis on thoughts and
attitudes with behavioral strategies.

Evaluating S-C L Theory
 Focus
so much on the situation that it
fails to appreciate the person’s inner traits.
 What about our unconscious motives and
our emotions?
What is strong element/good
about the theory?
 Perceptions
of Control: Julian Rotter
The End
Psychology
Operant Conditioning
theory)
 Ignores
st
(1
the unconscious
 Behavior is determined by environmental
stimuli.
 Response tendencies are acquired
through learning and conditioning.
 B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
B. F. Skinner
 Strict
religious upbringing
 Hot coals
 Our behavior is conditioned:
 According to Skinner, Jane works hard
b/c this behavior earns rewards for Jane.
Therefore she will repeat this behavior in
the future.
 Our behavior is shaped by
rewards/punishments.
Albert Bandura (2nd theory)
 Observational
Learning
 Personality comes from
modeling/observational learning: we mimic
what we see/hear/experience from our
environment. We learn to not mimic
certain behaviors if we see someone being
punished for that behavior.