Social Cognitive Theory in Cultural Context

TLDR: Social cognitive theory adopts an agentic perspective to human development, adaptation, and change as discussed by the authors, and distinguishes between three modes of agency: personal agency exercised individually; proxy agency in which people secure desired outcomes by influencing others to act on their behalf; and collective agency, where people act in concert to shape their future. But all agentic modes are needed to make it through the day whatever the cultural context in which one resides.

Abstract: La theorie socio-cognitive adopte une perspective d’action pour ce qui est du developpement, de l’adaptation et du changement humains. Cette theorie distingue trois types d’action: l’action personnelle exercee individuellement, l’action par procuration ou l’on s’assure de benefices desires en incitant autrui a intervenir en sa faveur, et l’action collective ou les gens agissent ensemble pour construire leur avenir. Des dichotomies conflictuelles parsement notre domaine, opposant l’autonomie et l’interdependance, l’individualisme et le collectivisme. Les determinants et les doses d’action individuelle, par procuration et collective varient culturellement. Mais tous les modes d’action sont necessaires pour parvenir a ses fins quel que soit le contexte culturel. Les cultures sont diverses et dynamiques, ce ne sont pas des monolithes statiques. La diversite intraculturelle et les ecarts dans les orientations psychosociales mettent en evidence la dynamique aux multiples facettes des cultures. La globalisation croissante, la pluralite des societes et l’immersion dans un monde virtuel qui se joue du temps, des distances, des lieux et des frontieres incitent aelargir la portee des etudes interculturelles. Les preoccupations se focalisent sur la facon dont les forces nationales et globales interagissent dans la creation de la vie culturelle. Social cognitive theory adopts an agentic perspective to human development, adaptation, and change. The theory distinguishes among three modes of agency: personal agency exercised individually; proxy agency in which people secure desired outcomes by influencing others to act on their behalf; and collective agency in which people act in concert to shape their future. Contentious dualisms pervade our field pitting autonomy against interdependence; individualism against collectivism and communality; and personal agency against social structure. The determinants and agentic blends of individual, proxy, and collective instrumentality vary cross-culturally. But all agentic modes are needed to make it through the day whatever the cultural context in which one resides. Cultures are diverse and dynamic social systems not static monoliths. Intracultural diversity and intraindividual variation in psychosocial orientations across spheres of functioning underscore the multifaceted dynamic nature of cultures. The growing globalisation and cultural pluralisation of societies and enmeshment in a cyberworld that transcends time, distance, place, and national borders call for broadening the scope of cross-cultural analyses. The issues of interest center on how national and global forces interact to shape the nature of cultural life.