For this reaction paper, I will be discussing Turner Chapter 31 on Social Learning Theory. The framework of Social Learning Theory relies on the premise that behavior is learned and can be changed. Some of the methods used to change behavior rely on operant, respondent, and observational learning. The ideas presented in the chapter and lecture helped me understand how aspects of Social Learning Theory can be applied to our daily lives and be used to explain why different behaviors occur.
While reading the textbook, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the section about the person-in-environment perspective (PIE). The PIE perspective assumes that people are constantly changing their environment and this change has a great influence on human behavior. This made me think about how the environment plays a huge role in mental health treatment. Specifically, in class, we discussed how anxiety and depression are mostly results of our environment. Personally, I have seen this interaction in my life with my mother. In 2007, a close family member passed away and this had a major impact on her life. For the first couple of months, she exhibited symptoms of depression and sought out mental health services. She was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and she thought she would be depressed for the rest of her life. However, throughout the next few years, she received great amounts of social support from her peers and family and she began to come to terms with her loss. Thus, her supportive environment helped her overcome her depressive symptoms and behaviors that she thought would be permanent. This example has helped me understand that the PIE perspective is central to mental health and supportive relationships can be an environmental influence that contributes to decreasing the various mental health symptoms that a person might experience.
Along with the PIE perspective, I was surprised to learn about operant learning more in depth and how it is used nearly every day in peoples’ lives. Out of the three types of learning that were discussed in this chapter, I was most familiar with operant learning from previous psychology courses. Specifically, I was familiar with positive and negative reinforcement and positive and negative punishment. However, I originally thought that a behavior only had to be reinforced a few times for it to exist. Now, I understand that behavior needs to be occasionally reinforced over time for it to continue occurring. For example, while I was completing my bachelor’s degree, I knew I would be in school for four years. I would look forward to making good grades on a test or assignment to keep myself motivated to finish my degree program. Now, I realize that intermittent assignments not only reinforced concepts I learned from class, but they helped me continue my college career up to my master’s degree. I believe that scheduled reinforcement is important for our learning and if used correctly, can lead to successful outcomes for everyone. Also, I think that instructors of psychology courses should consider covering operant conditioning more in depth in their courses. Students could benefit from learning these procedures if they are struggling to stay motivated in school. Overall, operant learning has important implications for everyone and I understand why behavioral therapies are effective.
I believe that Social Learning Theory has implications for social workers that can be used across different therapies. For example, if a social worker is using the strengths-based approach to treat a client with social anxiety, they should give the client praise any time the client discusses a successful attempt to socialize with someone. Hopefully, this positive reinforcement will help decrease symptoms of social anxiety that the client might exhibit and help the client have a positive attitude towards building relationships with other people. Overall, Social Learning Theory has helped me understand the importance of behavioral practice and how it can be used in a variety of situations. I hope to integrate these techniques into my future practice.