Bandura Social bonding (15) Prep

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Discuss Bandura's social learning theory (15)

Bandura's social learning theory is part of the Behavioral perspective from the Psychological Positivism. This branch of behaviour theory is most relevant to criminology. This theory not only claims that behaviour is reinforced by rewards and punishment in operant conditioning, but also learnt from observing others.

This theory argues that a person is not born with violent inclinations, and that these inclinations and tendencies are learnt through life experiences. This behaviour is learn during childhood, by modelling the acts of adults around them. These violent behaviour patterns continue in social relationships, later in life. This behaviour is learned modelling or imitation.

Bandura argued that there is 3 aspects to social learning, namely; external reinforcement based on operant conditioning, vicarious reinforcement gained by observing behaviours of others, and self-reinforcement which relates to feelings of pride and achievement.

The nature of this learning, together with physical attributes, determine the type of crime which is carried out.

It is suggested that an event that heightens arousal, aggressive skills and expected outcomes are three factors which may contribute to aggressive or violent behaviour.

Social learning, as well as operant conditioning and classical conditioning, can help to understand the roles people and environmental forces play in the development of childhood and adolescent behaviour.