FHS 1500

Emmalee Buehler

How Society Relates to the Social Learning Theory

Question:
According to social learning theory, we learn from what we see others get rewarded/punished
for. Consequently, what special responsibility does the news media have in reporting and
covering such events as teenage suicides, kidnappings, and drive-by shootings? What
responsibilities do athletes have to their young fans? Who are the models you admire most and
how have they affected your behavior? Reminder: Make sure that your responses to these
questions are related to Social Learning Theory.

Answer:
The social learning theory was first developed by a scientist by the
name of Albert Bandura (Berger, 2014, p. 28). The social learning theory
states that humans are social and can learn from observing others without
receiving any reinforcement personally (Berger, 2014, p. 28). This means
that if a child were to get in trouble for eating dirt, a witnessing child would
then also know that eating dirt is not permissible. Through the social
learning theory, different children can learn various lessons in a single life
event (Berger, 2014, p. 28). For example, if two boys grow up seeing their
father hit their mother, one of the boys might relate to the abuser while the
other relates to the victim (Berger, 2014, p. 28). Later, when they are
adults, the son who related with the abuser might hit his wife and take to
physical punishment with his children; while his brother might be more
submissive and apologetic with his family (Berger, 2014, p. 28). Both sons

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Emmalee Buehler

witnessed the same scenario, but they walked away with different messages
(Berger, 2014, p. 28). These are prime examples of what the social learning
theory is in theoretical life. The Social Learning theory can also be easily
found within society. With news stations reporting incidents of suicide to
drive-by shootings, to kidnapping and celebrities being the face of society
and having all of their decisions broadcasted, children of all ages learn
different lessons through witnessing others actions.
News media plays a special role in the social learning theory,
primarily due to the fact that the media reports most events. Depending on
how they report or dont report an event, their audience will then learn
some type of lesson. For instance, a good example that news media has to
be careful about how they report is suicide. There are many studies relating
news coverage and an increase rate of suicide (Caruso, n.d.). The studies
state that after a report of suicide it may trigger a domino effect or suicide
contagion, both meaning subsequent suicides (Caruso, n.d.). With this in
mind, people can draw the conclusion that through reporting suicide, news
watchers then feel it is okay to commit suicide creating a chain reaction.
This can also be described as the social learning theory.
Another source that plays a big responsibility in the social learning
theory is athletes. Athletes shoulder a tremendous responsibility when it
comes to being good role models and showing right from wrong. Their
actions will be on social media and in tabloids viewable for all. In
connection to the social learning theory, when an athlete does a good deed

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for society, adolescents will see the athlete receiving favorable recognition
as a result of doing something beneficial for society. As a result, people will
then see children going out of their way to preform good deeds in order to
be like said athlete.
Every person has role models they look up to in their life. Some look
up to athletes, while others look up to different figure heads. Personally, it is
my father. He is the man I admire the most because he has faced significant
challenges through his life, but he continues to push through and look
forward to the next adventure. I feel like he has affected my behavior in
every way imaginable. He has taught me to be strong, resilient, and to
always stay positive which is what truly matters.
In conclusion, the social learning theory, or modeling, is the theory
stating individuals observe others without personally receiving reformation
(Berger, 2014). There are also many examples in real life that explain the
social learning theory. Two of the major examples that could be used is
social media and athletes. Both social media and athletes play a major role
in the social learning theory because they are a primary reason people
preform certain actions. People preform certain actions to become more like
their role models. In my case, I have learned to be resilient because my role
model is my dad and I want to be emotionally strong like him.

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Emmalee Buehler

Works Cited
Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to The Life Span (2nd ed.). New York, NY:
Worth Publishers.
Caruso, K. (n.d.). Media Guidelines for Suicide. Retrieved from suicide.org:
http://www.suicide.org/media-guidelines-for-suicide.html