One of psychology's most famous debates is the argument of nature versus nurture. Does genetics have more of an influence on our behavior and personality, or are we products of our environment? Julian B. Rotter’s Social Learning Theory supports the position that environment plays a larger role in the development of behaviors and personality than that of instinctual drive. Rotter's Social Learning Theory was developed during a time when the prevailing belief of personality development was influenced by Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality. Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory held that behavior was influenced by inner forces operating below the level of consciousness, or interactions between the three components of the mind, id,ego, and superego. Albert Bandura called Psychoanalytic theory “pseudo explanations” because they ignored the complexity of human responsiveness. The ideas for Social Learning Theory was formulated in Brooklyn New York where Rotter was born to Jewish immigrant parents in October 1916. His father operated a successful business within the city until the Great depression hit, Bonnie R. Strickland wrote in Rotter’s obituary published in the Journal American Psychologist, that growing up in this time period is what led Rotter to realize how much environmental influencer's can shape one’s life. Rotter’s first work Social Learning Theory and Clinical Psychology was published in 1954, the book was written as an attempt to account for human behavior in relatively complex social situations. To this day Rotters ideas shape the way we view behavior and personality, and psychologist such as Bandura and Mearns continue to expand and evolve the theories that Rotter put forth.
I've been thinking a lot about Rotter's Social Learning Theory and how it applies to my life, my son is due to be born in less than a month, I want to make sure the environment I provide for him is one where he can grow into a moral and successful adult. As Rotter says we are products of our environment, children learn from observation and imitation, I need to set a good example for him. My parents didn't finish traditional high school, and neither received a college education. I'm the first in my family to graduate from college, and I would like my son to follow in my footsteps. I'm going to be sure teach him the importance of education, but I also realize that he might have different ambitions and need to respect whatever it is he wants to do. Growing up my mother always seemed to know what I was up to, like she had eyes in the back of her head. I suspect she might have unknowingly been using Rotter's formula for predicting behavior, I look forward to developing these super powers after Marcelo is born.
