Behavioral and Social Cognitive Theories

Behavioral and Social/Cognitive Theories

It is intriguing how a human being slowly grows from a living being that cannot do anything on their own, to a talking happy child, and into an adult. This growing does not take place just in the physical form, but in a psychological form as well. There are several theories as to how a person obtains their personality, such as the Behavioral Theory and the Cognitive Theory. The writer will discuss both of these theories using a habit that was observed and obtained from a family member.

Analysis of a Habit

One of my habits is my wake up process. I get up I make my bed, get my cup of coffee, get my girls in the shower, and then clean my house. This is the same process I had growing up not only by my mother but by my aunt. My mother to this day does this exact thing, she makes her bed, gets her cup of coffee, and starts the cleaning process. My aunt had the same routine at her house, so spending the night there was no retreat. Both of these women expected to have a clean house at all times. This truly conditioned me to be the same way, in fact I find that I get very anxious when my house is not clean and my bed is not made. Even though I live in an entirely different state now, I do the same thing they do every day; wake up, make the bed, get a cup of coffee, and then clean. I just put my girls in the shower; this makes it easier to get the house cleaned up before they mess it up. I definitely have to say that watching both of these women throughout my childhood and now adulthood do this same habit influenced me to pick up the morning habits.

Why do you Continue it?

I am unsure as to why I continue this habit. There could be a number of reasons, I was conditioned to do it, and once a habit is formed it is truly hard to break that habit. I like the habit; I mean who does not like climbing into a crisp cold bed at the end of a long day. Now the cup of coffee is not just a habit it is an addiction, without coffee I am a bear to deal with. I think that my addiction drives me to drink the coffee more than the habit of having a cup each day. The bed thing though this is a true issue, I get seriously frustrated when my bed is not bed or if my girls destroy it. I did sway from this habit in my early twenties, I did not have a coffee pot and I just was not a morning person at that time, but I realized that my day was just a mess, unorganized, anxious, and rushed. Once I started my routine/habit again the day was just that much better. I felt prepared, energized, and ready to go.

Linking My Habit to Behavioral Personality Theory

The Behavioral Personality Theory is also known as behaviorism, this theory states that one obtains their behavioral habits from childhood experiences and genetics. Conditioning is what many believe the