Page 141 - Media Effects Advances in Theory and Research

130 BANDURA

The different sources of consequences may operate as complimentary
or opposing influences on behavior (Bandura, 1986). Behavior patterns
are most firmly established when social and self-sanctions are compatible.
Under such conditions, socially approvable behavior is a source of self-
pride and socially disapprovable behavior is self-censured. Behavior is
especially susceptible to external influences in the absence of countervail-
ing self-sanctions. People who are not much committed to personal stan-
dards adopt a pragmatic orientation, tailoring their behavior to fit what-
ever the situation seems to call for (Snyder & Campbell, 1982). They
become adept at reading social situations and guiding their actions by
expediency.
One type of conflict between social and self-produced sanctions arises
when individuals are socially punished for behavior they highly value.
Principled dissenters and nonconformists often find themselves in this
predicament. Here, the relative strength of self-approval and social cen-
sure determine whether the behavior will be restrained or expressed.
Should the threatened social consequences be severe, people hold in
check self-praiseworthy acts in risky situations but perform them readily
in relatively safe settings. There are individuals, however, whose sense of
self-worth is so strongly invested in certain convictions that they will sub-
mit to prolonged maltreatment rather than accede to what they regard as
unjust or immoral.
People commonly experience conflicts in which they are socially pres-
sured to engage in behavior that violates their moral standards. When
self-devaluative consequences outweigh the benefits for socially accom-
modating behavior, the social influences do not have much sway. How-
ever, the self-regulation of conduct operates through conditional applica-
tion of moral standards. We shall see shortly that self-sanctions can be
weakened or nullified by selective disengagement of internal control.

Abstract Modeling

Modeling is not merely a process of behavioral mimicry, as commonly
misconstrued. The proven skills and established customs of a culture may
be adopted in essentially the same form as they are exemplified because
of their high functional value. However, in most activities, subskills must
be improvised to suit varying circumstances. Modeling influences convey
rules for generative and innovative behavior as well. This higher-level
learning is achieved through abstract modeling. Rule-governed judg-
ments and actions differ in specific content and other details while
embodying the same underlying rule. For example, a model may confront
moral conflicts that differ widely in content but apply the same moral
standard to them. In this higher form of abstract modeling, observers