Problem 10 - An Introduction to Theories of Personality

Question

A terrorist blows up a building in a hated foreign country. How might Bandura explain the terrorist's behavior?

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

Bandura might explain the terrorist's behavior through his Social Learning Theory, where the individual may have learned violent behaviors and ideologies from observing others, and his concept of Moral Disengagement, where the individual disengages their normal ethical standards to carry out acts they would normally view as wrong.

Step 1: Understanding Bandura's Social Learning Theory

Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory revolves around the idea that we learn from our environment and social context. This includes observing others' actions and the consequences of these actions.

Step 2: Apply the Social Learning Theory to the terrorist's behavior

The terrorist might have acquired violent behaviors and ideologies through observation - the individual may have seen others carry out similar actions either in real life or through media exposure. The perception that these actions resulted in favorable outcomes could have influenced the imitation of such behavior.

Step 3: Understanding Bandura's Concept of Moral Disengagement

Bandura also proposed the concept of Moral Disengagement. This is the process by which people convince themselves that ethical standards do not apply to them within a particular context, thus permitting engagement in behavior that they would otherwise consider wrong.

Step 4: Apply Moral Disengagement to the terrorist's behavior

Here, the terrorist's actions could be explained by moral disengagement. The individual may have selectively disengaged their moral self-sanctions to allow for the destructive behaviour. They may have justified their actions by blaming or dehumanizing the victims, or by distorting the likely consequences of their actions.

Step 5: Combine the theories to form a comprehensive explanation

The combination of social learning and moral disengagement can construct a comprehensive explanation. The terrorist, through observation, could have learned that violence is a viable method of achieving certain outcomes. Coupled with moral disengagement, this would allow the individual to carry out acts they would generally view as immoral.