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Social cognitive theory of self-regulation

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Bandura, Albert·1991·Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
DOI 10.1016/0749-5978(91)90022-l
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Abstract

In social cognitive theory human behavior is extensively motivated and regulated by the ongoing exercise of self-influence. The major self-regulative mechanism operates through three principal subfunctions. These include self-monitoring of one's behavior, its determinants, and its effects; judgment of one's behavior in relation to personal standards and environmental circumstances; and affective self-reaction. Self-regulation also encompasses the self-efficacy mechanism, which plays a central role in the exercise of personal agency by its strong impact on thought, affect, motivation, and action. The same self-regulative system is involved in moral conduct although compared to the achievement domain, in the moral domain the evaluative standards are more stable, the judgmental factors more varied and complex, and the affective self-reactions more intense. In the interactionist perspective of social cognitive theory, social factors affect the operation of the self-regulative system.

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Crossref · 10.1016/0749-5978(91)90022-l

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102 of 102 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • When people anticipate that collaborating with a particular type of partner will lead to better performance or more useful results, their co-creation intention increases significantly.

    “when people anticipate that collaborating with a particular type of partner will lead to better performance or more useful results, their co-creation intention increases significantly (Bandura, 1991).”

    From From humans to AI: understanding why AI is perceived as the preferred co-creation partner (2025) · cites this paper as Bandura, 1991

  • Much of human behavior is governed by regulatory processes: people minimize the discrepancy between ideal future states and current states, which initiates various goal-directed behaviors.

    “This idea aligns with decades of research in social psychology showing that much of human behavior is governed by regulatory processes: People go to great lengths to minimize the discrepancy between ideal future states and current states, which initiates various goal-directed behaviors (e.g., Bandura, 1991;Carver & Cheier, 1982;Carver & Scheier, 1998;Deci & Ryan, 2000;Friston, 2002;Gray, 1982Gray,”

    From The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework (2018) · cites this paper as Bandura, 1991

  • Self-efficacy beliefs can influence choice of activities, preparation for an activity, effort expended during performance, thought patterns, and emotional reactions.

    “Self-efficacy beliefs can influence choice of activities, preparation for an activity, effort expended during performance, as well as thought patterns and emotional reactions”

    From The theory of planned behavior (1991) · cites this paper as Bandura, 1991

  • The digital diary has the purpose to enable self-monitoring for increased self-awareness of own behaviours, emotions and routines, and thus enhanced orientation towards values and goals, and data collection to gain insight into individual change processes and effects of the treatment in the context of the SCED.

    “The digital diary has the purpose to enable self-monitoring for increased self-awareness of own behaviours, emotions and routines, and thus enhanced orientation towards values and goals,39 and data collection to gain insight into the individual change processes and effects of the treatment in the context of the SCED.”

    From Development, evaluation and implementation of a digital behavioural health treatment for chronic pain: study protocol of the multiphase DAHLIA project (2022) · cites this paper as [39]

  • Interventions that include coping skills and stress management training increase coping self-efficacy, which can empower patients to face the future with less anxiety.

    “Such interventions not only help patients learn new skills to cope with their current stressors, but also serve to increase coping self-efficacy (i.e., confidence in the ability to cope with cancer), which can empower patients to face the future with less anxiety (Bandura, 1991).”

    From An online stress management workbook for breast cancer (2014) · cites this paper as Bandura, 1991

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Authors
Bandura, A.
Affiliations
Stanford University (US)
Corresponding author
Bandura, Albert
Venue
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1991-12
Volume
50
Issue
2
Pages
248-287
ISSN
0749-5978 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/0749-5978(91)90022-l
OpenAlex
W2062121040
Cited by
6,875
References
102
Citations by year
2026: 589 · 2025: 580 · 2024: 581 · 2023: 465 · 2022: 485 · 2021: 491 · 2020: 503 · 2019: 398 · 2018: 322 · 2017: 310 · 2016: 322 · 2015: 303 · 2014: 233 · 2013: 194 · 2012: 174
FWCI
14.91
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
Keywords
social cognitive theory, self-regulation, self-influence, self-monitoring, self-efficacy, individual agency, moral judgment, motivation, interactionism, social factors

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