The Social Cognitive Theory Of A Dynamic And Reciprocal...

OVERVIEW: The social cognitive theory in essence is the theory that proposes behavior is a result of personal, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence each other in a dynamic and reciprocal fashion. Environments shape behaviors, but individuals have the power to influence the environment as well as their own behaviors through self-reflection and self-regulatory process. Personal factors involve people’s thoughts and beliefs about the desired outcomes, their ability to perform the behavior or self- efficacy and ability to take charge. They may also have personal barriers in the way. In order to overcome these personal factors they will need goal setting, relapse prevention and reinforcement of positive outcomes. Behavioral†¦show more content†¦The popularity of this program stems from the focus on behaviors, which are impacted by several factors. Social cognitive theory states, â€Å"behavior is the result of personal, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence each other in dynamic and reciprocal fashion† (Contento, 2011). People’s thoughts and feelings, knowledge and skills, and physical and social environment, all impact the actions, behaviors and choices related towards health and nutrition. Interventions that used social cognitive theory in the field of nutrition include Challenge!, EatFit, Choice, Contro l, and Change and Planet Health. These programs encompass the main principles and strengths of social cognitive theory and yielded successful results. INTERVENTIONS: Challenge! is an example of an effective program that utilized social cognitive theory. Its goal was to promote health and prevent obesity in African-American youths, between the ages of 11-16. The program recruited adolescents from low-income, urban areas and implemented both home and community-based interventions for a total of twelve sessions (Black et al., 2010). One important construct of social cognitive theory is observational learning, which Challenge! incorporated by enlisting African-American mentors who attended college. These mentors were crucial because â€Å"teenagers learn from observing the food-related behaviors of