Showing papers by "Albert Bandura published in 2014"
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02 Jan 2014TL;DR: A comprehensive theory of morality must explain how moral reasoning, in conjunction with other psychosocial factors, governs moral conduct as mentioned in this paper, which is a process in which multidimensional rules or standards are used to judge moral conduct.
Abstract: A comprehensive theory of morality must explain how moral reasoning, in
conjunction with other psychosocial factors, governs moral conduct. Social cog
nitive theory adopts a cognitive interactionist perspective to moral phenomena.
Within this conceptual framework, personal factors in the form of moral thought
and affective self-reactions, moral conduct, and environmental factors all operate
as interacting determinants that influence each other bidirectionally. Moral think
ing is a process in which multidimensional rules or standards are used to judge
conduct. Situations with moral implications contain many decisional ingredients
that may be given lesser or greater weight depending upon the standards by
which they are cognitively processed and the particular constellations of events
in given moral predicaments. There are some culturally universal features to the
developmental changes of standards of conduct and the locus of moral agency.
These commonalities arise from basic uniformities in the types of biopsycho
social changes that occur with increasing age in all cultures. A theory of morality
requires a broader conception than is provided by rationalistic approaches cast in
terms of skill in abstract reasoning. Moral conduct is motivated and regulated
mainly by the ongoing exercise of self-reactive influence. Self-regulatory mecha
nisms, therefore, form an integral part in the conception of moral agency in
social cognitive theory. Development of self-regulatory capabilities does not
create an invariant control mechanism within a person. Self-reactive influences
do not operate unless they are activated, and there are many psychosocial pro
cesses by which self-sanctions can be selectively activated and disengaged from
transgressive conduct. Mechanisms of moral disengagement also play a central
role in the social cognitive theory of morality.
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