Social Influences on Behavior Social influences on behavior This paper will attempt to explore and explain basic concepts of human interactions regarding a perspective on psychology and examples given regarding how human behaviors change based on different social situations, including specific behaviors, environments in which the behaviors occurred, associated phenomenon associated with behaviors, and if the behavior exhibits any necessary therapeutic intervention. Social Influences on Behavior Social psychology and sociology are very similar and travel the same path. Conformity may make a new situation easier and combining the identity to a group is a social identity theory. An individual’s behavior often changes by changing the individual’s environment or group setting. Humans crave social interactions; to withhold social interaction is a squandered effort.
Differential Association: Is It Learned? The theory of differential association was first brought to light by theorist Edwin H. Sutherland in the early twentieth century. The main proposition of the theory is that lawful and criminal behaviors are both acquired through the means of some sort of learning process. These delinquent individuals possess both criminal and anticriminal attitudes, which surrounding people potentially get influenced by. Whether an individual will adapt or stray from the law is all determined by the balance of these two attitudes.
Social learning theory suggests that offending behaviour is acquired through direct reinforcement, modelling or imitation. Bandura (1977) put forward a four step pattern which he believed took place during the modelling process. Attention was the first of Bandura’s steps; this is where the individual notices something in the environment. Secondly, retention takes place; the individual remembers what was noticed (e.g. a criminal act).
Social -control theory argues that deviance is largely a matter of failed social controls. Merton believes that the strain between the norms that define socially appropriate goals and the norms that specify socially appropriate means for attaining these goals creates an atmosphere in which deviance will appear. Travis Hirschi says that persons with a weakened bond to their social group are likely to become deviant. Differential association and cultural transmission theories propose that deviance is a natural outgrowth of a person's contacts during socialization and can be a part of a subculture that can be transmitted indefinitely. Conflict theory traces the origin of criminal behavior to class conflict between the powerful and the weak and sees criminals as reasonable individuals forced by circumstance to break laws in order to regain some of what has been taken from them or denied to them by an exploitative system.
Differential association According to Askers social learning theory, the important point of social learning is differential association. This refers to how often a person interacts with others who either encourage or discourage violating the law. In the process of differential, social learning comes first. A person will interact and identify with the people and groups that will provide models for social reinforcement and behaviour. Definitions Definitions reflect the meanings that a person attaches to a person’s behaviour.
Social Learning Theory Evaluation Evaluate Social Learning Theory with reference to research. Social Learning Theory, first proposed by Albert Bandura, suggests that people's behaviours are molded through observational learning, that their inherent characteristics have an effect on learning and behaviour, and that learning does not always constitute a change in behaviour. The theory has been extensively researched and explains common phenomena such as behaviour being passed down through generations or within cultures. Also, it can be applied to change people's behaviour positively. However, the theory has some weaknesses, as there are criticisms with the theory and its studies.
However, it is expected that negative experience with one personality trait will result in negative anticipations of other personality traits. This definition of the implicit personality theory by Hays (1958) is supported by Schneider (1973). He defines implicit personality theory as the inferences that people draw of others‟ personality on the base of a few central personal characteristics. Through the years definitions of implicit personality have been modified and added. The most used and well-known definition is that of Ashmore and Del Boca (1979)3 as cited in for example Eagly et al.
SOCIAL PROCESS THEORY: LEARNING CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR JA 305-50 31 OCTOBER 2008 Social Process Theory: Learning Criminal Behavior Social process theory is most commonly an attempt to explain how individuals become law violators. Considered a micro-theory, its main focus is on that of social interactions and processes that individuals occur. An interesting aspect of social process theory is that it typically does not approach crime and delinquency as mostly a lower-class problem, but relates crime to all social classes. The learning perspective of the social process theory is formed on the basis that criminal behavior is learned in a social context and that norm-violating behavior is acquired through interaction with others (Brown 320). Edwin H. Sutherland, a renowned criminologist, developed the theory of differential association, where deviance is explained in terms of the individual’s social relationships.
There are many theories into the cause of aggression. Many reasons why people suddenly become bad people. There has to be a reason why a normal person like you and me suddenly becomes 'bad'. One theory for aggressive behaviour is the social learning theory. Social learning theory states that we learn behaviours, including aggression, by imitating successful role models.
Psychology is a discipline which uses academic and social science to investigate and research areas of mental function and behaviour. Psychologists undertake their research to understand how social learning, behaviour and cognitive functions can affect individuals within society. Social learning has evolved with the development of technology. The greater access to technology in society has led to research on the effects this method of learning has and has shown there could be a correlation with learned behaviours from childhood. Behaviourism research shows there is a causal link between negative and positive rewards, and the influences on behaviour patterns in animals showed that behaviour could change according to rewards.