Learning Theories and Personality

Albert Bandura’s reciprocal determinism maintains that there is a “mutual relationship among behavior, cognitive factors, and environment” (Wood, Wood, & Boyd 347).

According to Bandura, all three of these influence each other in determining one’s personality.

Bandura also believed self-efficacy to be an important cognitive factor. Self-efficacy is “the perception a person has of his or her ability to perform competently whatever is attempted” (Wood, Wood, & Boyd 347).

On another note, locus of control is Julian Rotter’s concept of a similar cognitive factor.

Locus of control “explains how people account for what happens in their lives, either seeing themselves as primarily in control of their behavior and its consequences, internal locus of control, or perceiving what happens to them to be in the hands of fate, luck, or chance, external locus of control” (Wood, Wood, & Boyd 347).

I tried a ‘Where Is Your Locus of Control’ exercise and I was a little surprised at my results. I scored 1 out of 10. Which means my external locus of control is rather low.

Although I suppose it is better that I have an internal locus of control rather than an external locus control. Those with an external locus control tend to have lower levels of “life satisfaction”.

• Wood, S., Wood, E., Boyd, D. (2002). Mastering the World of Psychology. New Jersey: Pearson.