Social Cognitive Theory in Health Promotion-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Social Congnitive theory in Health Promotion. Answer There are several theories that have been advanced to support health promotion and prevention of disease. The theories are helpful in leadership, formulation of policies and legislation of health care since they help to explain, predict and interpret trends in the health practice. These theories include; social cognitive theory, health belief theory, relapse prevention among others. This paper focuses on social cognitive theory as a model of health promotion and disease prevention. Definition The social cognitive theory is centered of the grounds that individual learn from experiences, those of others and their continued interaction with their environment (Linke, Robinson Pekmezi, 2014). The social cognitive theory can be used to motivate, modify or predict behavior. The main aspect of social cognitive theory however is that, behavior is largely dependent on observation from social interactions. The theory bases its argument on how people emulate certain models in a society. The theory suggests that people do not invent new behaviors but inherit behavior of others depending on how well a behavior is motivated or reinforced. Schwarzer, R. (Ed.). (2014) explains that the key components of the theory in institution of individual behavioral modification include; behavioral capability. This aids a person to recognize and being able to replicate a behavior. Expectations and expectances where the former evaluates the end result of behavior change while the latter examines the value resulting from the behavior change. Self-control refers to the aspect where the individual has the capability of controlling and regulating their own behavior. Observational learning which is based on an individuals ability to learn through observing the actions of others to achieve the required behavior modification. Self-efficacy is another aspect that an individual has control of their behaviors and they can execute or modify behavior at will. Finally, social cognitive theory has the aspect of reinforcement. Reinforcement is a recognized aspect of many behavioral theories and is based on the fact that a behavior can be learned or unlearned through repeated or unrepeated performance. Reinforcement aspect of social cognitive theories also borrow heavily from the idea that behavior can be changed and reinforced through rewards, motivation and incentives. History and origin Glanz, (2015) explains that the earliest contribution to the social cognitive theory can be credited to Edwin Holt and Harold Chapman who proposed that all human and animal behaviors arise from the psychological basis of desire and emotional feelings. John Dollard and Neal Miller advanced the perspectives of Holt and Harold by suggesting that social motivation, rewarding certain actions and various responses could change and modify behavior as well. The two also proposed that rewarding a behavior made the behavior to be reinforced and therefore refereed to rewarding behavior as positive reinforcement. Zhang, et al (2016) holds that the most significant contributions into social cognitive theory however borrows heavily from the work of a Canadian psychologist, Albert Bandura. Bandura advanced the idea that social cognitive theory can be used in learning through several studies and experiments. One the most famous experiments include the famous Bobo doll experiment. The experiment involved little children who were presented with a movie of a model who was presented to be quite aggressive to a bobo doll. The experiment was able to shape the childrens behavior depending on whether the model was either punished or rewarded from the aggressive behavior. According to Kelder, et al (2015) the experiment advanced several propositions to the social cognitive theory. Among these propositions include the idea that behavior is acquired through observation, imitation and modelling. This was to sum up with the work of previous theorists who had proposed a rather behavioral approach suggesting that behavior can only be learned or modified through rewards and punishments. In later studies and writings, Bandura added that human behaviors are also influenced by environment and human patterns of communication. Bandura has since then continued to advance the theory to extend its application into health promotion through a recent publication known as The Social and Policy Impact of Social Cognitive Theory. Social cognitive theory in health promotion and disease prevention The social cognitive theory has become recognized in the realm of health promotion and disease prevention in the sense that learning is considered as deriving lessons from interactions and experiences and continued application of such lessons. The theory also emphasizes learning as through interaction with the environment. The theory has been successful in addressing and explaining several health concerns such as drug addiction, dietary habits, lifestyle, psychological issues and cultural related health issues argues (Hayden, 2017). Heydari, Dashtgard, Moghadam, (2014) a research conducted in a hospital in Iran regarding drug addiction and quitting such habits revealed that the theory is more efficient in addressing the problem. When the theory was put in practice to help people quit drug addiction, more people were found to quit than those who were not subjected to the theory. The theory is therefore practical in addressing concerns such as high population growth and clinically prescribed healthy behaviors such as good lifestyle, drug abuse, and dieting. Why I chose the theory The main reason for choosing this theory to address health promotion and disease prevention is due to the fact that the theory provides mechanisms of reducing risks of disease infection and not curing infections. The theory emphasizes more on the need for prevention to prevent incurring the cost of curing. This helps to change the work of health workers from curing infections to promoting good health through behavior modification, self-efficacy and self-control in healthy living habits. Another major reason as to why I chose the theory is due to the fact that many people suffer from similar diseases and health challenges due to bad habits cultures, beliefs and norms. It is however easier to get rid of these diseases through changing the behavior and beliefs of the society by reinforcing healthy practices and behaviors while showing the consequences of bad behavior to help people live longer and healthier lives. Conclusion Social cognitive theory is a model that bases its argument on the proposition that people learn by observing and repeating the actions of others. The theory also supports the idea that the environment one grows in also helps to shape their behavior. The theory may therefore help to control health by focusing on the society as a whole to reduce incidences of disease infection rather than treating individual patients explains Sallis, Owen, Fisher (2015). References Glanz, K. (2015).Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice. John Wiley Sons. Hayden, J. A. (2017).Introduction to health behavior theory. Jones Bartlett Learning. Heydari, A., Dashtgard, A., Moghadam, Z. E. (2014). The effect of Bandura's social cognitive theory implementation on addiction quitting of clients referred to addiction quitting clinics.Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research,19(1), 19. Kelder, S. H., Hoelscher, D., Perry, C. L. (2015). How individuals, environments, and health behaviors interact.Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice,159. Linke, S. E., Robinson, C. J., Pekmezi, D. (2014). Applying psychological theories to promote healthy lifestyles.American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine,8(1), 4-14. Sallis, J. F., Owen, N., Fisher, E. (2015). Ecological models of health behavior.Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice,5, 43-64. Schwarzer, R. (Ed.). (2014).Self-efficacy: Thought control of action. Taylor Francis. Zhang, J., Brackbill, D., Yang, S., Becker, J., Herbert, N., Centola, D. (2016). Support or competition? How online social networks increase physical activity: a randomized controlled trial.Preventive medicine reports,4, 453-458.