Overview & Description:

Reciprocal determinism, introduced by Albert Bandura as a component of his social cognitive theory, suggests that individual behavior, personal factors (such as cognitive skills and attitudes), and environmental influences continuously interact and influence each other.

Example:

A student may perform well in a test (behavior) because they are inherently motivated (personal factor) and because they have supportive parents (environmental factor). This good performance (behavior) may then further bolster their confidence (personal factor) and elicit more support from parents and teachers (environmental factor), and so on.

Implications:

This concept is pivotal in understanding and influencing behavior change, as it emphasizes the multidimensional influences on behavior, suggesting interventions may need to target several areas (individual, social, and environmental) to be effective.

References:

• Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.