Social learning model DUE TODAY!

Social Learning Theory (SLT) (Aka Social Cognitive Theory) – Albert Bandura

One of many different forms of cognitive theory.

Understand the covert mental processes involved with our cognitions (thoughts):

Think

Internal dialogue

Self-talk

Beliefs/perceptions – about drugs. Whether or not good or bad. Cultural influences

Expectancies – related to addiction, Form expectancies about what a drug will do for us.

Schemas - a representation of a plan or theory in the form of an outline or model

Representations, symbols, meaning of things.

A cognitive model helps to explain the initiation of addictive behavior and the maintenance of addictive.

Bandura SLT Believes in a concept known as reciprocal determinism . Interactions between our thoughts (cognitions), our behavior, and the environment. These three things are in constant reciprocal interactions with each other. Back and forth relationship.

Thoughts (Do I drink or not?/ Should drink more?)

Behavior Environment

Behavior of drinking Party!!!!!

Example about alcohol or drugs?

Thoughts (Relapse crisis – Thoughts about using)

Behavior Environment

(begin to use) (Around others who are using and having fun)

Thoughts (thoughts of drinking to relieve stress)

Behavior Environment

Increased Drinking Stressful environment

Thoughts (thoughts about eating taboo food)

Behavior Environment

Eating bad food Full of unhealthy eating options

Bandura also believed that within this reciprocal process lies each person’s ability to influence their own destiny. Why? Because we have self-direction.

Why does that matter in addiction??

Bandura believed that through our cognitions (thoughts), we acquire new behaviors and decide to regulate our behaviors.

Bandura believed that its process based on prior experiences that helps people to decide to either initiate a new behavior or maintain a behavior.

1) We determine which environmental stimuli to pay attention to and what to ignore

2) We determine how to perceive these environmental stimuli (Good vs Bad, wanted vs unwanted)

3) We determine whether we should remember these environmental stimuli

4) Determine how they will affect future behavior

We go through this process all day every day. We are constantly appraising our environment. Based on our observations we create symbolic representations and use these representations to anticipate future outcomes.

Self-Regulation IS the capability of people to regulate their own behavior. We do this through external standards set by others and self-evaluative assessments (internal standards set by ourselves).

SLT theory and the concept of self-regulation disputes the disease model and its concepts of loss of control.

Addictive behavior is behavior that is actually highly self-regulated. It’s not out of control behavior, it’s highly in control.

Addictive behavior is often predictable, goal-directed, and not random. Purposeful.

Obtain, use, recover, conceal its use from others, interact with other drug users, etc.. goes on in a very predictable way.

It is explains functional addiction better than the other models.

People can self-regulate an addiction for years. Holding onto jobs, family, and a lifestyle.

How do we decide to initiate new behaviors? In the absence of reinforcers and punishers.

Modeling – is vicarious observation or vicarious learning. One of the ways in which we acquire new behavior. Learning by observing others. These others are known as “models”.

We watch what happens to others and the outcomes, and then we decide whether or not to engage in the same behavior.

Teens initiate substance use behaviors through the concept of modeling.

Smoking cigarettes age of onset 13 years old. I quit when I turned 20.