Showing papers by "Albert Bandura published in 2000"

Exercise of Human Agency Through Collective Efficacy

Abstract: Social c ognitive t heory adopts an agentic perspective in which individuals are producers of experiences and shapers of events. Among the mechanisms of human agency, none is more focal or pervading than the belief of personal efficacy. This core belief is the foundation of human agency. Unless people believe that they can produce desired effects and forestall undesired ones by their actions, they have little incentive to act. The growing interdependence of human functioning is placing a premium on the exercise of collective agency through shared beliefs in the power to produce effects by collective action. The present article analyzes the nature of perceived collective efficacy and its centrality in how people live their lives. Perceived collective efficacy fosters groups’ motivational commitment to their missions, resilience to adversity, and performance a ccomplishments.

Prosocial Foundations of Children's Academic Achievement

Abstract: The present longitudinal research demonstrates robust contributions of early prosocial behavior to children's developmental trajectories in academic and social domains. Both prosocial and ag- gressive behaviors in early childhood were tested as predictors of academic achievement and peer relations in adolescence 5 years later. Prosocialness included cooperating, helping, sharing, and con- soling, and the measure of antisocial aspects included proneness to verbal and physical aggression. Prosocialness had a strong positive impact on later academic achievement and social preferences, but early aggression had no significant effect on either outcome. The conceptual model accounted for 35% of variance in later academic achievement, and 37% of variance in social preferences. Additional analysis revealed that early academic achievement did not contribute to later academic achievement after controlling for effects of early prosocialness. Possible mediating processes by which prosocialness may affect academic achievement and other socially desirable devel- opmental outcomes are proposed. A major interest of parents, teachers, and societal agencies centers on discovering early predictors of children's developmental trajecto- ries, with the goal of guiding them in desirable directions (Hartup, 1985; Hays, 1994; Lewis, 1995). Such knowledge enables individuals who influence children's psychosocial development to promote so- Using a longitudinal design and structural equation modeling, we tested the relative impact of early prosocial and aggressive behaviors on children's academic achievement and social ties to their peers 5 years later. In our conceptual model, early prosocialness is negatively associated with aggressiveness, and promotes both positive peer re- lations and academic achievement. In contrast, early aggressiveness adversely affects both peer relations and academic accomplishments.

Corporate Transgressions through Moral Disengagement

Abstract: Corporate transgression is a well-known phenomenon in today's business world. Some corporations are involved in violations of law and moral rules that produce organizational practices and products that take a toll on the public. Social cognitive theory of moral agency provides a conceptual framework for analyzing how otherwise pro-social managers adopt socially injurious corporate practices. This is achieved through selective disengagement of moral self-sanctions from transgressive conduct. This article documents moral disengagement practices in four famous cases of corporate transgressions and discusses some implications for business ethics on how to counteract organizational use of moral disengagement strategies.